- Nigeria national basketball team
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Nigeria 
FIBA Ranking 21st Joined FIBA 1964 FIBA Zone FIBA Africa National Federation NBBF Coach John Lucas Olympic Games Appearances None Medals None World Championships Appearances 2 Medals None FIBA Africa Championship Appearances 14 Medals 
Silver: 1997, 1999, 2003
Bronze: 1995, 2005, 2011Uniforms 
Light
DarkThe Nigeria national basketball team is the national team of Nigeria and is generally considered one of the best in Africa along with Angola and Senegal. They are ranked 21st in the world FIBA rankings[1].
Recently, the team has enjoyed success due to an orchestrated recruitment of American college and professional players of Nigerian descent. A team dominated by Nigerian-Americans qualified for the 2006 World Championships for only the second time in the country's history, and eight players on the team representing Nigeria in the 2009 Afrobasket tournament (where Nigeria is one of the favorites) are American born.
The team joined FIBA in 1964.
Contents
2006 FIBA World Championship
Nigeria took part in the 2006 FIBA World Championships in Japan. They were drawn in Group A with Argentina, France, Lebanon, Serbia and Montenegro, and Venezuela. They finished third in Group A, then were narrowly defeated by Germany in the Round of 16. Overall they finished 14th.
African Championship record
- Morocco 1964 : Did not participate
- Tunisia 1965 : Did not participate
- Morocco 1968 : Did not participate
- Egypt 1970 : Did not participate
- Senegal 1972 : 12th
- Central African Rep. 1974 : Did not participate
- Egypt 1975 : Did not participate
- Senegal 1978 : 6th
- Morocco 1980 : 11th
- Somalia 1981 : Did not participate
- Egypt 1983 : Did not participate
- Côte d'Ivoire 1985 : 7th
- Tunisia 1987 : 8th
- Angola 1989 : Did not participate
- Egypt 1992 : 5th
- Kenya 1993 : Did not participate
- Algeria 1995 : 3rd
- Senegal 1997 : 2nd
- Angola 1999 : 2nd
- Morocco 2001 : 5th
- Egypt 2003 : 2nd
- Algeria 2005 : 3rd
- Angola 2007 : 5th
- Libya 2009 : 5th
- Madagascar 2011 :
FIBA World Championship record
Notable players
Several players for the Nigeria team have had success playing for professional teams in the NBA or in Europe, including:
- Akin Akingbala
- Peter Aluma
- Aloysius Anagonye
- Tunji Awajobi
- Obinna Ekezie
- Ebi Ere
- Benjamin Eze
- Ekene Ibekwe
- Michael Olowokandi
- Olumide Oyedeji
- Ime Udoka
- Jeff Varem
Hakeem Olajuwon never played for the Nigeria team at senior level, and would eventually play for the United States after becoming a U.S. citizen in 1993.
2011 Roster
2011 Nigerian National Basketball Team roster4 Tat, Solomon 25 - July 29, 1986 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) Tennessee Dragons* 
G/F 5 Udoka, Ime (C) 34 - August 9, 1977 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) San Antonio Spurs* PG 6 Obazuaye, Jayson 27 - July 27, 1984 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) Al Wakra* 
G 7 Usman, Aboubakar 25 - July 5, 1986 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) Kano Pillars* 
PG 8 Umeh, Michael 27 - September 18, 1984 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) CB Valladolid* 
G 9 Onyeuku, Chinedu 27 - November 5, 1983 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) Al Morooj* 
F 10 Ofoegbu, Ike 26 - November 9, 1984 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) Gimnasia y Esgrima de Comodoro Rivadavia* 
SF 11 Gumut, Stanley 25 - February 21, 1986 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) Al Morooj* PF 12 Ugboaja, Ejike 26 - May 28, 1985 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) BC Odessa* 
SF 13 Obasohan, Derrick 30 - April 18, 1981 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) Joventut Badalona* F/C 14 Ukeagu, Ezenwa 30 - February 22, 1981 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) Salgótarjáni KSE* 
C 15 Oyedeji, Olumide 30 - May 11, 1981 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) Changwon LG Sakers* 
- Head coach
- Ayo Bakare
- Assistant coach
- Legend
- (C) Team captain
- Club field describes current pro club
2009 African Championship: finished 5th among 16 teamsAkin Akingbala, Aloysius Anagonye, Chamberlain Oguchi, Deji Akindele, Michael Efevberha, Michael Umeh, Josh Akognon, Ebi Ere, Ejike Ugboaja, Gabe Muoneke, Jayson Obazuaye, Benson Egemonye (Coach: John Lucas II)
2011 African Championship: finished 3rd among 16 teams
Solomon Tat, Ime Udoka, Abubakar Usman, Chinedu Onyeuku, Ikechukwu Ofoegbu, Michael Umeh, Stanley Gumut, Derrick Obasohan, Ejike Ugboaja, Ezenwa Ukeagu, Jayson Obazuaye, Olumide Oyedeji (Coach: Ayo Bakare)
References
- ^ "FIBA rankings". FIBA. Archived from the original on 21 January 2007. http://web.archive.org/web/20070121135756/http://www.fiba.com/pages/en/misc/ranking/FIBArankingG.asp?an_id=557&pn_id=178&. Retrieved 26 January 2007.
International men's basketball FIBA · Olympics · World Championship · World Rankings · U21 World Championship · U19 World Championship · U17 World Championship · Teams · All-Africa Games · Asian Games · Commonwealth Games · Mediterranean Games · Lusophony Games · Diamond Ball · Stanković Cup · Acropolis Tournament · World Cup (Turkey) · Marchand Cup · Pan Arab Games · Universiade · Adecco Ex-Yu Cup Africa 
Americas Asia Europe Oceania Note: The Under-21 Championship is no longer held. National basketball teams of Africa (FIBA Africa) Algeria · Angola · Benin · Botswana · Burkina Faso · Burundi · Cameroon · Cape Verde · Central African Republic · Chad · Comoros · Republic of the Congo · Democratic Republic of the Congo · Côte d'Ivoire · Djibouti · Egypt · Equatorial Guinea · Eritrea · Ethiopia · Gabon · Gambia · Ghana · Guinea · Guinea-Bissau · Kenya · Lesotho · Liberia · Libya · Madagascar · Malawi · Mali · Mauritania · Mauritius · Morocco · Mozambique · Namibia · Niger · Nigeria · Rwanda · São Tomé and Príncipe · Senegal · Seychelles · Sierra Leone · Somalia · South Africa · South Sudan · Sudan · Swaziland · Tanzania · Togo · Tunisia · Uganda · Zambia · ZimbabweNigeria squad – 2006 FIBA World Championship – 14th place Nigeria squad – 2011 Africa Championship – Bronze medal 
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