Brief history of the Nigerian national basketball team:
The historical precursor of basketball in Nigeria dates back to the 1950s. At that time, the only basketball court in Nigeria was located at the Syrian Club in Lagos.
The Nigerian national basketball team represents Nigeria in any international mens basketball competitions, and the first person to coach the team was Valid Zabadne.
The National Basketball Team of Nigeria (DTigers) is under the control of the Nigeria Basketball Federation, widely known as NBBF.
In March 2021, the global governing body for basketball, known as FIBA, ranked Nigeria as the best African basketball nation among men.
During the 2016 Mens Olympic Basketball Tournament held in Rio, the Nigerian national basketball team finished 16th in the world according to FIBA.
Furthermore, Nigeria is the only African country to have defeated the USA in basketball history. Sounds exciting, doesnt it
Well, youll be thrilled to learn that the Nigerian national basketball team has also defeated other world elites in the game, like Lithuania and Greece.
Below is a full list of Nigerian basketball players in the NBA and their profiles.
1. Precious Achiuwa
Precious Ezinna Achiuwa is a Nigerian professional NBA basketball player. He was born on September 19, 1999, in a family of five.
Nigerian Professional Basketball Players in the NBA:
He spent his high school career at Montverde Academy in Montverde, Florida, and was a McDonalds All-American five-star recruit.
Precious now plays as a power forward for the Toronto Raptors.
2. Gabe Vincent
Gabriel Nnamdi Vincent was born on June 14, 1996. He is a Nigerian professional basketball player who plays for the Miami Heat in the NBA.
He is very skilled and talented. Vincents basketball IQ as a point guard or shooting guard is immense. He excels in defense, has excellent ball-handling skills, and knows how to shoot, among other things.
3. Thanasis Antetokounmpo
Thanasis was born on July 17, 1992, in a family of four, and plays for the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA.
Both of Thanasis Antetokounmpos parents are originally from Nigeria, but the records show that he plays for the national team of Greece.
He has exceptional ball-handling skills, and his ability to score is simply incredible. He plays as a small forward due to his versatility.
4. Chimezie Metu
Chimezie Metu is another Nigerian NBA basketball player. He was born on March 22, 1997, in Los Angeles, California, USA.
A talented basketball player, Metu plays as a power forward for the Sacramento Kings, commonly known as the four.
5. Charles Bassey
Charles was born on October 28, 2000. Standing at 610, he is tall and has a lot of strength to set screens, draw, and box out.
In the Philadelphia 76ers, for which he plays, Bassey acts as a power forward because of his excellent ability to set screens to help his teammates get open.
6. Giannis Antetokounmpo
Another Nigerian basketball player in the NBA is Giannis Antetokounmpo. He was born on December 6, 1994.
Giannis is the brother of Thanasis Antetokounmpo and also plays for the national team of Greece, earning him the nickname Greek Freak due to his abilities.
Overall, Giannis plays for the Milwaukee Bucks and whenever hes in the game, he plays as a forward because of his skills, size, shot-blocking ability, and scoring.
7. Monte Morris
Morris plays for the Denver Nuggets and was born on June 27, 1995. He has a brilliant basketball IQ, so he plays either as a point guard or shooting guard.
With the ball, Morris is very quick, composed, unselfish, good in defense, and communicates well with his teammates.
8. Jordan Nwora
He was born in 1998 and plays for the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA. Strength, speed, and power are his assets.
Nworas natural position is forward, but he can play either as a small forward or power forward. Hes versatile and can also cover many positions.
9. Josh Okogie
Josh Okogie is another outstanding Nigerian basketball player in the NBA. He plays for the Minnesota Timberwolves as their shooting guard.
He has one of the best shots in the team, his ball-handling is excellent, and hes very good at rebounds.
10. Udoka Azubuike
Udoka Azubuike was born in Lagos, Nigeria, on September 17, 1999. He is one of the talented Nigerian professional basketball players in the NBA and plays for the Utah Jazz.
Due to his height, Azubuike plays as a center, and hes very good at creating shots in confined spaces, and he enjoys grabbing rebounds from the hands of his opponents.
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