Nigeria’s senior men’s basketball team, D’Tigers, will begin its quest on Wednesday for a second FIBA AfroBasket title when they square up against Madagascar in their opening Group B fixture, at the Pavilhao Multiusos de Luanda in Angola.
D’Tigers will be making its 20th appearance in the history of the FIBA AfroBasket championship since the tournament made its debut in 1962. They will be seeking to begin their campaign on a strong note as they bid to win only a second African title.
This clash marks the first meeting between both countries in 14 years, having last faced each other during the preliminary round of the 2011 FIBA Africa Championship for men, where Nigeria eased to a comprehensive 112–81 victory.
Leading the West African nation’s charge at 2025 FIBA AfroBasket is Houston Rockets guard Josh Okogie, who is the sole representative from the elite NBA division on the D’Tigers roster.
The 25-year-old returns to the national team set-up for the first time in three years, after he last represented the country during the fourth window of the 2023 FIBA World Cup Qualifying Tournament.
Other experienced players in the squad include Caleb Agada, who was instrumental for Libyan franchise Al Ahli Tripoli during their maiden Basketball Africa League triumph earlier this year.
Veteran Stan Okoye, 34, who is the sole member left from the side that won Nigeria’s first-ever AfroBasket title in 2015, will be one of the co-captains and his deep understanding of the team will provide an added advantage.
Nigeria’s path to glory will not be easy, as the continent boasts some of the finest teams such as Cameroon, defending champions Tunisia, Ivory Coast, Senegal and hosts Angola, who are the record winners with 11 titles.
The format for the 2025 FIBA AfroBasket in Angola will see the winners of each group advance directly to the quarterfinals. Teams who finish in second and third will enter a qualification round for the remaining last-eight slots.
The last-placed teams in each group will be eliminated, while the losers of the qualification round will also exit the competition and be ranked according to their win–loss record and point differential.