By Stanley Ugagbe
In a development that is reverberating positively among Nigerians, eight players of Nigerian descent have been selected in the 2020 NBA draft, with two of them making the Top 10 pick.
This will be the first time Nigeria will be having eight players in the draft. Recall that the previous record was in the 2017 draft where five Nigerians were picked.
In this recent draft, six of the players – Isaac Okoro, Onyeka Okongwu, Precious Achiuwa, Zeke Nnaji, Udoka Azubuike and Desmond Bane were selected in the first round, while Daniel Oturu and Jordan Nwora were selected in the second round.
It’s also the first time two players born in Nigeria – Precious Achiuwa and Udoka Azubuike would be selected.
According to a report on the NBA’s official website, “Precious Achiuwa was selected 20th overall by the Miami Heat and Udoka Azubuike was selected 27th overall by the Utah Jazz, marking the first time that two players from Nigeria were selected in the first round of the same NBA Draft.
“Achiuwa and Azubuike are among the eight draftees from or with at least one parent from Nigeria, including Isaac Okoro (5th overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers), Onyeka Okongwu (6th overall by the Atlanta Hawks), Zeke Nnaji (22nd overall by the Denver Nuggets).”
Others are “Desmond Bane (30th overall by the Boston Celtics), Daniel Oturu (33rd overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves) and Jordan Nwora (45th overall by the Milwaukee Bucks).”
