The Nigeria men's national basketball team represents
Nigeria
Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...
in international
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...
, and it is governed by the
Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF).
In March 2021, the global governing body
FIBA
The International Basketball Federation (FIBA ; French language, French: ) is an association of national organizations which governs the sport of basketball worldwide. FIBA defines the rules of basketball, specifies the Basketball equipment ...
ranked Nigeria as Africa's top men's basketball nation. After the 2016 Olympic Men's Basketball Tournament in Rio, Nigeria was ranked 16th in the
FIBA World Rankings, making them the top climber in FIBA rankings from 2015.
Nigeria is the only African nation to beat the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. Nigeria is also the first African team to qualify for the
Summer Olympics
The Summer Olympic Games, also known as the Summer Olympics or the Games of the Olympiad, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inaugural Games took place in 1896 in Athens, then part of the King ...
through the
FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament
The FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament, abbreviated as FIBA World OQT, and formerly known as the FIBA Pre-Olympic Basketball Tournament, is the last qualifying tournament for the Olympic Basketball Tournament. The best non-champions from th ...
. This was accomplished at the
2012 Event when Nigeria beat the world elite teams of
Lithuania
Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...
and
Greece
Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...
. In 2015, Nigeria won its first crown as basketball champion of
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...
.
History
The history of basketball in Nigeria goes as far back as the late 1950s when Walid Zabadne served as the first basketball coach to train Nigerians. At the time, Nigeria's only basketball court was situated in the Syrian Club in
Lagos
Lagos ( ; ), or Lagos City, is a large metropolitan city in southwestern Nigeria. With an upper population estimated above 21 million dwellers, it is the largest city in Nigeria, the most populous urban area on the African continent, and on ...
. Walid Zabadne continued teaching young Nigerians to become basketballers and when Nigeria's basketball federation was organized, he took them to several basketball competitions across Africa. In view of his role as the pioneer of basketball in Nigeria, Walid Zabadne has been deemed "father of Nigerian basketball’’. Also worthy of note is that Zabadne was later made the president of the
Nigerian Basketball Federation.
Nigeria's national basketball team joined
FIBA
The International Basketball Federation (FIBA ; French language, French: ) is an association of national organizations which governs the sport of basketball worldwide. FIBA defines the rules of basketball, specifies the Basketball equipment ...
in 1964. Since the mid-1990s, the team has enjoyed unprecedented success, due to an increasing amount of talents from Nigeria as well as an orchestrated recruitment of American
college
A college (Latin: ''collegium'') may be a tertiary educational institution (sometimes awarding degrees), part of a collegiate university, an institution offering vocational education, a further education institution, or a secondary sc ...
and professional players of Nigerian descent. The D'Tigers (as the team is nicknamed) qualified for the
2006 FIBA World Championship
The 2006 FIBA World Championship was the 15th FIBA World Championship, the international basketball world championship for men's national teams. The tournament was hosted by Japan and held from 19 August to 3 September 2006. It was co-organised b ...
, marking only the second time in the country's history that they qualified to the
FIBA World Cup
The FIBA Basketball World Cup is an international basketball competition between the senior men's national teams of the members of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), the sport's global governing body. It takes place every four ye ...
. Team Nigeria usually plays its home games at the 3,000-capacity
Indoor Sports Hall in
Lagos
Lagos ( ; ), or Lagos City, is a large metropolitan city in southwestern Nigeria. With an upper population estimated above 21 million dwellers, it is the largest city in Nigeria, the most populous urban area on the African continent, and on ...
.
2006 FIBA World Championship
Nigeria took part in the
2006 FIBA World Championship
The 2006 FIBA World Championship was the 15th FIBA World Championship, the international basketball world championship for men's national teams. The tournament was hosted by Japan and held from 19 August to 3 September 2006. It was co-organised b ...
in Japan. They were drawn in Group A with
Argentina
Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
,
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
,
Lebanon
Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...
,
Serbia and Montenegro
The State Union of Serbia and Montenegro or simply Serbia and Montenegro, known until 2003 as the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and commonly referred to as FR Yugoslavia (FRY) or simply Yugoslavia, was a country in Southeast Europe locate ...
, and
Venezuela
Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...
. They surprisingly finished third in Group A, then were narrowly defeated by
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
in the Round of 16. Overall they finished 14th, as they achieved the same record as the defending world champion
Serbia and Montenegro
The State Union of Serbia and Montenegro or simply Serbia and Montenegro, known until 2003 as the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and commonly referred to as FR Yugoslavia (FRY) or simply Yugoslavia, was a country in Southeast Europe locate ...
.
2012 Summer Olympics
Nigeria competed at the
2012 Summer Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012, were an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...
. They finished the group play with a 1–4 record, with their lone victory coming against
Tunisia
Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Tunisia also shares m ...
in their Olympics debut. The team's roster, assembled by coach
Ayodele Bakare, primarily comprised former college basketball players.
2016 Summer Olympics
Nigeria qualified for the
2016 Summer Olympics
The 2016 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Rio 2016, were an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with preliminary events i ...
tournament as champions of
AfroBasket 2015. They finished at the bottom of Group B, winning one game against
Croatia
Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...
and losing four games. The team entered the 2016 games with several injured players and little financial support from the Nigerian government.
2020 Summer Olympics
As the top African team at the
2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup
The 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup was the 18th tournament of the FIBA Basketball World Cup for men's national basketball teams, held from 31 August to 15 September 2019. The tournament was hosted in China and was rescheduled from 2018 to 2019, b ...
, Nigeria qualified for their third consecutive Olympics berth for the
2020 Summer Olympics
The officially the and officially branded as were an international multi-sport event that was held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some of the preliminary sporting events beginning on 21 July 2021. Tokyo ...
. The team, which included seven NBA players and was led by
Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. Founded in 1946 i ...
assistant coach
Mike Brown, was called up for training in the United States in June 2021. D'Tigers defeated the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
90–87 during an exhibition game in
Las Vegas
Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...
on 10 July. The victory, described as an "
upset", was the first for an African team against the United States.
Team honours and achievements
Intercontinental
*
FIBA Stanković Continental Champions' Cup
**Bronze:
2013
2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years).
2013 was designated as:
*International Year of Water Cooperation
*International Year of Quinoa
Events
January
* January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...
, 2016
*
Basketball at the Commonwealth Games
**Fourth-place:
2006
2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification.
Events
January
* January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute.
* January 12 – A stampede during t ...
Continental
*
AfroBasket
The AfroBasket (alternatively known as the FIBA Africa Championship, FIBA African Championship, or FIBA AfroBasket) is the men's basketball continental championship contested by the senior national teams of Africa
Africa is the world's s ...
**Gold Medal:
2015
2015 was designated by the United Nations as:
* International Year of Light
* International Year of Soil __TOC__
Events
January
* January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...
**Silver Medal:
1997
Events January
* January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States.
* January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis.
* January 1 ...
,
1999
1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons.
Events January
* January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers.
* January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...
,
2003
2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater.
In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War.
Demographic ...
,
2017
2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly.
Events January
* January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...
**Bronze Medal:
1995
1995 was designated as:
* United Nations Year for Tolerance
* World Year of Peoples' Commemoration of the Victims of the Second World War
This was the first year that the Internet was entirely privatized, with the United States government ...
,
2005
2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...
,
2011
The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...
*
All Africa Games
**Gold Medal:
2011
The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...
**Bronze Medal: 1995,
1999
1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons.
Events January
* January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers.
* January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...
,
2003
2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater.
In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War.
Demographic ...
,
2007
2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year.
Events
January
* January 1
**Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...
,
2015
2015 was designated by the United Nations as:
* International Year of Light
* International Year of Soil __TOC__
Events
January
* January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...
Competitive record
Olympic Games
FIBA World Cup
AfroBasket
FIBA AfroCan
African Games
*1973 – ?
*1987 – ?
*1995 –
*1999 –
*2003 –
*2007 –
*2011 –
*2015 –
FIBA Stanković Continental Champions' Cup
*2013 –
*2016 –
Commonwealth Games
Team
Current roster
''Roster for the
Afrobasket 2021.''
Depth chart
Notable players
Several players of the Nigeria national team have had success playing for professional teams, in the
NBA
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...
, or in Europe, including:
*
Julius Nwosu
*
Akin Akingbala
*
Peter Aluma
*
Aloysius Anagonye
*
Tunji Awajobi
*
Ike Diogu
*
Obinna Ekezie
*
Ebi Ere
Ebikekeme Hasain Fere “Ebi” Ere (; born August 2, 1981) is an American-Nigerian former professional basketball player.
High school and college career
Ere attended McLain High School and played two seasons of junior college basketball for B ...
*
Benjamin Eze
*
Ekene Ibekwe
*
Ike Iroegbu (born 1995)
*
Gani Lawal
*
Michael Olowokandi
*
Olumide Oyedeji
*
Ime Udoka
*
Jeff Varem
Jeff Varem (born 16 July 1983) is a Nigerian professional basketball player. He formerly played for the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA Development League. He also played as an import for the Powerade Tigers, Coca-Cola Tigers and the Barako Bull ...
*
Al-Farouq Aminu
*
Festus Ezeli
Hakeem Olajuwon
Hakeem Abdul Olajuwon ( ; ; born January 21, 1963), nicknamed "the Dream", is a Nigerian and American former professional basketball player. From 1984 to 2002, he played Center (basketball), center in the National Basketball Association (NB ...
never played for Nigeria at the international senior level, and would eventually play for the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, after becoming a US citizen in 1993.
Past rosters
2009 African Championship: finished 5th among 16 teams
Akin Akingbala,
Aloysius Anagonye,
Chamberlain Oguchi,
Deji Akindele,
Michael Efevberha,
Michael Umeh
Michael Umeh (born 18 September 1984) is a Nigerian-American professional basketball player who last played for ESSM Le Portel of the French LNB Pro A. He is a dual citizen of the United States and Nigeria because both of his parents emigrated f ...
,
Josh Akognon,
Ebi Ere
Ebikekeme Hasain Fere “Ebi” Ere (; born August 2, 1981) is an American-Nigerian former professional basketball player.
High school and college career
Ere attended McLain High School and played two seasons of junior college basketball for B ...
,
Ejike Ugboaja,
Gabe Muoneke,
Jayson Obazuaye,
Benson Egemonye (Coach:
John Lucas II
John Harding Lucas II (born October 31, 1953) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who most recently served as an assistant coach for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played basketba ...
)
2011 African Championship: finished 3rd among 16 teams
Solomon Tat,
Ime Udoka,
Abubakar Usman,
Chinedu Onyeuku,
Ike Ofoegbu,
Michael Umeh
Michael Umeh (born 18 September 1984) is a Nigerian-American professional basketball player who last played for ESSM Le Portel of the French LNB Pro A. He is a dual citizen of the United States and Nigeria because both of his parents emigrated f ...
,
Stanley Gumut,
Derrick Obasohan,
Ejike Ugboaja,
Ezenwa Ukeagu,
Jayson Obazuaye,
Olumide Oyedeji (Coach:
Ayo Bakare)
2012 Summer Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012, were an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...
: finished 10th among 12 teams
Tony Skinn,
Ekene Ibekwe,
Ike Diogu,
Al-Farouq Aminu,
Ade Dagunduro,
Chamberlain Oguchi,
Koko Archibong,
Richard Oruche,
Ejike Ugboaja,
Derrick Obasohan,
Alade Aminu,
Olumide Oyedeji (Coach:
Ayo Bakare)
2020 Olympic roster:
A 15-player roster was announced on 6 July 2021. The final squad was released on 20 July 2021.
Head coaches
*
Vladislav Lučić 1975–1980
*
Sam Vincent 2004–2006
*
Sani Ahmed 2006
*
Robert McCullum 2007
*
John Lucas II
John Harding Lucas II (born October 31, 1953) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who most recently served as an assistant coach for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played basketba ...
2009
*
Sani Ahmed 2010, 2013
*
Ayo Bakare 2011–2014
*
William Voigt 2015–2017
*
Alexander Nwora 2017–present Associate Headcoach from 2020–present.
*
Mike Brown 2020–2022
*
Alan Major
Alan M. Major (born June 21, 1968) is an American basketball coach who is the head coach of Patriots BBC of the Basketball Africa League (BAL). He was the head coach at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte from 2010 to 2015.
Before be ...
July 2022–present
Kit
Manufacturer
2019–present:
Peak Peak or The Peak may refer to:
Basic meanings Geology
* Mountain peak
** Pyramidal peak, a mountaintop that has been sculpted by erosion to form a point Mathematics
* Peak hour or rush hour, in traffic congestion
* Peak (geometry), an (''n''-3)-d ...
See also
*
Nigeria national under-19 basketball team
*
Nigeria national under-17 basketball team
*
Nigeria women's national basketball team
References
External links
*
FIBA Profile at FIBA Archive
Afrobasket – Nigeria Men National Team
Videos
Nigeria – Team Highlights – AfroBasket 2015Youtube.com video
{{Nigeria squad 2011 FIBA Africa Championship
Men's national basketball teams
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...
1971 establishments in Nigeria
Basketball teams established in 1971
National sports teams established in 1971