Second Winners of the Women's basketball champions league pictured with SSBF president Luol Deng. (Photo: Kafuki Jada).

The South Sudan Basketball Federation has awarded about 2.4 million South Sudanese pounds to the winners of the women’s basketball champions league competition.

Six teams played out the women’s basketball tournament which kicked off in September 2022, at Nimra Talata basketball court.

They are Nile Legends, Fula Stars, Mighty 64, Golden Heroines, Oil Starlets and Dove Queens.

The cup winners Golden Heroines received 1,000,000 South Sudanese pounds, second-place winners Dove Queens were awarded 800,000 pounds, and third-place Fula Stars got a 600,000 pounds prize.

From individual awards, 17-year-old Olivia Doki won the Most Valuable Player Award, Nana Lokuku won Best Center, Aziza Ramsy won Best Point Guard, Sopia Augustino wins Most Defensive and Achol Mariana won Most Improved.

Meanwhile, Emmanuela Kuku won the Top Scorer, Joseph Madut was the Most Outstanding Refree and Coach of the Year was Susana Awal.

Speaking at the closing event of the tournament, SSBF president Luol Deng encouraged the women basketball players to cultivate a vision for the country and be role models for other young women.

“You always gotta think big, you have to believe in yourselves in anything you do, not just basketball. You have to push yourselves in the hope that one day somebody will come along and go in your journey,” he said.

“You know a lot of times and not just in Basketball or in South Sudan but also in other places, people want to be helped without showing that they can do it or without starting it first. Why I am saying this is that in life, when you want help, you have convince (the helper) that you love what you are doing.”