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

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3 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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EPL: Salah scores 200th Liverpool goal as Reds go top

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December 9, 2023

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EPL: Salah scores 200th Liverpool goal as Reds go top

Mohamed Salah scored his 200th Liverpool goal as Jurgen Klopp’s side produced a late comeback against 10-man Crystal Palace to move top of the Premier League and increase the pressure on former boss Roy Hodgson.

Salah became only the fifth player to reach that landmark for the club, joining Ian Rush, Roger Hunt, Gordon Hodgson and Billy Liddell, when he ignited the fightback with a 76th-minute equaliser.

It was Harvey Elliott who delivered the decisive moment inside the first of 10 minutes of added time, producing a stunning strike from the edge of the penalty area to lift Liverpool above Arsenal.

Salah’s goal arrived just 98 seconds after Jordan Ayew was dismissed for a second bookable offence, and the visitors had failed to land a shot on target prior to that moment.

Palace, booed off by their supporters following a disappointing home loss to Bournemouth on Wednesday, were on course to deliver a surprise blow to the Red’s title aspirations following Jean-Philippe Mateta’s penalty.

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The game had continued for more than one minute after Jarell Quansah caught Mateta when attempting to clear a cross before the video assistant referee intervened – but referee Andy Madley did not take long to award Palace a spot-kick after being sent to the pitchside monitor.

Palace had seen a penalty decision in their favour overturned during the first half when Madley took three minutes to review a challenge by Will Hughes on Endo in the lead-up to Virgil van Dijk’s foul on Odsonne Edouard inside the box.

Liverpool, though dominant, struggled throughout to break the hosts down and the returning Alisson came to his side’s rescue in stunning fashion in the first half when he pushed Jefferson Lerma’s first-time shot on to the post.

The visitors again had the Brazilian to thank for another excellent stop to prevent Joachim Andersen providing a dramatic twist with a header from a free-kick in the 100th minute.

Having eventually ended Palace’s spirited resistance, victory took the Reds one point above last season’s runners-up Arsenal, who travel to third-placed Aston Villa later on Saturday (17:30 GMT).

EPL: Salah scores 200th Liverpool goal as Reds go top

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Liverpool move top of Premier League

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December 9, 2023

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Liverpool move top of Premier League

Liverpool have moved top of the Premier League after defeating 10-man Crystal Palace 2-1 on Saturday in a game they came back from a goal down to win.

Palace were in control of the match after they had gone ahead when Jordan Ayew was sent off, bringing Liverpool back to the game.

After a goalless first half, Palace scored in the 57th minute from the penalty spot.

Jean-Philippe Mateta ran up to the ball, stopped and waited for Alisson to commit before slotting the penalty into the bottom right corner to make it 1-0.

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Ayew was sent off in the 75th minute for a foul on Liverpool’s player. He got his second yellow card and was off the pitch.

A minute after that, Liverpool equalised. Curtis Jones played the ball to Mohamed Salah, whose deflected shot from inside the box went past the helpless Sam Johnstone.

The visitors made it 2-1 a minute into added time. Salah teed up Harvey Elliott on the edge of the box and he fired the ball into the right side of the goal.

Luiz Diaz appeared to have scored the third goal for Liverpool when he put the ball in the net. The goal was ruled out for offside.

Liverpool move top of Premier League

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I almost followed Ronaldo to Saudi Arabia — Messi

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17 hours ago

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December 9, 2023

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Messi, Ronaldo

I almost followed Ronaldo to Saudi Arabia — Messi

Lionel Messi, now with Inter Miami, disclosed that he seriously contemplated joining the Saudi Professional League, closely following the footsteps of his longtime rival, Cristiano Ronaldo. This consideration arose when it became evident that his time at Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) was coming to an end.

The 36-year-old football icon, a sought-after talent last summer, had interest from Barcelona, Inter Miami, and Al-Hilal. Ultimately, Messi opted for a move to the USA, but he recently admitted that he gave serious thought to the tempting offer from the Gulf nation.

Messi, who was named TIME magazine’s Athlete of the Year, shared in an interview that his initial preference was to return to Barcelona after departing PSG. However, given the financial challenges faced by the club, a feasible deal couldn’t materialize at that time.

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Reflecting on his decision-making process, Messi revealed, “I was thinking a lot about going to the Saudi League, where I know the country. They have created a very powerful competition that can become an important league in the near future. As the country’s tourism ambassador, it was a destination that attracted me.”

Despite the allure of the mega-money offer from Saudi Arabia, Messi ultimately chose Inter Miami’s deal. He acknowledged that while his first choice was to return to Barcelona, circumstances prevented it, leading him to explore alternative options.

The football star’s revelation sheds light on the complexities and considerations that influence decisions in the highly competitive world of football transfers.

I almost followed Ronaldo to Saudi Arabia — Messi

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