Our star of the day is the incredible Isaac Afidra. Nicknamed “Magalo” (pliers) due to his tough hands, Afidra is a legend in Ugandan basketball folklore having started playing in the National Basketball League back in 1999 and still going strong!
His career has seen him turn out for Power, KIU and Falcons. But his glory days have been with Power.
Where it all started
In his second season with Power in 2000, he won his first championship against Falcons, who had swept them in 1999 in a period where Afidra admits, he was overwhelmed by pressure.
Good morning. Today is going to be a great day. Let’s get after it.
— Nnalubaale Sports (@NnalubaaleS) December 8, 2023
Our star ⭐️ of the day is ISAAC AFIDRA.
Nicknamed “Magalo” (pliers) due to his tough hands, Afidra is a legend of Ugandan basketball 🏀 having started playing in the NBL back in 1999 and still going!
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“Well, after my first season, I learnt that my opponent was a human being, and there was no need to fear them. From then on, I went into tough games, believing in myself, thus the 2008, 2010 and 2011 championships,” Afidra said.
Back in 2010, Afidra put up a masterful performance that etched his name among the sport’s greatest. It was the decisive game seven of the FUBA finals at YMCA grounds.
Power had trailed Warriors for most of the match but with the clock running down the final seconds, the former needed three points to tie the game.
Power head coach Bernes Ankunda called for a timeout to ensure that they would start the ball from the half and cut down on the seconds.
It seemed a massive gamble in every sense given that any loss of possession would hand Warriors the title.
Cometh the hour, cometh the man
Afidra picked the ball from the inbound but was far from the three-point arc.Instead of passing the ball, he shockingly squared up for a shot, despite wild screams from his bench not to dare.
He ignored them and sunk it to spark massive celebrations from Power fans.Power went on to clinch the title in the final seconds to be crowned 2010 national champions.
To this day, basketball fans still talk of that big three-pointer. He continued being influential in the 2011 Power championship run; solid defensively, shooting well, picking rebounds and scoring from all positions.
Minor controversies
In 2015, Afidra unceremoniously left Power after being axed by the team management back then. He would go on to join rivals Falcons but it wasn’t long before he returned to the club he calls home.
Critics say his hot temper and confrontational nature hasn’t won him friends.
Afidra has been left out of a couple of national teams because of being in disagreement with coaches or unsatisfied with team welfare.
Such is deemed indiscipline and one of the reasons why FUBA overlooked him for the 2010 MVP award, which went to team-mate Blick.
Magalo is not your everyday flamboyant player and often goes unnoticed even though he is consistently effective. Possibly the best player in his generation, unheralded, without whom Dmark Power would be powerless.
Courtesy Photos
