Since the start of the Paris 2024 Olympics, the D’Tigress squad has been on a victorious warpath, leaving a string of defeats in their wake. The Nigerian women’s national basketball team is the four-time reigning FIBA Women’s AfroBasket champions and stands as the top-ranked women’s team in Africa. They became the first African basketball team to make it to the quarter-finals of the Olympics after a 79-70 win over Canada on Sunday, after beating the global basketball powerhouse, Australia. Talk about domination!
D’Tigress is led by Nigerian coach Rena Wakama, who has succeeded in making history despite being appointed less than a month before the 2023 Afrobasket tournament in Kigali, Rwanda. Under her leadership, they have become the second team to win the women’s Afrobasket championship four times after Senegal won four consecutive titles.
They entered the Olympics holding the 12th position in the FIBA Power Rankings, making their second consecutive Olympic appearance. The team will build on their past successes with a squad of seasoned and talented players. The 2024 Paris Olympics would make it their 4th appearance, with the team finishing 11th overall in the 2004 Athens and 2008 Beijing Olympics and 10th overall in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
As we move on to their quarter-final match with the undefeated USA team later today, let’s get familiar with the ladies behind the wins.
Meet the women of D’Tigress
Ezinne Kalu
32-year-old Kalu plays point guard on the national team. She started with cheerleading before her mum gave her a ball to try something different, and she immediately fell in love with basketball.
Amy Okonkwo
Okonkwo is a 26-year-old Nigerian-American who plays point guard for D’Tigress. In 2023, she claimed MVP honours at the FIBA Women’s AfroBasket. As team captain, Okonkwo leads the team with an unwavering determination to go for gold.
Promise Amukamara
Amukamara is a 31-year-old point guard on the senior female national team. Before becoming a professional basketball player, she made a name for herself in track and field.
Elizabeth Balogun
22-year-old Balogun plays as a Guard or Forward on the Nigerian national team. Her father, Mark Balogun, represented Nigeria in men’s basketball and played in the World University Games.
Nicole Enabosi
Enabosi is a 26-year-old Nigerian-American who plays as a power forward on the team. This comes after she tore her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and hurt her knee during the tryouts with her team in preparation for the 2018 FIBA Women’s World Cup.
Murjanatu Musa
Musa is a 24-year-old Nigerian international power forward with considerable athleticism and intensity on the court. She is signed with Celta in Spain, where she is recognised as one of the best players in the top division.
Ifunaya Okoro
Okoro is an elite guard and a great 3-point shooter. She is also a defender and an exceptional addition to the team. Okoro used to play for Kenya before joining the Nigerian women’s basketball team.
Pallas Kunaiyi-Akpanah
27-year-old Kunaiyi-Akpannah plays power forward on the team. Her father, Daemi Kunaiyi-Akpannah, is a former member of the Nigerian House of Representatives for Rivers State.
Blessing Ejiofor
Ejiofor, 25, is from Ebonyi, Nigeria. She is the second former West Virginia University women’s basketball player to be selected for the Olympics.
Olaoluwatomi Taiwo
Taiwo is a Nigerian-American guard on the women’s basketball team. Listed as a combo guard, she excels at shooting from deep and has the statistics to prove it.
Lauren Ebo
24-year-old Lauren Ebo plays a centre position in the D’Tigress lineup. In an intriguing twist, she faced her former Notre Dame clubmate, Natalie Achonwa, during the Olympic match against Canada, and D’Tigress came out on top.
Adebola Adeyeye
Born in Canada, Adeyeye represents Nigeria internationally and plays forward for the female national team. She previously played on the UK women’s basketball team.
