While basketball is popular the world over, there’s no denying that it’s the US where you’ll find the greatest league there is – the NBA.
It’s the one that all the best players want to compete in so it draws in the cream of the crop from all round the world. In 2022 it was announced that players from no less than 40 different countries were signed with the NBA’s 30 different teams.
Among these there’s also great representation from African countries too, with Nigeria leading the way.
The NBA sees the whole continent as offering great potential for spotting and developing the stars of tomorrow. That’s why it has set up the NBA Academy Africa in Senegal. In the words of the league this aims to “serve as the primary training location for NBA Academy Africa prospects from across the continent”.
So the hopes are very much that players will soon be coming through the system to join this famous sextet of Nigerian-heritage stars.
Hakeem Olajuwon
Undoubtedly the greatest Nigerian player in the NBA to date was born in Lagos in 1963. Educated at the University of Houston, he was first pick in the 1984 draft when he joined the Houston Rockets, a year when other basketball giants like Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley were also in the draft. In his career with the Rockets he led them to back to back championships in 1994 and 1995. He also made history by being the first non-American to win the NBA Defensive Player of the Year and his career record of 3830 blocks has never been equalled.
Michael Olowokandi
Also born in Lagos, 12 years later than Olajuwon in 1975, Michael Olowokandi’s father’s job as a diplomat took the family to the UK. At school there he excelled at athletics and football but his 6’8” height at the age of 16 made basketball a natural choice of sport for him. After managing to get into the University of the Pacific he was picked up by the LA Clippers in the 1998 draft. He stayed with the Clippers until 2003 before moving on to the Minnesota Timberwolves, ending his career in 2007 with the Boston Celtics having played 500 games and averaged 3.8 points per game.
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Given the slightly insulting nickname of the Greek Freak thanks to his incredible size, speed and agility, Antetokounmpo was born and raised in Athens. Sporting prowess was in his genes – his father had been a professional footballer in Nigeria and his mother was a former high jumper. His career started with the Greek team Filathlitikos in 2011 and in 2013 he made himself available for the NBA draft. Picked up by the Milwaukee Bucks he soon started to make an impression, not least in affecting the NBA odds for the team due to his match-winning abilities. By the 2016-17 season he was the team’s leading player in all five statistical categories and is only one of three players to have been named MVP twice before the age of 26.
Udoka Azubuike
It was an NBA initiative, Basketball Without Boarders, that first picked up on Azubuike’s talent and at the age of just 13 he was offered a scholarship to move from Lagos to the US. Picked up by the Utah Jazz in the 2020 draft. He made his playoff debut on June 14 in game 4 of the 2021 Western Conference Semifinals. Since then, he has moved to the Phoenix Suns where he recorded his first double-double in December 2023 with 11 points and 11 rebounds in a losing game against the Sacramento Kings. His impressive performances have helped to ensure the Suns are the third favorites to win the championship in the NBA lines.
Gabe Vincent
American-Nigerian Gabe Vincent was born in Modesto, California in 1996. After playing for the University of California in Santa Barbara he found himself undrafted in 2018. But, determined to persist with his basketball career, he signed for the Stockton Kings. In his second season with the team he averaged 23.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.30 steals per game. This attracted the attention of the Miami Heat who signed him on a two-way contract. Now with the LA Lakers, his peak with the Heat came in Game 3 of the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals when he achieved a career high, to date, of 29 points.
Precious Achuwa
Achuwa was born in 1999 in Port Harcourt, Nigeria and emigrated with his family to the US in 2009. His college career started in Memphis under head coach Penny Hardaway. His time there got off to a flying start when he was named AAC Player of the week having scored 25 points in an 87-86 win over Ole Miss. The Miami Heat picked him up in the 2020 draft. Since then he moved first to the Toronto Raptors and now, to his current team, the New York Knicks.
With many more Nigerian players set to enter the ranks of the NBA in coming years, this is list that’s set to increase – so watch this space.
