MIES (Switzerland) - Nigeria have always put the fiercest of teams on the hardwood at FIBA AfroBaskets and FIBA Basketball World Cups.
D'Tigers have been a major factor at events dating back to 1995, 1997 and 1999 when they finished third, second and second at the AfroBasket. After reaching the title game again in 2003, and following a couple of more third-place finishes, Nigeria reached the top of the mountain in 2015.
Nigeria's stunning success at the 2012 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Venezuela, when they upset Greece and two games later beat the Dominican Republic to clinch a place in the London Games, is never to be forgotten. Nor is their appearance at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
What is D'Tigers' All-Time All-Star Five? Here's what we think.
Ime Udoka - Guard
Long before his days as a coach in the NBA, Ime Ukoka was a steady, inspirational point guard for Nigeria. Udoka's breakout tournament was FIBA AfroBasket 2005, when he led the team in numerous statistical categories, including efficiency with an average of 14.3 EFF per game.
Udoka was at his best in the big games. He had a 17-point, 9-rebound and 3-steal effort in a 63-51 win over Central African Republic in the Quarter-Finals and 23 points, 6 rebounds and 4 steals in a 67-62 Semi-Final defeat to eventual champions Angola. Udoka's top performance was in the 88-76 Third-Place Game triumph over Algeria when he had 24 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds and a steal.
Udoka excelled the following year at arguably the toughest FIBA Basketball World Cup of all time in Japan as Nigeria finished joint-ninth in the 24-team tournament. He averaged 14.2 ppg, 3.7 apg and 5.2 rpg. Udoka remained a great playmaker for D'Tigers at the FIBA AfroBasket five years later, where he finished with averages of 12.4 ppg, 5.6 rpg and 5.3 apg.
Champ Oguchi - Guard
The displays by Oguchi at FIBA AfroBasket 2015 in Tunisia will never be forgotten by any fan of Nigerian basketball. While his highest scoring game of 30 points came against Uganda in the Group Phase, a contest in which he buried 8 of 14 3-pointers, Oguchi's signature performances were at the most important times of the event.
The 1.98m (6ft 6in) flamethrower connected on 8 of 13 shots from deep in a 88-79 overtime win against Senegal in the Semi-Finals, and also scored 17 points after making three more shots from long range in the 74-65 victory over Angola in the Final. Oguchi was named MVP of the AfroBasket, the only time Nigeria have won the event.
Oguchi played in four FIBA AfroBaskets, two Olympics (2012, 2016) and the 2006 World Cup, when D'Tigers finished tied for ninth. He's arguably Nigeria's greatest player of all time.
Al-Farouq Aminu - Forward
The high-flying Al Farouq was a source of points and rebounds for D'Tigers, helping them clinch a spot at the Olympics for the first time at the 2012 OQT in Caracas. He played in London for the Nigerians, averaging 7.8 ppg and 6.0 rpg. He was also a linchpin in the FIBA AfroBasket winning side of 2015, averaging 13.2 ppg, 5.4 rpg and 2.4 apg. At that AfroBasket, he was named to the tournament's All-Star Five.
Al Farouq was one of the better-known Nigerian players because of his time in the NBA from 2010 through 2021. His ability to score, rebound and block shots made him a vital contributor for Nigeria.
Though he skipped the 2016 Olympics, his full body of work and the success of the teams that he played on merited Aminu's spot on the All-Time All-Star Five.
Tunji Awojobi - Forward
The star player in Nigeria teams that reached the Finals of FIBA AfroBasket 1997 and 1999, Awojobi was a beast inside. The 1.98m (6ft 6in) forward may not have been as tall as some of the men that he battled in the paint, yet he was ferocious. Representing his country from 1992 through 2008, Awojobi was a force in and around the paint. He played at seven AfroBaskets and the World Cups in 1998 and 2006.
His highest scoring tournament was the AfroBasket in 1999, when he averaged 18.5 ppt and led Nigeria to their second straight Final. He had been the second leading scorer in the 1998 World Cup team in Greece at 12.4 ppg. Awojobi relished the opportunity to play at FIBA's flagship event. In the Round of 16 thriller against Germany, he had his tournament high of 15 points with D'Tigers falling just short of the Quarter-Finals victory. Germany won that game, 78-77.
Ike Diogu - center
If Oguchi isn't the best and most impactful Nigerian player of all time, then some would say the honor belongs to two-time Olympian Diogu. Not only did the 2.04m (6ft 8in) Diogu show up for his country for a decade beginning in 2012 at the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Venezuela until 2021, Diogu was a leader and a winner.
At the OQT in Venezuela, Diogu averaged a double double in points (16.6 ppg) and rebounds (10.8) as D'Tigers booked their place in the London Games. It was their first Olympic appearance. In the famous Quarter-Final upset of Greece, Diogu had 17 points and 12 boards. In the do-or-die Final against Al Horford and the Dominican Republic, Diogu had 25 points and 10 rebounds to lead Nigeria to victory, and London.
In the FIBA AfroBasket, Diogu was in the title-winning team of 2015 but he did not play a single game as he got injured during training camp. However, two years later and he was in fine form. Averaging a tournament-best 22.0 ppg, and 8.7 rpg (third overall), Diogu led D'Tigers to the Final. One of best games was in the Semi-Finals, a 76-71 win over Senegal when he did yeoman's work inside and had 17 points and 14 rebounds.
Despite his heroics in the Finals when he had 20 points and 10 rebounds, Tunisia prevailed, 77-65. Diogu was nevertheless named AfroBasket MVP.
Honorable Mentions
Ade Dagunduro - Guard
The guard played for Nigeria in 2012 for the OQT and had a crucial role as the team qualified for the London Olympics. He finished as the team's third leading scorer at 10.2 ppg and averaged a Nigeria best in assists of 3.0 apg. Dagunduro also shone on the defensive end, leading Nigeria with an average of 2.6 spg. It was second only to Russia legend Andrei Kirilenko's 3.3 spg at the event.
Olaseni Lawal - Center
Like Dagenduro, the 2.08m (6ft 10in) power forward didn't have a long Nigeria career yet he had an impactful one, and it came during the national team's biggest moment on the international stage. Averaging 9.3 points and 9.0 rebounds per game at FIBA AfroBasket 2015, Lawal was the ultimate warrior for D'Tigers, setting the tone with his relentless work on the boards. For Nigeria, his most important attributes were sacrifice, ferocity and emotion.
Against Senegal in the Semi-Finals and then Angola in the Final, Lawal had a rim-rocking early dunk on his way to 17 points and he also corralled 11 rebounds and handed out 3 assists while blocking a shot. He helped Nigeria win after overtime against Gorgui Dieng and Co. Then in the title game, Lawal had 3 swats to go with his 12 points and 8 rebounds. At the Rio de Janeiro Games, the inspirational Lawal suffered a knee injury in the very first game and was lost for the rest of the event.
Ben Uzoh - Guard
A lot of D'Tigers fans would have Uzoh in the All-Time All-Star Five because as a point guard, he excelled with his playmaking in the half-court, his transition game and pull-up jumpers.
Uzoh was also outstanding on defense. His 1.9 steals per game ranked third overall at AfroBasket 2015 when Nigeria won the title.
Chimezie Metu - Forward
A star in the Nigeria sides at the 2019 World Cup in China and the Tokyo Olympics, Metu did a lot of everything to help the D'Tigers, which was apparent with his team-best average 16.7 efficiency per game in Japan. Metu averaged 9.0 ppg, a team-high 6.7 rpg, 2.3 apg, 1.0 bpg and 2.0 spg at the Olympics.
FIBA
*This All-Star Five and the honorable mentions are entirely subjective and in no way represent an official or accurate award, nor do they reflect FIBA's official stance. All comments are solely those of the author and expert panel, intended to entertain the fans.