₦airaland Forum

D'Tigress' Home Grown Players And The Popularity Of Basketball In Nigeria

There are some comments that shock me every time Nigeria takes part in the Afrobasket championships. Some people claim that basketball is not popular in Nigeria and that Nigerians do not play basketball. Others claim that all the D'Tigress players were born in the United States and that they know nothing about Nigeria. None of these statements are true.

Basketball has always been very popular in Nigeria. It has always been played by a lot of people, many people follow the local league and many people follow the NBA. Many of the players that have won Afrobasket and other tournaments like Ajuba for Nigeria were born in Nigeria and began playing basketball in the country.

Famous people

Lots of very famous Nigerians have actively played and been involved in basketball. Major General Joseph Garba, a former commander of the Brigade of Guards (in the 1960s and '70s) and foreign minister (in the 1970s) was a basketballer and played for the Nigerian national team until his job made it impossible for him to play for the team. One of his proteges, Colonel Sam Ahmedu, created the Dodan Warriors basketball club.

Taiwo Obileye, a former NTA newscaster, commentator at national events (like Independence Day) and actor actively played basketball.

Sound Sultan, a very famous musician, also played basketball and was an ambassador for a Nigerian basketball clubside.

Clubs

I had relatives that played in the Nigerian basketball league in the 1980s and early 1990s. I followed the exploits of teams like Lagos Islanders, Ebun Commets, Kano Pillars, Kadda Stars, Niger Potters, Oluyole Warriors, NEPA, YMCA and Plateau Peaks. I know the Nigerian basketball clap and I watched many matches at the National Stadium in the 1980s and 1990s (the Indoor Sports Hall was always filled with basketball fans). I knew refugees from other countries like Sudan, Somalia and Liberia, who played in the Nigerian League in the 1980s and 1990s.

First Bank women's basketball club has been so successful that many Nigerians that were born abroad, like Mfon Udoka, Rena Wakama (the current coach of D'Tigress) and Dr Sarah Ogoke, have played for them. They have won the African Women's Basketball Cup many times and they have also won silver and bronze in the competition.

First Bank won the African Women's Basketball Cup/League in 2003 and 2009, they came second in 2011, third in 1999, 2005, 2006 and 2008 and fourth in 2010.

First Bank are not the only Nigerian team to perform well in the competition. Bini Queens came fourth in 1987 and First Deep Water came third in 2011 and fourth in 2013.



The NTA also showed Nigerian league matches on Sports Spectacular and Sports World (there was a time that the league was sponsored by Milo and there was a time that it was sponsored by Pepsi. In more recent times the league has been sponsored by Zenith Bank).

NBA

The NBA has been so popular in Nigeria that it has influenced fashion.

Nigerians followed the exploits of the Twin Towers (Hakeem Olajuwon and Ralph Sampson) in the 1980s. The NTA showed NBA matches as far back as 1985. I was always fascinated by the All Star Weekend and the skills contests and I saw Spud Webb win the Slamdunk Contest and Larry Bird win the 3 Point Contest. All of these were shown on the NTA.

Kurtis Blow's basketball song was a huge hit in Nigeria back in the day (1984/1985).

The NBA became so popular that teenagers wore Los Angeles Lakers branded clothes in the 1980s and Chicago Bulls branded clothes in the 1990s. The Bulls team of Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman was especially very popular. Teenagers wore high top sneakers and the Chicago Bulls would have made a lot of money from Nigeria if all those clothes and shoes were original.

All of these inspired Nigerians to play and watch basketball.


Courts

There are probably more basketball courts than football fields in Lagos. They are in secondary schools and higher institutions, they are in housing estates and parks, they are virtually everywhere.

There was a ritual back in the 1980s and 1990s. Secondary school kids would flood the YMCA basketball court on Awolowo Road, Ikoyi from 2:30pm each week day. Then the professional players and older folks would arrive around 4pm and the school kids would leave. Watching basketball at that court was always a fun way to spend the evenings.

People also flocked to the basketball courts at the 1004 Housing Estate. 1004 was built to accomodate members of the National Assembly, but it was allocated to senior civil servants after the 1983 coup. It became a great place to watch basketball in the 1980s and '90s.

I also watched basketball at the University of Lagos, the Yaba College of Technology, Rowe Park Yaba, St Gregory's College and at Eagle Club in Surulere.

In recent times basketball courts have been created at Campos Square Mini Stadium and City Hall on Lagos Island.

There are now basketball courts in every major school and housing estate in Lagos. There are also basketball courts in many of the parks that have been built by the Lagos State Government like the JJT Park and the Ndubuisi Kanu Park in Alausa. There are also public basketball courts in places like Ilupeju and Oworonshoki.


Schools

Milo sponsored the Nigerian League in the 1990s, but they stopped after an incident. They held a press conference about the league, but no Nigerian Basketball Federation official was present. They stopped sponsoring the league soon afterwards and Pepsi took over as sponsors from the late 1990s to the early 2000s.

Milo stopped sponsoring the league and focused on school sports instead. They ran a basketball competition for secondary schools. It was not only a competition, they picked the best players from the competition and paired them with top coaches and created the Milo Basketball Clinic. The competition and clinic were held every year. The Milo Basketball Championships (for secondary schools) is currently in its 25th year.

There was also a time that some private schools in Lagos decided to organise their own separate competition and the games were played at the American International School basketball court.

Financiers

Many Nigerian businessmen and sports lovers have pumped money into the game. They include people like Toyin "Noik" Sonoiki, Colonel Sam Ahmedu, Josiah Ahmedu, late Wale Abodunrin (of Punch Newspapers), Damoye Oyesiku and others.

Apart from investing their money in the sport, some of these men have hosted basketball shows on Nigerian TV and some of them have even coached the national team and served as officials of the Nigerian Basketball Federation (NBBF).


Players

So many people that were born in Nigeria and grew up playing basketball here, have gone on to do great things in the sport.

Coach Ganiyu Otenigbagbe is an absolute legend of the sport in Nigeria. He played for Nigeria in the 1960s and '70s, retired and became the most significant coach in the history of Nigerian basketball. He discovered Hakeem Olajuwon at Muslim Teachers Training College in Surulere. He was also the person that told Hakeem that he had to move abroad and he connected Hakeem to an American coach that recommended him to universities in the US.

Ganiyu Otenigbagbe coached the Nigerian national team many times in the 1980s and 1990s. He was the coach at the time that Hakeem played his only official match for Nigeria (Hakeem played one game in the qualifiers for the African Junior Championships (AJUBA).

I believe that he was also the coach at the time that Hakeem returned to Nigeria in 1987. I remember that event very well. The junior team was preparing for AJUBA (now called U-18 Afrobasket) and the senior team was preparing for something else. They played an exhibition match between the senior national team and the junior national team at the National Stadium in Lagos and Hakeem played for the junior team in the first half and the senior team in the second half. The match was shown on NTA Sports on Saturday. I remember that Yinka Craig also interviewed him (the height difference was incredible).

Nigeria hosted and won the African Junior Basketball Championships in 1987 (AJUBA '87). The team was made up entirely of home grown players and I watched the matches at the National Stadium in Lagos.

Coach Otenigbagbe also coached First Bank Women's Basketball Club to win many African Basketball Champions Cups.

Very many other players that were born and grew up in Nigeria have gone on to do great things in the sport. They include:

Emmanuel Chagu, Ayo Bakare, Agboola Pinheiro, Scott Nnaji, Lateef Erinfolami, Tunji Awojobi, Olumide Oyedeji (he was our captain to many multi-sports events like the Olympic Games and All Africa Games), Michael "The Kandi Man" Olowokandi, Yinka Dare, Julius Nwosu, Peter Aluma, Stanley Gumut, etc.

Half of the D'Tigress team that recently won the Women's Afrobasket were born and grew up in Nigeria, but I have heard people say that none of the players is really Nigerian (whatever that means). Therefore, this thread will showcase women that were born and grew up in Nigeria and also won Afrobasket with the country.

Video of Milo Nigerian schools basketball clinic.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFUOzCw9DEk?si=KAvZtF707CM5gLc9


This is an old photo of First Bank Basketball Club of Lagos (Elephant Girls) showing Aisha Mohammed (Aisha Balarabe) in the center and Sarah Ogoke at the extreme left.

MACTABENE AMACHREE


This Kalabari princess was born in Port-Harcourt on January 30th, 1978. She played basketball at secondary school level and she got scholarships and invitations from universities in the United States. However, this was during the Abacha era when the US imposed sanctions on Nigeria and her visa applications were denied several times. She began playing for D'Tigress and represented Nigeria at the 1997 Afrobasket.

She eventually succeeded and went to the United States in 1998 when she was 20 years old.

USA and WNBA

She attended Abilene Christian University in Texas and played for their basketball team the Wildcats.

She became the first Nigerian to play in the WNBA when she played for New York Liberty in 2001. She also played for Seattle Storm and Washington Mystics.

Europe

She played for CSKA Moscow in Russia, Besiktas, TED Ankara, Botas, Osmaniye Genclik, Antakya, Mersin BŞB and Migrosspor in Turkey.

She became a Turkish citizen while playing there (in order to get around regulations) and she got the Turkish name Makbul.

First Bank

Back in Nigeria Mactabene was part of the First Bank Basketball Club team that won the 2003 Basketball Africa League.

D'Tigress

Amachree won a lot of tournaments with that D'Tigress. She was part of the D'Tigress team that won the 2003 All-Africa Games basketball tournament in Abuja.

She won the 2003 Afrobasket in Mozambique and the 2005 Afrobasket in Nigeria. She also represented Nigeria at the 1997 and 2009 Afrobasket tournaments.

On the global stage, she represented Nigeria at the 2004 Olympics.

After retirement

Mactabene Amachree has worked as the general manager of D'Tigress and she also serves as an ambassador for the WNBA. She regularly holds mentorship and coaching clinics for young basketballers in Abuja and Port-Harcourt.

Video: Nigerian legends meet up in 2025. Mactabene Amachree and Olumide Oyedeji.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYejavoXWQY?si=sdphYmeYvlrgkPje

I remember the days of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Allen Iverson and Yao Ming

AISHA BALARABE (NEE MOHAMMED)

Aisha Mohammed was born in Lagos on October 21st, 1985. Her father was a soldier from Kano State, while her mother was from Edo State.

She lived with her grandmother at the Ikeja Cantonment, Lagos because her father was being transferred to different locations across Nigeria. However, her father came to get her whe she turned 8 and she lived with her father in Keffi, Birnin Kebbi and Port-Harcourt.

She was initially involved in other sports, for example, she was a track and field athlete at Army Day Secondary School, Birnin Kebbi, but friends kept telling her that she needed to play basketball because of her height. A coach saw her and convinced her to take up the game.

First Bank

Aisha played for and captained First Bank Basketball Club of Lagos and was part of their teams at the 2005 and 2018 Basketball Africa League. They came second in 2005 and third in 2018. She also played for First Bank at the 2004 FIBA Women's World League preliminary round.

D'Tigress

She also captained D'Tigress and she is a 4-time Afrobasket champion, winning the tournament in 2003, 2005, 2017 and 2019. She also played at the 2011 Afrobasket in which Nigeria came fourth.

She represented Nigeria at the 2004 and 2020 Olympic Games, at the 2006 World Championships and at the 2018 World Cup.

United States

She moved to the United States in 2005, where she attended Central Arizona College and the University of Virginia and played for their basketball team the Cavaliers.

Europe

She played club basketball for Istanbul University, Edremit and Bursas BSB in Turkey. She played for Bashkimi in Kosovo, Zamarat in Spain, Eleutheria Moshatou in Greece and AEL Limassol in Cyprus.

Retirement

In 2019 Aisha Balarabe announced that that year's Afrobasket would be her last. She said that she wanted to concentrate on raising a family and she expressed the hope that her children would play basketball for Nigeria one day.

University of Virginia video: Aisha Mohammed talks about her life.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGqWRYViVQQ?si=eipNli_z8a8cK4G6

EVELYN AKHATOR

Osaretin Evelyn Ojeimen (nee Akhator) was born in Lagos, Nigeria on February 3rd, 1995.

She initially played football and was involved in track and field athletics when she was in secondary school. Her father encouraged her to run track. However, friends told her to take up basketball because she was very tall.

Basketball and First Bank

Her mother encouraged her to take up basketball because of her height. Her father wasn't happy when she switched from athletics to basketball, but her mum encouraged her. She began playing for First Bank Basketball Club of Lagos. She said that she is really happy that she played for First Bank, because one of the club's coaches did a lot to develop her talent and help her in her career.

Unfortunately her mother passed away in a traffic accident when Evelyn was only 16 years old. She was devastated and lost interest in basketball. She stopped playing and practicing. However, her coach and pastor eventually convinced her to play in order to honour her mum. She took up the sport again and got a basketball scholarship in the United States.

United States

Evelyn Akhator got a scholarship to study nursing at Chipola Community College in Florida. She played basketball for the college from 2013 to 2015.

She moved to the University of Kentucky and played for their basketball team, the Wildcats, from 2015 to 2017. She graduated with a 3.5 gpa.

WNBA

Evelyn was drafted as the 3rd overall pick in the 2017 WNBA draft by the Dallas Wings. She also played for the Chicago Sky.

Europe

Akhator signed with the Russian side WBC Dynamo Novosibirsk in 2017. She averaged 12.4 points and 8.5 rebounds per game.

On 22 August 2018, Akhator signed with the Turkish Besiktas basketball team. She averaged 15 points and 11 rebounds per game in the Turkish league, and she averaged 15 points and 11 rebounds in the Eurocup tournament, having played more than 30 minutes per game in both competitions.
Ahkator signed with the Spanish side CB Avenida on 15 May 2019.

In November, 2019, Ahkator signed with the French side Flammes Carolo basketball team.

Akhator signed with Basket Landes (also in France) for the 2022–2023 season.

In June 2023, she signed with Landerneau Bretagne Basket.

D'Tigress

Evelyn Akhator represented Nigeria at the 2017 and 2019 Afrobasket tournaments and she was in the team of the tournament on both occasions.

She was the lead scorer for Nigeria at the 2017 Afrobasket, averaging 15.3 points per game to finish 4th in the tournament and she also led Nigeria in rebounds averaging 9.5 rebounds per game to finish second in the tournament.

She also played for D'Tigress at the 2018 World Cup and the 2020 Olympic qualifying competition.

She is very close friends with D'Tigress teammate, Nkem Akaraiwe, because they met at a basketball camp in Asaba when they were teenagers.

Wedding

Evelyn Akhator had a big wedding in Benin in 2022 and she gave birth in 2023.

Video: Evelyn Akhator scoring and drawing a foul for Nigeria at the 2018 FIBA World Cup.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kN1Nnqd2wTQ?si=3ju4EHNXuPn3EpnL

Video: Evelyn Akhator wishing Nigerians a merry Christmas and Happy New Year in 2018.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5M7vCpmJLY?si=Emo-EL-t0veG-cSc


Photo: Check out the height difference! Evelyn Akhator trained with some other Nigerian sports stars in the Lekki area during the 2020 lockdown. In the photos are Evelyn Akhator (D'Tigress), Onome Ebi (former Super Falcons captain), Abu Azeez (former Super Sand Eagles captain) and Sikiru Alimi (Nigerian league football star).

Basketball was popular and is still popular but not as football.
The reason I think it is not so popular in Nigeria like football is the more complexity in the game facility setup for recreation in our local communities. For football you could easily put two stones together on any ground with few metres between them and call it a goal post, game don start be that. It is not like that for basketball where you need smooth screed for ball to bounce and you can’t hang basket on trees for “pikins” to start aiming the inside of the basket.

Amotolongbo:
Basketball was popular and is still popular but not as football.

It doesn't have to be as popular as football and there's nothing wrong with that. In every country there is a sport that is more popular than others, but that doesn't mean that other sports are not popular.

naptu2:
It doesn't have to be as popular as football and there's nothing wrong with that. In every country there is a sport that is more popular than others, but that doesn't mean that other sports are not popular.

I didn’t say there is something wrong with it. I was only saying my reason why i perceived it is not so popular like football in the grassroots

PALLAS KUNAIYI-AKPANNAH

Pallas Kunaiyi-Akpannah was born in Port-Harcourt, Nigeria on July 12th, 1997.

She began playing basketball when she was in secondary school in Nigeria. At the age of 14, she attended a basketball camp Hope for girls organised by Mobolaji Akiode (a former member of D'Tigress) in Abuja, where her talent was noticed.

United States

She moved to the United States at the age of 15 and attended Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School, Rabun County, Georgia, where she played basketball.

She attended Northwestern University and played for their team the Wildcats.

She was undrafted, but signed to a training camp contract by Chicago Sky.

Europe

She played for Pallacanestro Vigarano in Italy, Namur-Capitale in Belgium and then she returned to Serie A to play for Faenza Basket Project.


D'Tigress

Pallas Kunaiyi-Akpannah has won the 2021, 2023 and 2025 Afrobasket tournaments with D'Tigress. She represented Nigeria at the 2020 and 2024 Olympic Games. She also represented Nigeria at the 2022 World Cup qualifiers.

Amotolongbo:
I didn’t say there is something wrong with it. I was only saying my reason why i perceived it is not so popular like football in the grassroots

Basketball is also popular at the grassroots, but like I said, in every country there is a sport that is more popular than the others, but that doesn't mean the others are not popular.

MURJANATU MUSA

Murjanatu Musa was born in Kebbi State on May 5th, 2000. She grew up in Kebbi, but also spent some time in Lagos. She played football in Lagos, but there was no women's football team for her to join in Kebbi. However, her secondary school had a basketball programme so she started playing basketball.

Air Warriors

She played for the Air Warriors Basketball Club of Abuja (the Air Force team) and was the MVP of the Zenith Bank Nigerian Women's Basketball League in the 2022 season and she believes that this was a major point in her career.

She won the Nigerian league with Air Warriors in 2019, defeating MFM in the final.

Europe

She moved to Europe and played for Celta Zorka in Spain.

WNBA

She signed a training camp contract with Phoenix Mercury of the WNBA in 2025, but she missed the camp because the season in Spain was still running.

D'Tigress

Murjanatu represented Nigeria in the 3x3 basketball tournament at the 2019 Morocco Africa Games and 2019 African Beach Games, Cape-Verde, the team won Gold and Bronze respectively.

She won the 2021, 2023 and 2025 Afrobasket tournaments with D'Tigress and also represented Nigeria at the 2024 Olympics.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2o7m7QQdRJU?si=bBXYH1XCU7OuNG3r

To be continued.

Thank you for honoring these ladies with this thread.

Amotolongbo:
Basketball was popular and is still popular but not as football.
The reason I think it is not so popular in Nigeria like football is the more complexity in the game facility setup for recreation in our local communities. For football you could easily put two stones together on any ground with few metres between them and call it a goal post, game don start be that. It is not like that for basketball where you need smooth screed for ball to bounce and you can’t hang basket on trees for “pikins” to start aiming the inside of the basket.

Forget grammar. Basketball is not popular in Nigeria because of lack of government investment.

The day the government starts investing billions into basketball in Nigeria, every child will want to be a basketball player. That's how powerful government is.

From this thread, we can see that most investments in basketball come from individuals and organisations.

Reading…

D'Tigress' Home Grown Players And The Popularity Of Basketball In Nigeria

Interesting thread... Enjoyed reading tru.... Cheers.............

naptu2:
To be continued.

Great job.
Many thanks


Fhdjdndnmf dhdnddndnnnnn

Re: Courts.

Previous threads:

LASPARK, Giants Of Africa Renovate Oworonshoki Basketball Court.
https://www.nairaland.com/6801396/laspark-giants-africa-renovate-oworonshoki

LASPARK Partners Red Bull On Alausa Basketball Court Upgrade
https://www.nairaland.com/6712611/laspark-partners-red-bull-alausa

Ikorodu Park Basketball Court Gets Facelift
https://www.nairaland.com/6979961/ikorodu-park-basketball-court-gets

Etc.

Quite educative and informative.

Was actually looking forward to check the list of the Mission V team that are still home-based.

Nice one.

Its not that popular in naija. Most people don't even know what they call it when someone scores (basket). A good number of people dont

ettekamba1:
Quite educative and informative.

Was actually looking forward to check the list of the Mission V team that are still home-based.

Nice one.

I've written about 2 of them above (Pallas and Murjanatu) and I'll write about more of them as the thread progresses.

Good game. In Europe and America basketball players are more payed than football players but footballers are like police all eyes on their wages and there movement

naptu2:
It doesn't have to be as popular as football and there's nothing wrong with that. In every country there is a sport that is more popular than others, but that doesn't mean that other sports are not popular.

I don't think you really understand the meaning of popular. Can you walk into any random village in Nigeria pick a random uneducated person that has never seen a tv and ask them something about basketball? If you do that with football they know what it meant. With track they sure know what it is. Even in most poor neighborhood in urban areas you may not find 10 persons that are conversant with the latest news on basketball.

I think that the problem is that you are looking at it through the eyes of your surroundings which might be biased. That it has been there for donkey years, doesn't mean that it popular amongst the masses.

The reason is simple, to play basketball you need at least a net and a space and a ball that can bounce. To play football all you need is any round object and anywhere can be a pitch. To do track amongst kids, all you need is any strip to run. To box, all the kids need is just an idea place without an adult oversight and the game is on.

Track and field athletics was Nigeria's number 2 sport from the 1950s till the early 2000s when it suffered a steep decline. Someone on the radio said (last week) that basketball has overtaken track and field and become Nigeria's second sport. I'm still not sure if she was right or wrong.

dettolgel:
The reason is simple, to play basketball you need at least a net and a space and a ball that can bounce. To play football all you need is any round object and anywhere can be a pitch. To do track amongst kids, all you need is any strip to run. To box, all the kids need is just an idea place without an adult oversight and the game is on.

Very simple thing. All you need is public courts and there are many public courts. In actual fact, you don't even need a public court. I have seen many primary schools and churches that don't even have space for a court, but they hung one rim up and kids from the area go there to play.

Go back and read about Murjanatu's ecperience in Kebbi.

I think it's you that is just judging based on his surroundings.

Lots of basketball lovers in the country. I play basketball, but despise watching it live on tv.

Popularity cannot be compared to football still.

I hope Nairaland will let me post the pictures from these threads.

naptu2:
Re: Courts.

Previous threads:

LASPARK, Giants Of Africa Renovate Oworonshoki Basketball Court.
https://www.nairaland.com/6801396/laspark-giants-africa-renovate-oworonshoki

LASPARK Partners Red Bull On Alausa Basketball Court Upgrade
https://www.nairaland.com/6712611/laspark-partners-red-bull-alausa

Ikorodu Park Basketball Court Gets Facelift
https://www.nairaland.com/6979961/ikorodu-park-basketball-court-gets

Etc.

Great job @naptu2 , you always blow my mind with your posts. Thanks for the education, a great throwback in time.

Public courts are very important. These are places where kids from the area can come and play for free. They come in many different forms.

Public parks.

Housing estates.

Town squares.

Churches and mosques.

Schools

Youth centres.

Etc.

In Lagos some companies and organisations are working with government to renovate public basketball courts.

This is Oworonshoki basketball court. It is a public court. The first picture is how it used to be and the other pictures are after the renovation.

This court was renovated by Giants of Africa, the foundation of Masai Ujiri, a Nigerian who was president of the Toronto Raptors and the Lagos State Parks and Gardens Agency (LASPARK)

DonGenovese:
Great job @naptu2 , you always blow my mind with your posts. Thanks for the education, a great throwback in time.

Thank you.

nairaland says I need 15 more characters

Abeg oo.... Is naptu an Ai..?

His attention to details through history on is too apt for a human, except maybe he works in a libarai or a newspaper company...

Guy u are too much abeg!!!!