Crowned as the best centre and best defensive player of the National Basketball League (NBL), 2025, Joel Kayiira’s journey in basketball has not been long. He has had great performances playing for UCU Canons and recently joined the most decorated club in the NBL – the City Oilers. He spoke to Slivia Nakituuka about his journey.
Q. Tell us about yourself.
A. My name is Joel Paul Kayiira. l am the first born of four, born and was raised in Kisaasi by a caring dad and a loving mum. I am a student athlete in the basketball discipline. l pursued my bachelor’s degree in civil and environmental engineering at Uganda Christian University. I studied for all my high school years at Namilyango College and Lohana Primary School for my primary education.
Q. When did you start playing basketball?
A. Initially l liked the game because of the people around me who loved and played it, though I used not to play it but rather soccer. My basketball journey started during Covid [pandemic] when I had gone to play soccer at the turf in Kireka. I met a gentleman called Coach Peter who wondered how a person of my height could be playing soccer. He told me about basketball and gave me an offer to practice with him whenever l had time. I would practice with him for three hours each day so engagement in the sport started in Kireka but UCU was the first team I ever played for.
Q. What challenges did you find in transitioning from soccer to basketball?
A. Soccer is a sport l liked from childhood because of my dad who actively engaged in it with Villa sports club so l loved being around the team that he played for, though I was not competitive like he was. Soccer is more of a stationary game while basketball is a game of movements so increasing the physical attributes was one of the challenges and also adopting to the fundamentals of the game was really tough.
Q. You say your father was a footballer, what was his reaction towards your transition?
A. My father loved soccer and he was so happy thinking l would play it but he did not mind the sport l played. He never dragged me into anything l didn’t want but rather supported the things l loved. Besides, I was playing soccer for leisure.
Q. What encouraged you to keep pushing even on your worst days?
A. Basketball is a tough sport but l am an eager person who always looks up to people and l believe that if that particular person can do it, I also can. So that really kept me going, and also the people that were around me like the coaches and the older players that I found at UCU who encouraged and motivated me.
Q. What is the most outstanding moment you have experienced in your life as a basketball player?
A. Putting on the UCU Canons’ jersey and competing both locally and internationally like the World Cup 3X3 in China and Brazil because UCU was the first team I ever played for.
Q. It took you only two years to make the national team. What do you think pushed you to succeed so quickly in the sport?
A. I think it was just God’s timing because people have worked out harder than l did and still didn’t make it. Being surrounded by great players like Titus Lual and Fayed Bbale also motivated me to work and push harder so that I would match their energies. I also asked a lot of people on how to succeed so I followed them.
Q. What was it like to make the choice to leave the UCU Canons to join the City Oilers?
A. This was the toughest decision I have ever made in my life because l was leaving the only team l had ever played for but it was inevitable because l was done with my academic years so l had to go and pursue life elsewhere and also create room for other young stars coming up.
Q.Do you plan on pursuing your profession as an engineer or you are going to continue with basketball?
A. Since I could manage doing both as a student athlete, I think I can still do both in the working environment because sports can take one far but again, l can’t play forever. So, l believe during my retirement l can continue with my engineering profession because it’s also a good profession.
Q. What is your goal in the next five years in basketball?
A. In basketball, I hope to continue growing so that I become one of the best players on the continent, so that l aid the national team to compete at the greatest levels for example, to win Afro Basketball or World Cup. The engineer in me looks at setting up well and growing into the field because I have a life after basketball.
Q. Any advice for basketball players out there?
Do not give up. I encourage many to use me as an example: “if Kayiira did it, why not me?” Because everything is possible. Very many people are going to put them down but let them keep pushing because it’s never easy.
