Nigeria’s senior men’s basketball team, D’Tigers, are scheduled to arrive back in the country on Monday (today) after competing at the 31st edition of the FIBA AfroBasket championship, which was hosted in Angola from August 12 to 24.
The squad, led by head coach Mohammed Abdulrahman, exited the tournament last Wednesday following a 91-75 quarter-final defeat to long-time rivals and African giants Senegal. However, they remained in Angola since their return flight tickets had already been booked for Monday, August 25.
Some senior players had appealed to the Nigeria Basketball Federation to adjust their travel dates, but the governing body reportedly turned down the request. As a result, a few athletes, including Houston Rockets guard Josh Okogie, opted to pay for their own flights in order to head back early to their various bases.
D’Tigers’ campaign at the 2025 AfroBasket was highlighted by an impressive group-stage showing, where they topped Group B with six points after defeating Madagascar, three-time champions Tunisia, and Cameroon. Their momentum ended in the quarter-final clash with Senegal, despite standout displays from Caleb Agada, Josh Okogie, Stan Okoye, and Ike Nwamu.
The team will now shift their focus to the upcoming FIBA Men’s World Cup qualifiers in November, as they aim to book a spot in the 2027 edition of the tournament scheduled to take place in Qatar. Nigeria had missed the 2023 World Cup but last featured at the global showpiece in 2019 in China under former coach Alex Nwora.
