Veteran D’Tigress shooting guard, Sarah Ogoke has hinted at a return to competitive basketball, following several months away from the court.
The 35-year-old, who has been absent from the national team for about a year, missed out on the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris due to personal reasons. However, recent social media activity suggests she could be gearing up for a comeback.
Ogoke, who captained Nigeria to the FIBA Women’s Afrobasket title in Kigali, Rwanda in 2023, had previously addressed her Olympic omission, stating, “I haven’t retired. This is not the last you will hear of me playing basketball. It wasn’t an easy situation or an easy decision.”
The experienced guard recently took to her official X (formerly Twitter) account with a cryptic but telling message: “Giving birth is hard. Basketball is easy.” The post was accompanied by multiple training clips showing her back on the court, sparking speculation of a potential return.
The message appears to confirm that Ogoke’s absence was due to childbirth, although no official statement has been made.
A seasoned campaigner, Ogoke has enjoyed a remarkable career with the D’Tigress, representing Nigeria in seven FIBA Women’s Afrobasket tournaments since her debut in 2011. She has won four continental titles — in Mali (2017), Senegal (2019), Cameroon (2021), and Rwanda (2023) becoming the only Nigerian to win four women’s Afrobasket titles in a row.
Ogoke also featured at the 2018 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in Spain, helping Nigeria reach the quarter-finals, and was part of the squad at the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics held in 2021.
Her international accolades include a bronze medal at the 2011 African Games in Maputo, Mozambique, and a silver medal at the 2015 edition in Brazzaville, Congo.
A graduate of Southern Polytechnic State University in Georgia, Ogoke remains one of the most decorated and influential figures in Nigerian women’s basketball.
Should she return, her leadership and experience could provide a timely boost for the D’Tigress as they prepare for 2025 FIBA Women’s AfroBasket Championship that will take place in Côte d’Ivoire later this month.