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Every year at the end of June, all NBA fans are treated to one of the most interesting events of the season – the rookie draft procedure.
After it, the Summer League starts, training camps await us in the fall, but let's look back. Sometimes reports from famous resources, like DraftExpress, describe a rookie from all sides, even finding similar players in the history of the league. There is the other side of scouting reports – namely, scouts.
Scouting has been called “the toughest job in the NBA.” It’s intense, grueling, and extremely difficult work behind the scenes of the league. For basketball geeks, it’s a treat. And now we see a trend among scouts – they look for future stars in Nigerian schools. Why? Let’s figure it out.
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Nigerian Basketball Prospects
Nigeria became a member of FIBA in 1964, but the D’Tigers’ greatest successes have come in the 21st century. Over the past 20 years, the Nigerian national team has won five medals in AfroBasket, participated in the World Cup three times, and competed in the Olympic Games three times.
The Nigerian national team’s greatest achievement is considered to be their victory at AfroBasket in 2015. Then, on their way to victory, the D’Tigers beat Mozambique (83:47), Gabon (88:64), Senegal (88:79 OT) and Angola (74:65). Two players from the national team – Chamberlain Oguchi (MVP of the tournament) and Al-Farouq Aminu – were included in the symbolic team of AfroBasket 2015.
Among the significant victories of the Nigerian national team are the victory over Serbia (82:75) at the 2006 World Cup, victories over Lithuania (86:80) and Greece (80:79) in the 2012 Olympic Games qualification, as well as a victory over the Croatian national team (90:76) at the 2016 Olympic Games.
Today, the Nigerian national team ranks 23rd in the FIBA rankings, being the strongest African national team.
That’s why Nigerian basketball scouts work harder than ever to find and develop the next generation of talent right at home.
NBA Scouts and Nigeria
Basketball has always been popular in Nigeria. NBA scouts looked for natural Nigerian school basketball talent there. Let us remind you that Hakeem Olajuwon was born in Nigeria, although he learned to play basketball in the United States. Several less gifted players followed his path. The example of American scouts did not leave scouts from Spain, France, and Italy indifferent. Young and physically gifted players are now invited not only to American universities, but also to basketball academies in European countries.
NBA Draft and Nigeria
James Nnaji
- Drafted 31st overall in 2023 by the Detroit Pistons (rights later acquired by the Knicks).
- A 6'11" center with elite length (7'7" wingspan), Nnaji spent two years in Europe before joining the Knicks' Summer League roster in 2025.
- Oso Ighodaro – 40th, Portland Trail Blazers (rights traded to Phoenix Suns).
- Jonathan Mogbo – 31st, Toronto Raptors.
- Adem Bona – 41st, Philadelphia 76ers.
- Precious Achiuwa – 20th pick, 2020 by Miami Heat. Now a starter with the Knicks.
- Udoka Azubuike – 27th, 2020 by Utah Jazz.
- Isaac Okoro – 5th, 2020 by the Cleveland Cavaliers.
- Onyeka Okongwu – 6th, 2020 by Atlanta Hawks.
- Zeke Nnaji, Desmond Bane, Daniel Oturu, Jordan Nwora – all picked in 2020.
- Reuben Chinyelu (Gators center) is declared for the 2025 Draft.
Basketball Academies in Nigeria
Giants of Africa- Founded in 2003 by Masai Ujiri (Toronto Raptors President), runs camps across Nigeria, Kenya, Senegal, etc.
- Builds courts under the “Built Within” initiative—20+ in Nigeria since 2021.
- Focus on skills, life lessons, coach training, and pathways—over 2000 youth served, many earn scholarships.
- Founded in 2001 (originally Spiders), renamed Raptors in 2006; competes in the Nigerian Premier League.
- Provides full-season training and competes in national tournaments—NBBF President Cup finalists in 2019.
- Since 2005, over 2000 boys and girls have benefited, and many now play at U.S. universities.
- Hosts the first-ever FIBA Africa Zone 3 Academies Tournament in Ilupeju, Lagos, in July 2025.
- Mentioned in local community discussions (Reddit) as an option for youth camps with accessible contact info.
- Lagos Islanders, Kano Pillars BC, Mark Mentors, Nile Spartans (Nile University)—all involved in national leagues and offer scholarship opportunities.
These academies promote youth basketball in Nigeria and help future stars with their sports career.
A Few Words about the Nigerian Premier League
A Few Words about the Nigerian Premier LeagueSixteen clubs, which are divided into two conferences, attend the Nigerian Championship: the Savannah Conference and the Atlantic Conference. The teams are from Lagos (3 clubs) and Abuja (3 clubs).
The final stage of the tournament is called the NBBF President Cup and is held in the Final Four format. The winners of the semi-finals meet in the match for gold medals, and the losing teams fight for 3rd place.
The most titled team from Nigeria is Kano Pillars. The club from the city of Kano became the champion of the country seven times and twice took bronze medals in the FIBA Africa Clubs Champions Cup (1985, 1987).
Until 2017, the league was sponsored by DStv, and the championship was called the DStv Premier Basketball League. From 2017 to 2021, the sponsor of the Nigerian championship was Kwesé Sports.
Some NBA stars have Nigerian roots but play for other teams. Among such players are Giannis Antetokounmpo (Nigerian parents), Victor Oladipo (Nigerian mother), Andre Iguodala (Nigerian father), Deandre Ayton (Nigerian father), Bam Adebayo (Nigerian parents), and Jahlil Okafor (Nigerian grandfather).
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