Basketball: Widodo's driven by passion

Hendi Widodo created the Jammers International Men's League club WG Sonics in 2013, before taking up ownership of National Basketball League (NBL) side Adroit Sports Association.

They are a team that now feature six national players.

And now, the 28-year-old Indonesian, who is a director of an Indonesian-based shipping firm, has lent his support to the upcoming nEbO FIBA 3x3 Basketball Challenge.

Speaking to The New Paper, Widodo, who has lived in Singapore since he was seven years old, said: "I've always been a basketball fan.

"I grew up collecting NBA memorabilia and that's how my love for the game grew. But I wasn't the best player, of course.

"A few years ago I attended an NBL game where Adroit were playing and the way they played caught my eye.

"That was when I knew that being an owner was more for me, because apart from pledging money, I can go about creating bonds in the team, and looking after little things like the welfare and progress of the team.

"It's all about the process, not the end result."

Widodo declined to disclose how much his company or all the sponsors are putting into the nEbO FIBA 3x3 Basketball Challenge, but the amount is believed to be enough to keep the series going.

It runs over four events in May, July, September and November.

"The team manager of Adroit mentioned that there would be a 3x3 competition coming up, so I decided to come forward as a sponsor, because the 3x3 format is increasingly becoming a key motor in the development of basketball," said Widodo.

"It's also going to be the first-ever Fiba Challenge series in Singapore, so I felt that it would be good to be a part of something big in the youth development of the sport in Singapore.

"Countries like Taiwan have a strong basketball culture, so that's what Singapore needs.

"Because more than just the challenge series, what's important is the progress of basketball in general in Singapore. I hope I can play a role in that."

This article was first published on April 19, 2015.
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