Nigeria: D'Tigers Eye Second Afrobasket Title Since 2015

11 August 2025
Daily Trust (Abuja)
By David Ngobua

Nigeria's senior men's basketball team, D'Tigers are set to begin their campaign for a second Afrobasket title since their first and only victory in 2015.

After one week of intensive preparation in Abuja, the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF), has released a 12-man roster led by NBA star, Josh Okogie, to fly Nigeria's flag at the 2025 FIBA men's Afrobasket championship which begins on Tuesday, August 12, in Angola.

Other players who made the final list for the 31st edition of the tournament are: Kaodirichi Akobundu-Ehiogu, Talib Zanna, Stan Okoye, Mike Nuga, Devine Eke, Christian Mekowulu, Martins Igbanu, Ugo Andrew Simon, Emmanuel Omogbo, Ike Nwamu, and Caleb Agada.

The trio of Fola Fayemi, Kareem Joseph and Mohamed AbdulSalam failed to make the final list while Peter Olisemeka left out due to eligibility issues.

Keep up with the latest headlines on WhatsApp | LinkedIn

D'Tigers who are housed in Group B along with Tunisia, Madagascar and Cameroon will start their campaign on Wednesday, August 13, against Madagascar.

The team which departed Nigeria yesterday for the continental showpiece is coached by Mohammed Abdulrahman who has been in charge since last year's Afrobasket qualifiers in Tripoli.

The road to Angola

To qualify for the 2025 Championship, D'Tigers recorded victories over Libya, Uganda and Cape Verde for their 20th appearance at the tournament.

Before they jetted out to Angola, D'Tigers rounded off preparations with a double international friendly with Guinea at the Mo Basketball Arena in Abuja.

They won the first match 78-73 on Thursday, August 7 but lost the second 68-63 on Friday at the same venue.

D'Tigers' AfroBasket record

Unlike D'Tigress who have dominated women's basketball in Africa, D'Tigers have been unable to live up to their potential.

In 19 previous appearances, D'Tigers have managed to win only one title in 2015. Since then, they have failed to increase their tally. However, they finished as runners-up in 1997, 1999, 2003, and 2017.

They have also won three bronze in 1995, 2005 and 2011 which is a far cry from what the D'Tigress have achieved in the continent.

Only recently, the women's team won a historic fifth consecutive Afrobasket title in Cote d'Ivoire taking their titles to seven, an outstanding performance that fetched the players N150m each from the Federal Government.

Read the original article on Daily Trust.

Tagged:
Copyright © 2025 Daily Trust. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.

AllAfrica publishes around 600 reports a day from more than 90 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals, representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct.

Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica. To address comments or complaints, please Contact us.