Nigerian players in the NBA

Six players born in Nigeria were on NBA rosters when the 2026-27 season opened. Only four countries had more, according to the NBA’s own count.¹ More than 30 players in all are from Nigeria or have at least one Nigerian parent. This page lists the Nigerian basketball players in the NBA today and the road each one took.

How many Nigerian players are in the NBA in 2026-27?

The answer depends on what you mean by “Nigerian.” There are two honest ways to count.

• Born in Nigeria: 6 players. NBA.com lists six players under Nigeria on 2026-27 opening-night rosters. Only France, Canada, Australia and Germany had more, and Serbia also had six.¹
• Nigerian roots: more than 30 players. The NBA says a record of more than 30 players on those rosters are from Nigeria or have at least one parent from Nigeria.¹

The rest of this page keeps those two groups apart, so you always know which one a name belongs to.

The full list: six players born in Nigeria

List as of November 11, 2026, from the NBA’s 2026-27 opening-night roster list.¹ Birthplaces come from each player’s Basketball Reference page.^3–8 Two players are on two-way deals, a contract that lets a team move a young player between the NBA and its G League team.

• 2020Precious Achiuwa · Sacramento KingsBorn in Port Harcourt. First-round pick (20th) in 2020.³
• 2021Charles Bassey · Golden State WarriorsBorn in Lagos. Second-round pick (53rd) in 2021.⁴
• 2024Adem Bona · Philadelphia 76ersBorn in Lagos. Second-round pick (41st) in 2024.⁵
• 2018Josh Okogie · Utah JazzBorn in Lagos. First-round pick (20th) in 2018.⁶
• 2026Felix Okpara · Washington Wizards (two-way)Born in Lagos. Second-round pick (46th) in 2026.⁷
• 2026Ugonna Onyenso · Detroit Pistons (two-way)Born in Owerri. Second-round pick (53rd) in 2026.⁸

Rosters change all season through trades and signings. We will update this list each season.

Players with Nigerian roots who play for other countries

Some of the league’s best-known players have family ties to Nigeria but are listed under another country. In its 2026-27 list, NBA.com marks these players with “ties to Nigeria”:¹

• Giannis Antetokounmpo (Miami Heat), listed under Greece.
• OG Anunoby (New York Knicks), listed under the United Kingdom.
• Deandre Ayton (Washington Wizards), listed under the Bahamas.
• Tristan Enaruna (Cleveland Cavaliers, two-way), listed under the Netherlands.
• Tobi Lawal (Dallas Mavericks, two-way), listed under the United Kingdom.

The same NBA article also names three-time All-Star Bam Adebayo of the Heat as having ties to Nigeria.¹ We name only players the NBA itself links to Nigeria. Many others have Nigerian parents, but we have not listed anyone we could not check.

How they got there: the path from Nigeria to the NBA

Every one of the six Nigeria-born players followed the same basic road. Each one played at a US high school or prep school, then played US college basketball before the draft.^3–8

6 of 6played at a US high school or prep school

6 of 6played US college basketball

2 + 4first-round and second-round picks

1. Precious AchiuwaPort Harcourt→Montverde Academy, FL→Memphis→2020, pick 20
2. Charles BasseyLagos→St. Anthony Catholic, TX→Western Kentucky→2021, pick 53
3. Adem BonaLagos→Prolific Prep, CA→UCLA→2024, pick 41
4. Josh OkogieLagos→Shiloh High School, GA→Georgia Tech→2018, pick 20
5. Felix OkparaLagos→Hamilton Heights Christian, TN→Ohio State, Tennessee→2026, pick 46
6. Ugonna OnyensoOwerri→NBA Academy Africa, Senegal→Putnam Science Academy, CT→Kentucky, Kansas State, Virginia→2026, pick 53

Source: Basketball Reference player pages and NBA.com, checked Nov 11, 2026. Where a player attended more than one high school, the last one listed is shown.

Three things stand out in these paths.

1. US high school comes first. For all six, the last high school listed is in the United States.
2. College still matters. All six played NCAA college basketball, and two played for more than one school.
3. Academies are a new door. Ugonna Onyenso trained at NBA Academy Africa in Senegal before his US prep school.⁸

Most of the six were second-round picks. Only Achiuwa and Okogie went in the first round.^{3, 6} For a young player in Nigeria, the lesson is clear: school, grades and a path to a US college come before any draft.

Nigerian NBA history: 18 players and two No. 1 picks

Basketball Reference lists 18 players born in Nigeria who have played in the NBA, as of November 11, 2026.² That count only includes players who have appeared in a game. Onyenso had no NBA debut on his page when we checked, so he is not yet on it.⁸

Two of those 18 were the first pick in their draft:

• Hakeem Olajuwon, born in Lagos, went to the University of Houston and was the No. 1 pick in 1984. He won two NBA titles, was MVP in 1993-94 and entered the Hall of Fame in 2008.⁹
• Michael Olowokandi, born in Lagos, went to school in England, then the University of the Pacific. He was the No. 1 pick in 1998.¹⁰

Olajuwon’s path is the old one. Basketball Reference lists his school as Muslim Teachers College in Lagos, so he did not play US high school basketball first.⁹ All six of today’s Nigeria-born players went to US high schools instead.

How many African players are in the NBA?

The NBA says a record of more than 60 players on 2026-27 opening-night rosters were born in Africa or have at least one parent born there.¹ The league’s full international count was 125 players from 43 countries.¹

Players linked to Nigeria make up about half of that African group. The NBA counts a record of more than 30 players who are from Nigeria or have a Nigerian parent.¹

How we checked this list

We did not rely on news lists or fan pages. Here is exactly how each fact was checked on November 11, 2026:

• Who is on a roster, and for which country: the NBA’s official 2026-27 opening-night list on NBA.com.¹
• Birthplace, schools, college and draft pick: each player’s own Basketball Reference page.^3–10
• All-time count of Nigeria-born players: the Basketball Reference birthplace list for Nigeria.²
• “Nigerian roots”: only players NBA.com itself marks with ties to Nigeria.¹

Teams can differ between sources because of trades after the draft. Where they differ, we show the team on NBA.com’s opening-night list.

Where the next Nigerian NBA player starts

Every path above began with a young person in Nigeria who got coaching, stayed in school and found a way to the next level. At the Joe Katuka Basketball Foundation, Coach Joe Katuka’s team helps young players in Nigeria take those first steps. A $50 monthly sponsorship covers school, meals, coaching and a mentor for one student. You can see how that works in our school, coaching and camp programs, including the June 2026 camp in Zaria.

Most of these players first played in school and club games at home. Read our guide to basketball in Nigeria, or see how a US basketball scholarship works for a student from Africa.