Opening the third door & eating rice with an NBA All-Star
Battle of the Real Jollof x Regular Hoops
Two months ago, I attended Battle of the Real Jollof—an event celebrating West African & diaspora culture.
I left inspired, motivated… and hungry.
This post highlights (1) the importance of Jollof rice, (2) some full circle moments, and (3) how the event changed my perspective on basketball culture. Topics include…
🤫 Sneaking into the invite-only event
🏀 Working with NBA All-Star Victor Oladipo
🚪 Opening the “Third Door”
Battle of the Real Jollof
Part I: But first… what is Jollof?
The dictionary defines Jollof rice as…
“A West African dish of rice cooked in a sauce of tomatoes and onions seasoned usually with garlic, thyme, hot pepper, and other spices and often accompanied by meat, fish, or vegetables” - (Merriam-Webster)
But Jollof is more than a plate of rice.
Part II: Why is Jollof important?
Eating Jollof rice is associated with good times.
As highlighted by Ishmael Osekre, founder of a different event called Jollof Festival,
“Whether it was rice for birthdays, Christmas and even the first day of school, jollof was a meal for special occasions. It takes so much time and effort to perfect, so any time you see jollof rice, you associate it with special moments.”
It also sparks friendly competition among West African countries, as each claim to make the best Jollof. Osekre explains how this connects the global African community,
“The debate over jollof rice brings people and communities together in a healthy and friendly way. I’ve seen this rivalry bring together people who thought they didn’t have much in common besides their rice. Even though it may appear as a food war on the surface, this is a strong driving force for unity and enjoying a meal amongst different diaspora people.” - (Andscape)
TLDR: Read the Tweet below to understand the importance of Jollof rice.
Part III: Jollof & Basketball?
“Seeking to raise awareness and celebrate West African culture in New York City through food and basketball, Arinze Emeagwali created Battle of the Real Jollof in 2020” (IG: alphaindustries).
He built the event around two main competitions…
(1) 🥣 "Jollof Off" (Jollof taste test featuring local West African restaurants)
(2) 🏀 Celebrity basketball game (with players/coaches of West African descent)
This year’s basketball game was a battle between Nigeria 🇳🇬 and Ghana 🇬🇭
Most notably, NBA All-Star—Victor Oladipo—pulled up to coach Team Naija.
Other celebs/influencers included: DJ Tunez, Ros Gold-Onwude, Monica McNutt, and many more.
My Journey to Jollof
Part I: Inviting myself
With a plethora of supa stars in attendance, this event was invite-only.
The Instagram posts didn’t even say where it was taking place.
But I was determined to get in, as the event embodied the mission of Regular Hoops.
I first attempted to get in the traditional way—by asking friends connected to the event.
But that didn’t work… so I invited myself lol.
Part II: The obstacles
This is how I analyzed my situation…
Obstacle 1: Where is the event happening?
Solution: I watched the Instagram stories of celeb game players and noticed they were at the Nike NYHQ hours before tipoff
Obstacle 2: Where is the media entrance?
Solution: Seeing lines outside Nike NYHQ. Media entrance was right next to the attendee line.
Obstacle 3: How do I convince the media team to grant me credentials?
Solution: Understand how the credential list works and talk my way in
Long story short, I got credentialed and walked in the event.
Now the real work started.
My new basketball culture perspective
Part I: Content strategy
From the beginning, my goal was to tell the story of Battle of the Real Jollof to my audience AND its audience in a unique way.
My strategy was to (1) capture hidden gem moments and (2) film people with the highest energy.
I also had to stay true to the Regular Hoops brand.
Part II: Being anti-NBA (at first)
As mentioned earlier, Victor Oladipo was Team Nigeria’s coach.
I had no intention of filming him because highlighting an NBA player would go against the Regular Hoops brand (since he isn’t a “regular” hooper).
But by halftime, I couldn’t ignore the passion in Vic’s voice when coaching.
He was inspiring the team in every huddle, drawing up detailed plays on his phone, and arguing with the referees.
This shocked me because I didn’t expect his involvement to be anything more than a photoshoot on the bench.
Part III: My new perspective
His passion made me reflect on the mission of Regular Hoops—to make people feel more included in basketball culture.
Although I wasn’t playing, seeing Vic care about a game filled with “regular” hoopers made me feel seen in basketball culture.
He reminded me of my childhood basketball coaches. He was just a “regular” coach.
And I would have ran through a brick wall for his team.
This sparked an “aha moment”
When you grow up only seeing NBA players talk in generic post-game interviews and boring ads, it’s easy to think they have no personality.
But this preconceived notion is wrong.
NBA players are in environments where they express their true character. However, those moments are rarely captured and shared publicly.
I’m not saying that every aspect of their life needs to be documented, but by being more intentional, players can foster an organic & engaged community because they become more relatable.
This is something I hope to continue highlighting, as I now believe there is a significant overlap between the NBA and Regular Hoops.
Below is the video I made with Victor Oladipo and Battle of the Real Jollof. It brings the viewer on a journey—sharing the (1) pre-game energy, (2) in-game tension, and (3) post-game celebration.
If you’d like to see more moments I captured from the event, watch these Instagram Story Highlights.
Full circle moments
Part I: A personal note
Beyond gaining a new perspective on Regular Hoops, attending Battle of the Real Jollof was personal because of a couple full circle moments with two of the event organizers—TJ Adeshola & Arinze Emeagwali.
Part II: The Third Door
The first moment is related to hustle.
I recently finished reading The Third Door by Alex Banayan. Alex explains that,
“Life, business, success… it’s just like a nightclub.
There are always three ways in.
There’s the First Door: the main entrance, where 99 percent of people wait in line, hoping to get in.
The Second Door: the VIP entrance, where the billionaires and celebrities slip through.
But what no one tells you is that there is always, always… the Third Door. It’s the entrance where you have to jump out of line, run down the alley, bang on the door a hundred times, crack open the window, sneak through the kitchen—there’s always a way.” - (Alex Banayan)
To get into Battle of the Real Jollof, I had to find, open, and go through that “Third Door.”
Similarly, TJ Adeshola—Team Nigeria’s GM—opened many “Third Doors” before becoming the Head of Global Content Partnerships at Twitter.
On an episode of The Limits with Jay Williams, TJ shared his “Third Door” story about getting an internship at ESPN as a student. He explained,
“ESPN College GameDay came to campus for a Georgia football game. Georgia was playing Auburn, and I remember waking up at 5 a.m. and going to just observe [the ESPN operation]. I went to watch by myself. And I looked, and I was like,
‘Yo. Who's the boss?’
And I identified a gentleman who appeared to be calling shots. And I pulled up on him. I was like,
‘Yo. I want to work at ESPN. I've been watching this operation for hours. It's incredible. It's fascinating. Can I get an internship?’
He was like,
‘How long you been standing over there?’
I said,
‘About three, four hours.’
He was like,
‘All right. Here's my business card. Shoot me an email.’
I shot him an email. A month later, I'm on Bristol campus, interning as a student from the University of Georgia.” - (NPR)
At the end of Battle of the Real Jollof, I went up to TJ and told him how I got into the event.
He smiled and joked about wondering who I was.
I left with a huge grin—feeling like TJ after College GameDay.
Part III: Happy Hour
The second full circle moment was reconnecting with Battle of the Real Jollof founder, Arinze Emeagwali.
I met Arinze at a SEEN Happy Hour in July 2022.
At that event, I shared a passion project I had started a few weeks earlier.
Three months later, that passion project became Regular Hoops…
During the idea to launch phase of Regular Hoops, I remember watching the previous Battle of the Real Jollof highlights and obsessing over how the event tells a story that the Regular Hoops would feature.
I also spoke with Arinze at the end of Battle of the Real Jollof. To my surprise, he recognized me and remembered that I was doing something with grassroots basketball.
Never would have imagined this happening a year ago.
TLDR: Thank you, TJ & Arinze. Although I’ve been a bystander on your journeys, watching you hustle and build inspired me.
Closing Thoughts
I’m grateful for the opportunity to tell the story of an event that celebrates the intersection of identity and food through basketball.
And as a first-generation American & the child of Lebanese immigrants, I’m thinking there’s got to be a Battle of the Real Shawarma/Falafel/Hummus 😂
In the meantime, don’t mind me pulling up to Battle of the Real Jollof next year like these guys on my fyp… (Oluwa Mark Dancing)
PS—If you liked this, you might also enjoy reading how I worked with Zendaya and Tom Holland.
Stay hungry!