Tag: African sportsmen in America

Houston Texans add John Metchie, NFL star with Nigerian heritage, to 2022 team roaster

By Vanguard

American National Football League Football frontrunner, the Houston Texans has continued assembling their impressive draft haul on Friday night, trading up to the No. 44 pick with the Cleveland Browns, and selecting Alabama wide receiver John Metchie III.

With the addition of Metchie, son of a Nigerian businessman who is currently the President General of Umueri community in Anambra state, the Texans now add a talented No. 2 wideout to pair with the recently extended Brandin Cooks and give second-year quarterback Davis Mills a legitimate deep threat in the passing game.

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Dikembe Mutombo looks to expand Spire’s global reach

By JOE SCALZO | CRAINS

When Dikembe Mutombo was growing up in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), basketball courts were about as common as ski lodges.

The closest basketball court to his house was 90 minutes away… by bus.

“I tell my kids, ‘You’re lucky. You wake up and walk to school five minutes away and there are 10 basketball courts on campus,’” said Mutombo, an 18-year NBA veteran and a member of Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall Inducted fame in 2015.

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New York Giants sign Nigerian offensive tackle Roy Mbaeteka from NFL international pathway program

By PAT LEONARD | NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Maybe one day, Roy Mbaeteka can be the Giants’ Jordan Mailata.

The Giants signed Mbaeteka, a 6-9, 320-pound Nigerian offensive tackle, out of the NFL’s international pathway program on Friday, the team announced.

He has no high school or college football experience. The team says former star Giants pass rusher Osi Umenyiora has mentored Mbaeteka, 22, and first saw him at a camp in Nigeria in May 2021.

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Onwuzurike named Athlete of the week in US

By Monica Iheakam | The Sun

Nigeria’s Udodi Onwuzurike has earned his first Track Athlete of the week award after his phenomenal performance at the Stanford Invitational last weekend at Cobb Track and Angell Field in USA.

The World U20 champion,last weekend, broke Stanford Univeeity’s  freshman records in both the 100 and 200 meters races  in his collegiate debut running 10.14 in the 100m prelims and topping it  that with a 10.07 in the final, which is No. 2 in America this year.

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Nkrumah and football | how Ghana’s top players ended up in North America

By Ernest Yeboah Acheampong |Conversation

African footballers have been migrating overseas since the 1920s, when French leagues attracted some West African players. The migration of African talent to Europe intensified from the 1980s to the 2000s. Thousands of African footballers have since found their way to Europe. Many have succeeded in carving a niche for themselves, like Abedi Pele, Didier Drogba, George Weah and Samuel Eto’o. The performances of these stars have reinforced the perception that the African continent has some of the best football talent.

Less is known about the history of African footballers moving to North America.

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Nigerians and Ghanaians among Immigrants who Helped Canada Qualify For FIFA World Cup

A winger born in a refugee camp in Buduburam, Ghana, to parents fleeing the civil war in Liberia in 1999. A goalkeeper who escaped the Croatian war of independence at the age of seven. A forward born in New York and raised in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

A left-back and a striker, born to Nigerian families in England.

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Nigerian-born Kamaru Usman plans to ‘shock the world’ by KO’ing Canelo Alvarez on Mexican Independence Day

By Lewis Mckeever  | SBNATION

UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman believes he has what it takes to stop Canelo Alvarez in the boxing ring. ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ is untested in boxing but believes he can pull off the impossible against one of the sport’s biggest stars in Alvarez, revealing to TMZ Sports his plans of fighting the pound-for-pound No. 1 on Mexican Independence Day (Sept. 16).

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Somali American running star Abdi Bile is a world-champion mentor

By Laura Yuen | Star Tribune

In Mohamed Abdi Mohamed’s childhood, Abdi Bile was like a folk hero.”My mom told me all these stories,” says Mohamed, 26, who was born in Somalia and grew up in a refugee camp. “She told me there’s a Somali who went to America and basically conquered America.”

Bile was a world champion runner, dominating the 1,500-meter race in the late 1980s. He’s also a national legend and the most decorated athlete in the history of Somalia, where a certain make of pickup truck has been dubbed the “Abdi Bile” for its speed.

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5 best African NBA players right now

By Business Insider Africa

Africa has always had a good relationship with the NBA. We’ve seen some great players like Hakeem Olajuwon and Dikembe Mutombo that had a huge impact on the game. Nowadays, there are plenty of African players that are playing in the NBA, and in today’s article, we will highlight some of the best.

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Osi Umenyiora has been finding football talent in Nigeria, but he wants to do more

By Jelani Scott |NFL.com

Osi Umenyiora’s feats on and off the football field provided him with an opportunity to become a hero in more ways than one.For 20 years, the former New York Giants defensive end has quietly donated resources to his homeland of Nigeria, but over time, those efforts began to feel to Umenyiora like “pouring a cup of water into the ocean.” So he regrouped and soon realized he could use his influence to give his people something invaluable: “The opportunity to help themselves.”

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Boston Celtics set to appoint Nigerian-American, Ime Udoka as Head Coach

 BY OLAOTAN FALADE | TheNewsGuru

NBA club Boston Celtics are finalizing an agreement with Brooklyn Nets assistant Ime Udoka to make him the franchise’s new coach, sources told ESPN. Udoka, a former Nigeria international will replace Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens.

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Athletes in the competitive collegiate system: Born in South Africa, made in the USA

By Simnikiwe Xabanisa | Daily Maverick

There are more than 100 South African athletes on the competitive US college track and field circuit. South Africa needs to forge good relations with universities to harness this talent.

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Deontay Wilder reveals he has traced his roots to Nigeria

From Guardian Newspaper

Former heavyweight boxing champion, Deontay Wilder, stunned fans globally after he revealed on Saturday he had traced his roots to Edo State.

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Kamaru Usman Visits Nigeria for the first time in 26 years.

Feeds 1000 kids in Lagos

Kamaru Usman, the Nigerian-born welterweight world champion of the Mixed Marshal Art promotion, Ultimate Fighting Championship, UFC, is visiting his home country for the first time in 26 years. He has had a busy schedule but has also taken time to take part in some philanthropic activities including feeding 1000 indigent children in Lagos.

By Alex Monye |   The Guardian Newspaper

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Bronx Ethiopian Marathoner

By TexasNewsToday

Still, P1 visas may be restrictive, but without them, they simply provide undocumented migrant athletes with at least a little security. For most of these runners, a P1 visa is not a dream come true enough to avoid a nightmare. As a longtime member of WSX named Girma Segni says, “just go to America and you’ll be rewarded.”

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North Alabama announce signing of Ugandan forward Nkurunungi and goalkeeper Musoke

by DAVID ISABIRYE | Kawowo

Two Ugandans; forward Andrew Nkurunungi and goalkeeper Paul Musoke signed for US based North Alabama Sports Club.

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NBA to award elite boarding school scholarships to two African female prospects

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.

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Jacques Vambel Ilanga | From Congo to Camas to college

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.

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Mike Brown | Nigerian National Basketball Team coach is leaving no NBA stone unturned to find D’Tigers stars

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.

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Former NBA lottery pick saw wave of Nigerian players coming

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.

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The Nigerian influence over the 2020 NBA draft

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.

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Eight Nigerian-Americans Picked by teams in 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.

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Daniel Oturu taken by Timberwolves in Second Round of 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.

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Zeke Nnaji | Denver Nuggets take Nigerian-American at No. 22 in 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.

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Bam Adebayo | Maimi Heat’s Power forward is embracing his name and his Nigerian heritage

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.

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From Olajuwon to Embiid: Africa in the NBA

 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.

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3 brothers from Congo hope to bring Butler Soccer a region title

By Tyler Greever | whas11

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Butler boys soccer head coach Mario Carrillo estimates he’s coached players from about 15 different countries. The Air Force veteran said his current Bears roster, which is chasing a fourth region title in five years, is made up of about 85% of players with international backgrounds. And they all share a common thread.

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Birima Seck | Arizona State University among first to offer scholarship to Senegalese center

By MASON KERN  | 247Sports

In 2016, Birima Seck made a decision that altered the course of his life’s trajectory. A native of Dakar, Senegal, the capital of the country in West Africa, Seck grew up playing soccer before a massive growth spurt made him consider alternate athletic endeavors. He had good reason, considering he was in the process of blooming into a towering 6-foot-11 frame that led to a transition from kicking a ball on the pitch to dribbling one on the hardwood.

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Nigeria is making a strong play to get the Miami Heat’s Bam Adebayo on the roster

By Colin Udoh | ESPN

Not so long ago, Miami Heat star Bam Adebayo seemed completely lost to Nigeria. Now, it appears he could maybe, possibly, perhaps be on the verge of playing his international basketball for the African country as they actively court him to do so.

What a difference a year makes.

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Chukwuma Okorafor | Steelers’ was born in Nigeria, but made in America

By TOM REED | dkpittsburghsports

Tim Conley’s first look at Chukwuma Okorafor came in the school gymnasium while the super-sized sophomore was playing ping pong.  Needless to say, the Southfield High football coach had not left his classroom in the middle of the day to see whether the new transfer student had the makings to be the next Forrest Gump of table tennis.

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