By Deborah Hassan
History was made in the National Basketball Association (NBA), American men’s professional basketball league, as Nigerians dominated the 2020 draft of the association where talented basketballers who are eligible and wish to join the league are picked by clubs.
8 basketballers who are Nigerians or of Nigerian descent were selected by NBA teams – two of them in the top ten and six in the first round.
Onyeka Okongwu (No. 6), Precious Achiuwa (No. 20), Zeke Nnaji (No. 22), Udoka Azubuike (No. 27), Desmond Bane (No. 30), Daniel Oturu (No. 33) and Jordan Nwora (No. 45) all have parents or a parent who is Nigerian, with the exception of Achiuwa and Azubuike, who were born in Nigeria.
They were both taken in the first round, marking the first time two players from Nigeria were taken in the first round of the same draft.
19 year old Isaac Okoro was born in Atlanta, Georgia to Nigerian parents and was raised close to metro Atlanta. His father, Godwin, emigrated from Nigeria in the 1980s. His mother, Gloria, also originates from Nigeria. Okoro started playing basketball in his local church league. When he was around seven to eight years old, he began training under the guidance of Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) coach Omar Cooper, the father of his future high school teammate, Sharife Cooper. He played for the A.O.T. Running Rebels of the Nike EYBL circuit.
2. No 6 – Onyeka Okongwu – Atlanta Hawks
Okongwu is the son of Nigerian parents, Kate and Mike Okongwu. His mother, who is a registered nurse, moved to the United States from Nigeria in 1999.
Okongwu’s older brother, Nnamdi, had also played basketball for Chino Hills High School. In 2014, Nnamdi suffered a brain injury in a skateboarding accident and died after spending three days on life support. Okongwu has since worn the number 21 jersey in honour of his brother, who had worn the same number while playing basketball.
He also has a younger brother, Chukwuemeka, and a younger sister, Chinemya.
3. No 20 – Precious Achiuwa – Miami Heat
Achiuwa was born September 19, 1999 in Port Harcourt, Nigeria and grew up mainly playing football. He started focusing on basketball while in eighth grade, which is when he moved to the United States. As a high school freshman, Achiuwa played basketball for Our Saviour Lutheran School in The Bronx, New York.
His mother, Eunice, and father, Donatus, are both Pentecostal ministers. In addition to God’sgift, he has two brothers, God’swill, and Promise, and two sisters, Grace and Peace. His older brother, God’sgift Achiuwa, played college basketball for St. Johns from 2011 to 2014.
4. No 22 – Zeke Nnaji – Denver Nuggets
Ezekiel Tobechukwu “Zeke” Nnaji was born January 9, 2001. Nnaji’s father, Alphan, is from Nigeria, while his mother, Janel, is from Minnesota. His younger sister, Maya, is a highly regarded high school basketball recruit at Hopkins High School.
5. No 27 – Udoka Azubuike – Utah Jazz
Udoka Azubuike, the youngest of 3 children, with two older brothers and two older sisters was born to Fabian, a police officer, and Florence, a middle school teacher. He lost his father to an undiagnosed disease at the age of 10.
Nigerian-born, he caught the attention of recruiters with Basketball Without Borders and was offered a scholarship to play basketball in the United States despite not playing the game until he was 13.
During the 2019 FIBA World Cup qualifier in Lagos, Jordan and his father Alexander became the first Nigerian Son and Father to represent a Nigerian national team side at the same time.