Nigerian basketball has developed rapidly. At the Olympic participation in London in 2012 they were eliminated in the preliminary round, including a painful 73: 156 defeat against the USA. In the preparation in July Nigeria was able to return the favor, however, as the first team from the African continent, the Nigerian team defeated the big favorites 90:87 in a test match in Las Vegas.
Well, at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Nigeria is one of the secret favorites for a medal, despite the opening defeat against Australia on Sunday (67:84). In the night of Wednesday, the team will meet Germany (3 a.m.). Should it survive the group stage (in addition to Germany and Australia, Nigeria will also play against Italy), it would be a first for an African team.
The origin for the newly discovered quality lies primarily in the USA.
Eight out of twelve players were born in the United States
In putting together the roster, the growing Nigerian diaspora in the USA was drawn upon. According to the American Community Survey, an annual census, there are now more than 400,000 people with Nigerian roots in the United States.
Nigeria’s national basketball team is benefiting from this demographic development: eight of the twelve players in the Olympic squad were born in the USA and one in Canada. The three Nigerian-born players emigrated to North America in their youth to play in high school or college. So none of the players had a basketball education in Nigeria.
Anyone who dreams of a great career there tries to get a place on a high school or college team in the USA as early as possible. The domestic league is not competitive: it is not an option either as a springboard for young talents or for the association to recruit players for the national team. It is better to see who lives in the USA and is entitled to run for Nigeria. And there are world class players among the US Nigerians.
For example, there is Jahil Okafor from the Detroit Pistons, whose father is from Nigeria. The center was among the best talent in the US and was drawn third in the 2015 NBA draft. Until the U19, Okafor played for Team USA. Now he’s running for his father’s country. Okafor is one of the eight NBA professionals in Nigeria’s roster. So did Josh Okogie of the Minnesota Timberwolves. Okogie was born in Nigeria, but has lived in the United States since childhood. At major tournaments in the past, hardly any of the NBA players made themselves available to play for Nigeria.
For example, Hakeem Olajuwon, one of the best NBA players of the 1990s, preferred to play for the US team, even though he was born in Lagos and lived in Nigeria until he was a teenager. Nigeria was a dwarf in international basketball. With the USA, Olajuwon won Olympic gold in Atlanta in 1996.
Nigeria took part in the Olympics for the first time in 2012. Nigeria won its first international title in 2015 at the African Championships against Angola, which until then had mostly dominated the continent.
The new trend among NBA players with a Nigerian background to play for their parents’ country is also related to the change in strategy within the Nigerian federation. The focus of the national team has shifted from Nigeria to the USA. The training camp took place in California. The coaching staff consists mainly of Americans and is led by Mike Brown, who was the NBA head coach for the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Los Angeles Lakers and was named Trainer of the Year in 2009. He is currently an assistant coach for the Golden State Warriors in the NBA.
Brown is the driving force behind Nigeria’s players from the USA. It is thanks to his contacts in the NBA that the best professionals accepted the invitation of the national team. Alongside Brown’s efforts, it is the prospect of attending the Olympics that has drawn some players to accept the invitation. The Olympic tournament has a lot of prestige, especially in international basketball.
Criticism of the association
But there is also criticism of this US-centered orientation: This deprives players trained in Nigeria the opportunity to play for their country, said Olumide Oyedeji, who won the African Championship with Nigeria in 2015 and played in the NBA. Another criticism is that turning to the US does not promote sustainable development.
The association sees it differently. The local league is not internationally competitive, said Vice President Bas Ogunade. »The association’s task is to develop and promote the game to the best of its ability. Nigerians from all over the world have a right to represent the country. “
The plan to use Nigerians from the USA is working so far. In preparation, they defeated Team USA, which was led by superstars Kevin Durant, Damian Lillard and Bradley Beal. There was also a win against world number four Argentina. Even if a podium finish should not be achieved in Tokyo, a golden generation seems to be developing in Nigeria.
