Newly appointed D’Tigers head coach David Fizdale has revealed that several NBA players of Nigerian descent have expressed a strong desire to represent Nigeria on the international stage.
Fizdale made the disclosure after guiding D’Tigers to an impressive 84-81 victory over Tunisia in their opening game of the second window of the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup African Qualifiers in Luanda, Angola, on Thursday—his first win since taking charge of the team.
His appointment has already sparked the return of experienced players such as Chimezie Metu, Ike Iroegbu, Caleb Agada and Stan Okoye. However, the former NBA coach says the interest extends well beyond the current squad, with several Nigerian players in the NBA reaching out to express their willingness to wear the national colours.
The 52-year-old explained that one of his first tasks after accepting the role was identifying the players he believed could help Nigeria succeed in the qualifiers. Among the first names he contacted were Stan Okoye and Ike Iroegbu, both of whom answered the call.
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“As soon as I got the job, I basically leaned on our GM and a lot of these guys to tell me their valuation on who are the players that we need to have here in Africa for this window,” Fizdale said after the win over Tunisia.
“I started recruiting guys heavily. I called Stan Okoye, and my second call was to Ike Iroegbu because I needed him to run our show. We really worked hard to put this team together. I was on the phone a lot.”
Fizdale also disclosed that several NBA-based players have been sending him messages expressing their interest in representing Nigeria. However, he believes many members of the current squad have done enough to prove they deserve to remain part of the team’s future.
“A lot of the guys in the NBA are interested in playing for Nigeria. The big issue will be who can get certified out of the NBA pool. We have six to seven guys in the NBA who really want to do this. I’m getting text messages from different guys.
“If we get legitimate NBA guys coming into the roster, half of this roster is going to be on that team too.”
Fizdale will now look to build on his winning start when D’Tigers face unbeaten Guinea in their next World Cup qualifying game on Friday.
