2020 NBA Draft class features record-high number of players of Nigerian origin – Newstrends
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2020 NBA Draft class features record-high number of players of Nigerian origin

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4 years ago

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More than the usual smattering of Nigerian eyes will be fixed on the NBA Draft on Wednesday, as a record-high chunk of the class is made up of Nigeria-origin players.
A total of seven players, two born in Nigeria, will be in consideration for pickup by some of the best basketball teams in the world.
Onyeka Okongwu is in the conversation for not just for the top 5 pick, but could well rival James Wiseman, Lamelo Ball, and Anthony Edwards for the number one overall pick.
Precious Achiuwa and Udoka Azubuike are the two who were born in Nigeria. If both are selected in the top 30, it would be the first time that two players from Nigeria are selected in the first round of the same NBA Draft.
Along with Achiuwa and Azubuike, there are also Onyeka Okongwu, Isaac Okoro, Zeke Nnaji, Daniel Oturu, and Jordan Nwora on the cards.
“I think it’s big,” Achiuwa said in a pre-Draft Zoom call with ESPN.
“It just shows there’s a big talent culture in Nigeria when it comes to basketball, athleticism and athletes as a whole in general.
“It speaks to how competitive we are and our willingness to be better in whatever we do.”
It is a testament both to how far the Nigerian community in the USA has come, and how much basketball has grown back home.
In 1984, when Akeem Olajuwon was drafted number one overall to the NBA — ahead of even Michael Jordan — he was the lone Nigerian, nay African, in that Draft Class.
It took another 10 years before the NBA drafted another player of Nigerian descent when the New Jersey Nets picked up Yinka Dare from George Washington, and another four years before Michael Olowokandi was drafted number one overall by the LA Clippers.
Thirty six years on from that first, pivotal draft, the 2020 NBA Draft Class — like the 2020 NFL Draft Class before it — boasts the highest number of players of Nigerian origin.
Nwora already represents Nigeria senior men’s basketball team. Oturu’s father, Francis, played table tennis for Nigeria.
Okongwu is in the conversation for not just for the top 5 pick, but could well rival James Wiseman, Lamelo Ball, and Anthony Edwards for the number one overall pick, and he is not shy about it.
“I feel like I’m higher than all of them,” he told ESPN. “I just do all the little things well. I just play basketball. I know how to win.”
Also projected to be a high pick is Isaac Okoro, the 6’6 shooting guard/small forward from Auburn.
All told, there are more than 30 current and former NBA players with Nigerian roots, including the likes of Andre Iguodala, Victor Oladipo, Bam Adebayo, and the Antetokounmpo brothers, led of course by legendary Hall of Famer Olajuwon.
Achiuwa said that it is a trend the current class will seek to carry on: “I think we have the opportunity to keep that legacy going, especially that Nigerian representation in the NBA.”
That representation has been helped in no small part by the work of a man who himself was in a similar position some 20 years ago.
Former Nigeria captain Olumide Oyedeji was drafted out of German team DJK Wurzburg [Dirk Nowitzki played there too] and has run basketball camps every year in Nigeria for 20 straight years until this year’s COVID-19 interruption.
Over 35 000 kids have passed through the camp in those 20 years, including Azubuike.
Oyedeji, who played three seasons in the NBA, projects that the number will rise in the future and also expects the players to continue to light the way for others.
“We are a country of about 200 million people and with the way Nigerians are migrating to the USA, don’t be surprised to see 20 in the next Draft Classes in the future,” Oyedeji told ESPN.
“We already have three projected to go in the lottery this year.
“It is a positive thing and I feel proud. For other people back home, it is just the same way. We just have to translate it to sports development back home.
“And they should know and remember where they come from because it goes beyond basketball.”
Pivotal to the increase in Nigerian names in the NBA is Fubara Onyanabo, a man whom many in Nigeria have barely heard of, but has mentored a long list of players, including some currently representing in Nigeria’s national team.
Achiuwa was not shy about paying tribute to Fubura, who coached the player’s elder brother: “He is doing a great job, advancing the game and making sure that the kids back home have a way to learn the game.
“He is providing resources for the kids and I think that that is absolutely big having someone that is so passionate about basketball back home. I think that is really important.”
Onyanabo, who has coached Nigeria’s national teams at various age levels, has been doing so since 2009. With no resources, he poured his heart and soul and money into running the basketball camps.
While he is gratified to see that his passion is bearing fruit thousands of miles away on a global stage, even if indirectly, his priorities are set differently.
“For me, it is a passion and a calling,” Onyanabo told ESPN. “After my playing career ended, I found that although kids around me loved basketball and loved watching the NBA, they did not have the right skills to play, so I decided to start training them.
“For me, it is not about talents that are exported outside Nigeria. It is the ability to keep these young people busy and channel their energy towards positive and productive ventures here in Nigeria.
“My fulfilment is the ability to put smiles on the faces of these kids. They don’t pay to learn or play basketball. We just want to keep them happy and away from trouble.”
Along with the Nigerians in the Draft Class, there is also some other history to be made at an African level.
The Draft also includes Mamadi Diakite, who was born in Guinea, Paul Eboua, born in Cameroon, Karim Mane and Lamine Diane, both born in Senegal. If they are all drafted it would break the record for the most players to be drafted from the continent. Four were drafted in 2016.
Whatever happens, Oyedeji has some words of advice: “The work starts when they are drafted. They have to be ready at all times, even if they are on the bench. Always be ready to be the next man up.”
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Paris 2024: Brazil beat the Super Falcons in opening game

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13 hours ago

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July 26, 2024

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Paris 2024: Brazil beat the Super Falcons in opening game

The Super Falcons began their campaign at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games on a shaky footing, losing 0-1 to Brazil in their first match. 

Nigeria came into the game on the back of an impressive showing at the 2023 FIFA World Cup and an eight-game unbeaten run.

They started the match well, missing a couple of chances to have taken the lead in the French city of Bordeaux.

Many thought the team would go into the tunnel with the lead or at least all square with the South Americans. But Gabi Nunez finished off finely with about eight minutes to the end of the first half to give Coach Randy Waldrum’s side a mountain to climb in the second half.

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Upon the resumption of the second half, the Nigerians rallied to get back into the game. But their final balls were rarely threatening the Brazilian defence.

Despite running some changes and bringing in fresh legs to push for an equaliser, the Brazilians defended gallantly to deny the Super Falcons the leveller.

Nigeria’s next game is against world champions Spain. That match is on the 28th of July before the team take on Japan on the 31st.

In the other Group C game, Spain saw off Japan 2-1 while the US defeated Zambia 3-0 in a Group B tie. France mauled Colombia 3-0 in a Group A encounter on the same day.

Paris 2024: Brazil beat the Super Falcons in opening game

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PSG not giving up on Osimhen, seek further slash in price

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14 hours ago

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July 26, 2024

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Victor Osimhen

PSG not giving up on Osimhen, seek further slash in price

Paris Saint-Germain is still negotiating a lower transfer fee for Napoli striker Victor Osimhen as they pursue the Nigeria international this summer.

According to transfer market expert Gianluca Di Marzio, PSG are poised to retake the lead in their pursuit of the Napoli striker.

In contrast, Italian sports news outlet La Gazzetta dello Sport reports that the French champions are still dissatisfied with Napoli’s reduced asking price of £100 million.

“The Parisian club would in fact have decided to take a step back. President Al-Khelaifi considers the 100 million euros excessive, believing that with De Laurentiis he is making the same mistake as last summer,” the report stated.

Napoli had initially demanded the full payment of Osimhen’s £130m release clause, a figure that has deterred many potential suitors. PSG, however, have refused to meet this valuation and are hoping for a further reduction in the price.

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The prolonged negotiations have reportedly left Osimhen frustrated, with Italian publication Tutto Napoli suggesting that the striker is now open to considering offers from Saudi Arabian clubs Al-Ahli and Al-Hilal.

“Osimhen is fed up, a prisoner of his golden contract. De Laurentiis will probably grant discounts on the clause but not sales,” Tutto Napoli wrote.

As the transfer saga continues, PSG may need to offload either Goncalo Ramos or Randal Kolo-Muani to make room for Osimhen.

Interestingly, Chelsea have reportedly been offered the chance to sign these two PSG forwards, potentially holding the key to Osimhen’s move to the French capital.

Osimhen, who joined Napoli in 2020 for a club-record fee, has been in impressive form, scoring 41 league goals in the past two seasons and helping the club secure their first Scudetto in over three decades.

PSG not giving up on Osimhen, seek further slash in price

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Two Saudi clubs eye Osimhen amid PSG stalled deal

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14 hours ago

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July 26, 2024

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Victor Osimhen

Two Saudi clubs eye Osimhen amid PSG stalled deal

With options fast drying up for Victor Osimhen, it has now been reported that top Saudi Arabian clubs Al Ahli and Al Hilal are now pulling all the stops to sign the Napoli striker.

Osimhen continues the pre-season with Napoli and will join the team in Castel Di Sangro for the second part of preparation while waiting for a move to PSG.

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Corriere dello Sport and Gazzetta claimed that a move to the French capital is now a priority for Osimhen. Tuttosport reported last week that the striker has already agreed personal terms with the club.

However, the French giants must sell Gonçalo Ramos or Randal Kolo Muani before sending an official offer to Napoli. PSG are unlikely to pay the entire €130m clause, but Napoli will look for at least €100m.

Two clubs who can surely match Napoli’s demands are Al-Ahli and Al-Hilal in the Saudi Pro League. According to Il Corriere dello Sport, both sides are waiting for the developments of PSG talks with Osimhen before making a formal bid.

Two Saudi clubs eye Osimhen amid PSG stalled deal

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