Nigeria’s women’s basketball team, D’Tigress, won a fifth consecutive title at the 2025 FIBA Women’s AfroBasket Championship in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire on 3 August. The Conversation Africa asked Michael Gbemisola Aina, a technical commissioner of the Nigeria Basketball Federation who has researched basketball development in Nigeria, about what the win means and what should be done to improve the game in Nigeria.
What does the win mean for Nigeria
The FIBA Women’s AfroBasket is the main women’s basketball event in Africa and is organised by the Africa regional office. The competition started in 1966 and takes place every two years. It comprises 16 national teams divided into four groups of four teams each.
Nigeria’s 2025 win has a number of implications for the nation.
It’s the team’s fifth consecutive win of the AfroBasket title, surpassing Senegal’s record of four consecutive titles.
The achievement will solidify the nation’s dominance in African women’s basketball. It will enhance the team’s reputation, showcasing the country’s athletic prowess and promoting a positive image globally, especially as it coincides with the recent victory of Nigeria’s female soccer team, the Super Falcons, at the African Football Championship.
The victory confirms Nigeria’s placement in the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup qualifying tournaments in Germany. It provides an opportunity to compete against top teams in the world.
It will enhance the nation’s world ranking in female basketball and in basketball generally. Nigeria is currently ranked 8th having moved three spots up from 11th in February 2025. Nigeria’s D’Tigress remain the only African team to have ever occupied a top 10 place.
D’Tigress’s success can inspire and empower women, especially young girls, in sports across Nigeria and beyond. Their performance has shown that sports participation and success is not just for males.
The team’s success could lead to increased support, funding, and opportunities for basketball in Nigeria. It could help to develop the sport further.
How well developed is basketball in Nigeria
Basketball in Nigeria has grown and developed over the years. It has come from a simple beginning to one of the most popular sports in the country, only next to soccer in my view.
Nigerian basketball players have made a mark on the global scene, with many players in the National Basketball Association (NBA), Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) and major leagues across the globe. Osaretin Evelyn Akhator and Onome Akinbode-James are some examples. Grassroots basketball academies and camps are springing up around the country, nurturing young talent and promoting the sport. Most of these academies are not registered or documented, so specific figures are hard to estimate.
But Nigerian basketball still faces challenges like limited funding, inadequate facilities, especially in rural areas, and administrative hurdles. The Zenith Bank Women Basketball League, the top-level women’s basketball club competition, is underfunded. The referees went on strike in 2023 over unpaid allowances.
Why are so many D’Tigress players based abroad?
As a sports administrator, I view this as presenting both challenges and opportunities for the development of basketball in the country. It limits the development of the game as everybody want to go abroad and play. But those playing abroad use their exposure and experience whenever they play for Nigeria.
The lack of professional leagues and competitive opportunities in Nigeria is driving talented players to seek better prospects abroad. (There is no database enabling an estimate of the numbers.) The absence of world-class facilities and resources in the country is also limiting the growth of basketball, pushing players to seek better training conditions abroad. The fact that many D’Tigress players are trained outside the country highlights the need for investing in local infrastructure, coaching, and competitive leagues to nurture talent domestically.
The most troubling implication is the discouragement it might bring to the home-based players who might be thinking that no one could make it to the national team without playing abroad. This was not the case in the 1970s and 1980s when the national basketball teams were made up of students from local universities. There were competitions to identify and nurture such students.
Most of the national team players have never been to Nigeria, except in situations like when they were hosted by the president recently. Some were born to Nigerian immigrant parents. I have witnessed a D’Tiger (men’s team) player who has represented the country three times without visiting the country even once. The team camped abroad, played abroad and returned to his base from the venue of the competition.
What should be done to make basketball more popular in Nigeria
The following strategies should be considered.
The country should invest in modern, accessible basketball courts and facilities in schools, communities and urban areas to provide spaces for young people to play and watch games.
The country should implement clinics and camps to teach skills, promote the sport and identify talented young players.
The government should appropriately and adequately fund professional leagues to provide opportunities for local players to develop their skills, gain exposure, and compete at a high level. The US$200,000 given to just two D’Tigress players as reward for their victory is enough to fund all our local leagues for a whole season.
The media should be encouraged to broadcast basketball games, highlight shows, and analyse programmes to raise awareness and generate interest in the sport.
Sponsorship drives should be encouraged as another source of funding to support the national basketball teams and inspire young people and fans.
The nation, academies, educational institutions and other private sport organisations should collaborate with international sporting bodies like the NBA, FIBA and international basketball federations to access resources, expertise and funding to support basketball development in Nigeria.
I see a great future for the game of basketball if the government is deliberate about building grassroots sports as it used to be. Developed nations have sports programmes for their population from childhood.
Michael Gbemisola Aina does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
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