Video - Nigerian basketball veterans out to inspire the growth of the game among youth

According to the veterans, the sport exposes youth to opportunities and plays a big role in keeping them away from social vices.

CGTN

USA end Nigeria's fairytale in Women's Basketball at Paris Olympics

USA raced past Nigeria 78-55 in the Quarter-Finals of the Women's Olympic Basketball Tournament Paris 2024 as they brought the stunning and record-breaking run of their opponents to an end.

While it was business as usual for USA as they continue to bear down on yet another successful title defense, Nigeria bowed out of the competition as basketball heroes.

They made history in so many ways and stepped off the court having been the first African team (men or women) to have even competed at this stage.
Turning point

There wasn't one in truth, USA just gradually used their talent and superior depth to slowly and steadily pull further and further clear. Only a late Nigeria flurry of points cut the margin to a more respectable level.

 

Game heroes

A'ja Wilson had another game to remember, with the forward posting a performance efficiency valuation of 32 after producing 20 points from a 9 of 11 shooting effort - as well as grabbing 11 rebounds.

Stats don't lie

USA finishing with 70% shooting from two-point range is an epic number even for the defending Olympic champions.

 

Bottom Line


USA are looking like they are ready for their 'medal' games and completely locked in and on course for their usual success The forwards in particular are in good form and it will take something special to stop A'ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart and Brittney Griner - either in the Semi-Finals or the Final if they make it as expected.

Nigeria have been sensational. The underdogs attained historical and unprecedented success, winning the hearts of basketball fans not only in Africa, but beyond. Beating Australia and Canada showed their potential, while they didn't let USA have it all their own way in this last outing. Rene Wakama and her players have done an amazing job.


They said

"We're feeling really good as we got a lot of great contributions from everyone. We had to make sure that we came out with the right mindset and mentality. We knew how Nigeria played and we had to be ready for the physicality. It's amazing to play in front of different fans whether it is here in Paris or in Lille at these Olympics. [The USA program] It's the gold standard as we expect to go and win gold. We know that everything leading up to this was hugely important. We know that we carry a lot because of those who have played before us." USA forward, Breanna Stewart "This team is one of a kind. I am blessed to be a part of this team and this group. These girls never give up and they always keep fighting through any adversity. We are going out, but I think we are not going out on any kind of negative note. I think we accomplished something big this year and we need to build on this for the future." Nigeria forward, Pallas Kunaiyi Akpana

 

Quick notes

- The USA remains undefeated in the quarter-finals at the Olympics, winning their eight game in this phase: however, this was their closest win at the quarter-finals of the Olympics, with their seven previous games being all won by 15 or more points.

- Nigeria scored more than 73 points in consecutive games for the first time at the Olympics: their 26 points in the fourth quarter of today’s game are the most the USA has ever allowed in the last quarter of a game in the competition. - The USA have made 30+ assists for the 10th time at the Olympics, while no other team have had more than three such games in the history of the competition. They are the only team to have had multiple games with more than 30 assists in a single tournament: this year and in 2016. - With her four assists in tonight’s game, Diana Taurasi is the fifth player to have dished out 100+ assists at the Olympics; she is the only player to have made 300+ points and 100+ assists in the competition. - A’Ja Wilson completed her fifth double-double at the Olympics (20pts & 11reb), more than any other player in the competition since Wilson debuted in Tokyo 2020; this was her second double-double against Nigeria after having 19 points and 13 rebounds in the last Olympics. 

FIBA

Related story: Nigeria becomes first African basketball team to qualify for Olympic quarterfinals

Nigeria becomes first African basketball team to qualify for Olympic quarterfinals

Ezinne Kalu had a giant smile on her face as she joined her teammates for a celebratory run around the court with Nigerian flags.

Nigeria had reached a place no African country in men’s or women’s basketball had ever gone before — the quarterfinals of the Olympics.

Kalu scored 21 points and Nigeria secured a spot in the elimination round in Paris by downing Canada 79-70 on Sunday for its second win of the Olympics.

“It means a lot, you know, not just to us as a team, but to the entire world of Africa,” Kalu said. “It only gets harder from here.”

When the final buzzer sounded, the team went to midcourt to start celebrating, with an assistant coach using her phone to record the moment. The Nigerians stopped to high-five the Canadians, and then returned to celebrating with a midcourt huddle.

An assistant coach grabbed a flag from a fan for photos on the court, and the Nigerians took their time hugging and posing for more photos as they savored the moment.

“Surreal. This isn’t going to hit me for another couple of hours,” coach Rena Wakama said. “I’m extremely proud of my girls.”

Nigeria opened the Paris Games with a surprising victory against Australia. That was the first win in the Olympics in 20 years for the African nation.

It has been a difficult few years for Nigeria since the team reached the quarterfinals of the 2018 World Cup. The country was winless at the Tokyo Games in 2021 and then internal strife between the basketball federation and the government caused the team to miss playing in the World Cup in 2022.

The Olympics got off to a difficult start for the Nigerian team. The team was denied access to Nigeria’s boat for the opening ceremony on July 26.

Now Nigeria will play the defending Olympic champs in the U.S. in the final quarterfinal Wednesday night in Bercy Arena on the banks of the Seine River.

“I’m starting to see the light. I mean, the tunnel has been pretty dark, but I’m happy we get to see the light,” Kalu said. “I mean, there’s so much more, there’s so much more to come.”

Nigeria almost had company in Paris on the men’s side as South Sudan, which was playing in its first Olympic basketball tournament, narrowly missed reaching the quarterfinals. South Sudan would have been the first men’s team from Africa to advance that far, but the team lost to Serbia in its final group stage match Saturday.

South Sudan beat Puerto Rico in its tournament opener to set up the opportunity.

“We have these women. So we are very proud,” FIBA Africa Regional Director Alphonse Bilé told the AP. “We are all Africa. I can say that they don’t just play for Nigeria but play for Africa.”

By Doug Feinberg, AP

Related story: Nigeria beat Australia in Women's Basket Ball at 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris

Nigeria beat Australia in Women's Basket Ball at 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris

 Nigeria’s coaches and players soaked in the moment, taking in the cheers from the crowd as they stood at center court.

The team had just pulled off a surprising victory against Australia in the Olympic opener for both teams. It was the first win in the Olympics in 20 years for the African nation.

It happened a few days after the team made the 2 1/2-hour trek from Lille to Paris for the opening ceremony only to be denied access to the country’s boat by its own federation because there wasn’t enough room, according to a person with knowledge of the situation.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on Friday on condition of anonymity because the Nigeria delegation has not publicly commented.

“It feels so good. It’s been a tough couple of days,” said Amy Okonkwo, who scored 13 points in the win. “We’ve stuck together and this is what it’s about. Like, you overcome adversity and you fight until the finish and you come out with the win.”

The players didn’t want to get into the specifics of what happened Friday night.

“I just want to leave the past in the past. I can’t do anything about it,” Okonkwo said. “But what we can do is focus on what we can do on the court and execute our game plan and continue to just take everything in stride and take it one day at a time.”

It has been a difficult few years for Nigeria since the team reached the quarterfinals of the 2018 World Cup. The country was winless at the Tokyo Games in 2021 and then internal strife between the basketball federation and the government caused the team to miss playing in the World Cup in 2022.

“Sometimes you fight with your brother, your sister, and the next day you make up and you’re friends again,” said Ezinne Kalu, who had 19 points against Australia. “So that’s all we’ve been doing these past few years. Just fighting and just trying to stay together as a team. And today, prove that we can continue to be great.”

Kalu added that the team has gone through so much off the court, but people haven’t been paying attention.

“Nobody cares what we go through off the court,” the guard said. “They just see what we do on the court.”

It was the country’s first win in the Olympics since 2004, when Nigeria beat South Korea 68-64 in the 11th-place game. That’s the only other win by an African team in women’s basketball at the Olympics. The continent is now 2-36.

“We can do anything we put our minds to,” Nigeria coach Rena Wakama said. “I think nobody believed that we could do it, except for the 20 people in my locker room.”

Assistant coach Aisha Mohammed has been a part of both wins now; she was a player on the 2004 team. She saw a lot of similarities between the two victories.

“That game is kind of like this one,” she said. “You know the fight from the beginning, you know, at the end, we didn’t give up. We kept fighting and fighting.”

The difference was that win over South Korea was at the end of the Olympics, and this one is just the beginning. The Nigerians have a lofty goal of trying to reach the quarterfinals — something no African country has ever done.

It’s been a great start to the Olympics for Africa. The South Sudan men’s basketball team won its opener in the country’s first-ever Olympic game.

By Doug Feinberg, AP

Barcelona basketball team condemn racist abuse of Nigerian player

The Barcelona basketball team has condemned the racist abuse suffered by Nigerian player James Nnaji during their Spanish championship final victory over bitter rivals Real Madrid.

The incident on Tuesday comes as Spanish sport wrestles with the global outcry sparked by racism aimed at Real Madrid’s Brazilian football star Vinicius Jr. The 22-year-old Brazilian forward called out racist abuse in the Spanish football league in May, which he had been subjected to since moving to Spain five years ago.

On Wednesday, it was the turn of Spanish basketball.

“Barcelona strongly condemns the racist insults suffered by first-team basketball player James Nnaji before game three of the final,” the team said in a statement on Wednesday.

“The club expects a firm response from the ACB [Spanish basketball league] against any racial or verbal insults.”

Images of the arrival of the Barcelona team bus at the WiZink centre in Madrid, where Tuesday’s match took place, showed several Madrid fans hurling insults at the Barcelona players.

According to local media, Nnaji was the target of racist insults.

“I want to talk about what happened here with James Nnaji. I think it’s regrettable. I hear a lot about Vinicius, and now it’s us who have to talk about what’s going on,” Barcelona basketball coach Sarunas Jasikevicius said later.

“It has to stop now. It doesn’t fit, I guess, with the values of Real Madrid and its supporters, and we have to be very angry about that,” he said.

Nigeria’s online media outlet Pulse Sports said the 18-year-old Nnaji played for just eight minutes and 35 seconds in the final but had a “pivotal role” in his team’s win.

Barcelona beat Real Madrid in 93-82 on Tuesday after winning the first two games of the final for the club’s 20th Spanish league title. 

Al Jazeera

Basketball ban reversal comes too late for Nigeria women's national team, D'Tigress

Six weeks after withdrawing Nigeria from international basketball for two years, president Muhammadu Buhari's government have made a U-turn and reversed the ban. But it came too late for the women's national team, who have seen their place at the FIBA Women's World Cup taken up by Mali.

Ismaila Abubakar, an official at Nigeria's Sports Ministry, said last Thursday that the reversal came after a meeting between Sports Minister Sunday Dare and FIBA, and receiving guarantees from the Nigeria Basketball Federation [NBBF] to include all stakeholders in reconciliatory meetings going forward.

But that peace treaty is of little solace for D'Tigress players, who will not be able to compete at the FIBA showcase in September, after their place was given to Mali, who were the next-ranked team in their qualifying group. Nigeria had, ironically, beaten Mali in order to qualify.

NBBF President Musa Kida described the decision to reverse the ban as a major victory for Nigerian basketball, saying: "I am quite glad to see that this decision is reached, and it is a major victory for basketball. It gladdens our heart that the Federal Government has decided to return basketball to where it rightfully belongs."

But his happy response was certainly not shared by Adaora Elonu, captain of the Nigeria women's team, who told ESPN she'd rather not comment on the situation. Her team had beaten number three-ranked Australia, amongst others, to qualify for the World Cup.

A team member, who did not wish to be named, described the situation as "a nightmare that many of us are still trying to come to terms with," and told ESPN that the players were "distraught and pained" by the actions of the officials costing them a place "after we worked so hard to qualify."

Ike Diogu, captain of the men's national team, said the ban could have been even more devastating for basketball in Nigeria. It would have threatened the men's team's qualification for the 2023 FIBA World Cup and 2024 Paris Olympics, and risked an even longer ban from FIBA for government interference.

"It was very devastating to basketball in Nigeria," Diogu told ESPN of the withdrawal. "The withdrawal was detrimental for us because I don't think people really understand how hard it was for us to get to the point where we are now.

"It took 10, 12 years just to get to the point where we could compete. If we had got a 5-year ban [from FIBA], we would have to start all over again and there is no guarantee it would get right back to where it is now, because there is a whole generation of young guys who would be miss out playing in these tournaments."

Diogu, who most recently played for Zamalek at the Basketball Africa League, has opted to sit out international hoops this season regardless of the ban, and will rather play in the Big3 Tournament for Snoop Dogg's team.

In any case, the convoluted situation in Nigeria is long-simmering, and really comes down to two rival factions who want control of the hoops governing body in the country.

Most recently, Nigeria's Sports Minister Sunday Dare had refused to recognise the election which had returned Musa Kida and his cabinet as the legitimate board of the NBBF.

This, even though the election was held under a Constitution approved by the Ministry, the Nigeria Olympic Committee and FIBA, and the election was held with a FIBA representative as an observer.

FIBA also sent a letter to Nigeria's government recognising the legitimacy of that election and the leadership of Kida. Instead, the government withdrew the country from international basketball and set up an interim committee.

Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri and Boston Celtics coach Ime Udoka, both of whom are of Nigerian descent and represented the country internationally, had spoken out against the ban last month.

Ujiri released a letter saying, "Enough is enough.

"The leaders of the basketball ecosystem in Nigeria continue to rob our youth of their present and future while tearing the entire basketball community apart -- this needs to stop."

For his part, Udoka said just before leading his team out to Game 2 of the NBA Finals, that the issues with Nigerian basketball had not changed in the years since he represented the country: "It's a lot of the same stuff I dealt with as a player, which is disappointing."

High-level sources told ESPN that during the recent peace talks, FIBA made it clear that if the withdrawal were to stand, Nigeria would be handed an additional 5-year ban running concurrently with the period of withdrawal and lasting through to 2027.


FIBA's refusal to budge, and pressure from businesses, players, and fans, finally forced the ministry into a retraction. To help the ministry save face, the NBBF agreed to write a letter of apology and also agreed to Constitutional amendments.

"At our last board meeting, we resolved to put machinery in motion to bring every genuine stakeholder to the table," Kida said.

"We have also resolved to maintain a very high level of respect for the Federal Government, through the Ministry of Sports, as we recognise their supervisory role in line with global laws governing sports federations."

The NBBF board led by Kida -- and now recognised by the government as the legitimately elected leadership of basketball in the country -- will now be officially sworn in on July 1.

It is not the first time Nigeria has withdrawn a sports team from international play and then reversed the decision when faced with the dire consequences. In 2010, then-president Goodluck Jonathan announced the withdraw of Nigeria men's football team from international competition, but also made an immediate U-turn barely four days later when FIFA reacted by handing down a provisional ban on the country.

By Colin Udoh

ESPN

Related story: Nigeria withdraws from international basketball over NBBF crisis

Nigeria withdraws from international basketball over NBBF crisis

Following the leadership crisis that has dogged Nigerian basketball for more than eight years, the Federal Government, yesterday, withdrew the country from international competitions for a period of two years.

Citing the “unending crises that have plagued and nearly crippled basketball development in the country,” the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development said President Muhammadu Buhari approved the action for the period to enable the country tackle the issues.

Speaking in his office yesterday, Youth and Sports Development Minister, Sunday Dare, said the move would also provide government opportunity to revamp the sport from the grassroots, as well as revive the domestic leagues, which have become moribund.

Represented by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Alhaji Ismaila Abubakar, Dare said the withdrawal will also allow for the setting up of an Interim Management Committee (IMC) to oversee the management and development of domestic basketball leagues and further address other related issues around the advancement of the game in the country.

He added: “Government intends to utilise this period of break to address all contentious issues among stakeholders. The Terms of Reference (TOR) and membership of the Interim Management Committee will be announced in due course.”

Dare also reiterated “government’s interest and commitment to the development of basketball in Nigeria, as well as huge talents of our youth domestically in an atmosphere that is free of rancour and squabbles.”

He called on players, officials, fans, and other stakeholders of the sport to remain calm “as government embarks on far-reaching initiatives to reposition, sustain and stabilize the game of Basketball for growth and success in the long term interest of the country.”

Recall that some basketball players had on Tuesday converged on the minister’s office to register their displeasure with government over its seeming unwillingness to resolve the post election crisis rocking the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF).

Two separate NBBF elections were held on January 31, 2022 in Abuja and Benin with winners of the polls claiming to be the authentic leaders of the body.

The Abuja NBBF faction election produced Igoche Mark as the body’s president, while the polls in Benin returned Musa Kida as the federation’s boss.

The angry players, led by Players Representative on the Abuja factional board, Stanley Gumut, told journalists that the procession to the minister’s office was part of resolutions reached at their meeting held last week.

Gumut said players were not happy that the ministry appeared indifferent, while the leadership tussle was taking a toll on their careers, adding that the situation is hampering the growth of the domestic component of the game.

By Alex Monye

The Guardian

Video - Nigeria looking to dominate the 2021 FIBA AFROBASKET

In just three day's time, Africa's premier basketball tournament, the Afrobasket- will kick off in the Rwandan capital, Kigali. 16 top nations from around Africa will take part in the two-week competition. Olympic Games finalists and the tournament's top team, D'Tigers from Nigeria, head to Kigali with one mission- to claim the title and assert themselves as the number one ranked men's basketball team on the continent. Here's CGTN's Deji Badmus with more.

Nigeria pulls off stunning pre-Olympic men's basketball victory over U.S.

This is not how USA Basketball expected to open its Olympic summer.

Nigeria probably didn't expect it, either.

If there was any expectation of invincibility for the Americans heading into the Tokyo Olympics, it's already gone after Nigeria beat the U.S. 90-87 on Saturday night, an international shocker pulled off by a roster primarily filled by little-known NBA players that found a way to beat a group of all NBA, all-star and max-contract performers.

"We just wanted to compete," said Nigeria's Gabe Nnamdi, who goes by Gabe Vincent when playing for the Miami Heat. "We know what USA Basketball means around the world and what they've stood for for so long."

The U.S. had lost 11 games before Saturday in major international play --Olympics and World Cups, mostly -- since NBA players began filling the American rosters with the first Dream Team in 1992. None of those losses came against a team from Africa.

"I thought that the Nigerian team played very physically, did a great job in that regard and knocked down a lot of 3s," U.S. coach Gregg Popovich said. "Give them credit."

Nnamdi led Nigeria with 21 points. Caleb Agada scored 17 points, Ike Nwamu added 13 and Nigeria outscored the U.S. 60-30 from 3-point range.

Kevin Durant, who had never played in a loss for USA Basketball in 39 senior international games, had 17 points. Jayson Tatum added 15, Damian Lillard had 14 and Bam Adebayo 11.
 

Lopsided meetings

"Just goes to show that we have to play better," Tatum said.

A lot better.

The Americans had gone 39-0 in their last three Olympic seasons, including pre-Olympic exhibitions, on their way to gold medals and had been 54-2 in major exhibitions since NBA players began playing for USA Basketball in 1992. Plus, they'd beaten Nigeria by a combined 127 points in their last two meetings, one at the 2012 London Games, the other a warmup for the 2016 Rio Games.
Nigeria lost to the U.S. at the 2012 Olympics by 83 points. Lost to the Americans again four years later in an exhibition, that time by 44 points.

Not this time.

"Nigeria's come a long way with their basketball," USA Basketball managing director Jerry Colangelo said.

Ike Iroegbu, a former Washington State player who played in the G League, hit a 3-pointer with about 1:15 left to put Nigeria up 88-80. Durant scored the next seven points for the U.S.; a 3-pointer, two free throws following a turnover, then two more from the line with 16.5 seconds remaining.
 

3-time reigning Olympic champs

Nnamdi made two foul shots with 13.2 seconds left to restore Nigeria's three-point edge. The Americans ran 9.7 seconds off the clock on the ensuing possession without getting a shot off, and Zach LaVine missed a pair of free throws — the second intentionally — with 3.5 seconds left.

Precious Achiuwa got the rebound for Nigeria, and that was it. It's only an exhibition but the upset was still of the massive variety — the 22nd-ranked nation by FIBA beating the No. 1-ranked team and three-time reigning Olympic gold medallists.

Popovich heard the final buzzer and shook hands with Nigeria coach Mike Brown, the Golden State assistant, as the Americans walked off stunned.
"At the end of the day, it doesn't mean much in the standings as far as where we're trying to get to," Brown said. "But it's a good win for us. I don't think any African team has been able to beat USA Basketball in an exhibition game or a real game. … We're trying to get a little bit of momentum for Nigeria and for the continent of Africa."

The U.S. led 43-41 at the half, then pushed the lead out to 52-43 early in the third. But the Nigerians connected on 3s on their next three possessions — Vincent, Achiuwa and Nwamu all connected — and just like that, the game was tied.

Achiuwa took one 3-pointer all season with the Heat. It missed. But he connected in this one, as did Miye Oni -- who made two 3s in the fourth quarter, including the one that put Nigeria up for good with 6:08 left. Oni averaged all of 1.9 points per game this season for Utah and made two enormous shots late Saturday to help seal the U.S. fate.

"We kept the game simple," Nnamdi said, "and came out on top."
 

Tip-ins

Nigeria: Achiuwa had perhaps the night's top defensive play with 1:23 left in the first half, reaching with his left hand to block a Durant dunk attempt. … Nigeria outrebounded the U.S. 46-34.

USA: Darius Garland and Saddiq Bey were Select Team players who got into the game. The Olympic team needed extra players because Khris Middleton, Jrue Holiday and Devin Booker are at the NBA Finals. … The U.S. got 32 free-throw attempts to Nigeria's 10.

CBC

Video - Giant of Africa featuring Nigerian NBA champion Masai Ujiri

Real Sports travels with Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri as he returns home to Nigeria with the NBA trophy.

Video - Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri brings NBA trophy to Nigeria

Real Sports travels with Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri as he returns home to Nigeria with the NBA trophy. Real Sports is all-new Tuesday, October 22 at 10PM on HBO.

Related story: The remarkable story of British Nigerian football start Ola Aina

Video - Former NBA player Oyedeji helping to groom new talent in Nigeria

One of Nigeria's basketball greats and long time former captain of the country's national basketball team, Olumide Oyedeji has just concluded his annual basketball camp for young and aspiring basketball players. Over 150 young boys and girls, as well as several coaches took part in the training camp.

Video - Nigeria return home after victorious Afrobasket campaign

Afrobasketball women's champions Nigeria will have little time to rest after winning this year's tournament. They beat defending champions Senegal -- and qualified for the World Championships next year. They've barely got time to celebrate their victory before preparing for the next challenge.