Nigeria’s national men’s basketball team, D’Tigers, is scheduled to arrive back in the country on Monday (today) after competing in the 31st edition of the FIBA AfroBasket Championship, held in Angola from August 12 to 24.
Under the guidance of head coach Mohammed Abdulrahman, the Nigerian squad was eliminated from the tournament last Wednesday, following a 91-75 quarter-final loss to regional rivals and African basketball giants, Senegal. Despite their exit, the team remained in Angola due to their return flight arrangements, which were booked for Monday, August 25.
Several veteran members of the squad reportedly approached the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) with requests to reschedule their flights earlier than planned. However, the federation is said to have declined those appeals. In response, a number of players, including NBA talent Josh Okogie of the Houston Rockets, independently arranged and paid for their return travel to leave Angola ahead of the scheduled group departure.
During their 2025 FIBA AfroBasket journey, D’Tigers topped Group B with a perfect record, amassing six points after registering wins over Madagascar, three-time champions Tunisia, and Cameroon in the group stage. Their tournament run ended in the quarter-finals with the loss to Senegal, but key players such as Caleb Agada, Josh Okogie, Stan Okoye, and Ike Nwamu stood out with strong individual performances throughout the competition.
With their AfroBasket campaign concluded, the team will now shift focus to the FIBA Men’s World Cup Qualifying Series, set to begin in November. Nigeria will aim to secure qualification for the 2027 edition of the World Cup in Qatar, after failing to make the 2023 tournament. The last time D’Tigers appeared at the global showpiece was in 2019 in China, under then-head coach Alex Nwora.
