It was a historic night for eight Nigerians as players of Nigerian heritage were selected in the 2020 NBA draft with two of them making the Top 10 pick.
The eight players are of Nigerian heritage with two of them born in Nigeria, while the other six are related to Nigeria by their parents.
This is the first time Nigeria will be having eight players in the draft. The previous record was in the 2017 draft where five Nigerians were picked.
Isaac Okoro,19, is the highest pick after he was selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers with their only pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, at No.5 overall in the first round.
See the list of drafted Nigerian players:
- Issac Okoro: Cleveland Cavaliers
- Jordan Nwora: Milwaukee Bucks
- Udoka Azubuike: Utah Jazz
- Desmond Bane: Boston Celtics
- Onyeka Okongwu: Atlanta Hawks
- Precious Achiuwa: Miami Heat
- Zeke Nnaji: Denver Nugget
Daniel Oturu: Minnesota Timberwolves
Why this matters:
The presence of so many Nigerians makes the NBA a more realistic goal for younger players growing up in both the States and in Nigeria. The selection is also a testament to how far the Nigerian community in the US has come and how much basketball has grown back home.
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