Nigeria’s senior men’s basketball team, D’Tigers, are scheduled to return to the country on Monday (today) after competing at the 31st edition of the FIBA AfroBasket tournament in Angola, held from August 12 to 24.
Led by coach Mohammed Abdulrahman, the team exited at the quarter-final stage following a 91–75 defeat to regional rivals Senegal last Wednesday.
Despite the early elimination, the squad remained in Luanda as their return tickets were booked for Monday, August 25.
Reports indicate that some senior players had requested the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) to adjust their departure dates, but the federation declined.
As a result, a few individuals, including Houston Rockets guard Josh Okogie, personally funded their flights back to their respective bases.
D’Tigers had advanced to the knockout stages by topping Group B with six points after victories over Madagascar, three-time champions Tunisia, and Cameroon.
However, their campaign ended abruptly against Senegal, despite strong showings from Caleb Agada, Okogie, Stan Okoye, and Ike Nwamu.
Attention now shifts to the FIBA Men’s World Cup Qualifiers beginning in November, where Nigeria will seek a ticket to the 2027 edition in Qatar, having missed the 2023 tournament.
We The country last appeared at the World Cup in 2019 in China, under then head coach Alex Nwora.