BY MARTENZIE JOHNSON | The Undefeated
The NBA has announced that it has awarded scholarships to two young African female athletes to attend the SEED Academy, a multidisciplinary boarding school in Senegal. The scholarship is a continuation of the partnership between the league and the SEED (Sports for Education and Economic Development) Project organization.
Continue reading “NBA to award elite boarding school scholarships to two African female prospects”
By Meg Wochnick | The Columbian
This is how many know Jacques Badolato-Birdsell: a Camas High School standout in football, wrestling and track and field who set two single-season school records in 2019 playing running back in the Papermakers’ undefeated football season. Who can forget the last football game he played? Last December’s Class 4A state championship win over Bothell — rushing for 207 yards and scoring three touchdowns — still brings a smile to his face in a memory-filled season.
Continue reading “Jacques Vambel Ilanga | From Congo to Camas to college”
By Colin Udoh | ESPN
With no time to scrimmage, and only a handful of practice games before the tournament, Brown’s 20-man roster could have been forgiven for squeaking through, maybe even dropping a game. Instead, they beat South Sudan (led by Brown’s former player Luol Deng), Rwanda, and Mali by margins of 20, 21 and 23 respectively, leaving Brown drooling over the heights they can scale in the immediate future.
Continue reading “Mike Brown | Nigerian National Basketball Team coach is leaving no NBA stone unturned to find D’Tigers stars”
By KEN MAGUIRE | AP Sports
Diogu was the lone Nigerian-American among a group of international players selected back in 2005. This year, a whole starting five and then some could be built from all the picks with Nigerian ties.
Continue reading “Former NBA lottery pick saw wave of Nigerian players coming”
BY MARTENZIE JOHNSON | The Undefeated
When Amadou Fall, the president of the nascent Basketball Africa League (BAL), was asked why there were so many prospects of Nigerian origin in Wednesday’s NBA draft the Senegalese former basketball player credited the country’s population size (Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa), its “very strong diaspora” and the “God-given” athletic talent of its people.
Continue reading “The Nigerian influence over the 2020 NBA draft”
By Dayo Mustapha | The Nation
The 2020 NBA draft was held on November 18, 2020. Eight Nigerian- Americans were among the athletes picked by teams in the first and second rounds of the draft. The draft was originally scheduled to be held at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York on June, but was instead conducted at ESPN’s facilities in Bristol, Connecticut, with the event held via videoconferencing.
Continue reading “Eight Nigerian-Americans Picked by teams in 2020 NBA Draft”
By Gophersports news
MINNEAPOLIS – Nigerian-American Daniel Oturu became the 54th player in Minnesota Golden Gophers history to be selected in the NBA Draft when the Minnesota Timberwolves chose him with the 33rd overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft Wednesday night.
Continue reading “Daniel Oturu taken by Timberwolves in Second Round of NBA Draft”
By PAT GRAHAM AP Sports Writer
DENVER (AP) — Nigerian-American Zeke Nnaji was taken by the Denver Nuggets with the No. 22 overall pick in the NBA draft Wednesday night, adding a mobile big man with a soft touch to a team that’s coming off a run to the Western Conference finals.
Continue reading “Zeke Nnaji | Denver Nuggets take Nigerian-American at No. 22 in draft”
BY MARC J. SPEARS | Undefeated
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – Miami Heat center Edrice Femi “Bam” Adebayo got an unexpected phone call in June just weeks before entering the NBA bubble. It was from his half-brother, who delivered the news that their father, John Adebayo, had died in Nigeria.
Continue reading “Bam Adebayo | Maimi Heat’s Power forward is embracing his name and his Nigerian heritage”
By Matthew Kirwin –| The Southern Times
Thirteen Africa-born men play in the NBA today, nearly enough to fill a team roster. That roster would include Cameroon stars Joel Embiid and Pascal Siakam. Both men command impressive contracts and substantial social media followings.
Continue reading “From Olajuwon to Embiid: Africa in the NBA”