By Victor Okoye
Stakeholders have blamed Nigeria’s poor performance in basketball on administrative instability, poor funding, and the absence of a professional domestic league.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the reactions followed Nigeria’s early exit from the 2025 FIBA Men’s Afrobasket Championship in Angola, where the team finished fifth.
Nigeria’s D’Tigers crashed out after a 91–75 loss to Senegal in the quarter-finals at the Pavilhão Multiusos Arena in Luanda, ending their campaign with more questions than answers.
Reacting to the defeat, Igoche Mark, basketball promoter and founder of the Mark D’Ball Championship, described the situation as “deeply troubling,” citing years of poor leadership and policy inconsistency.
“Enough is enough. We cannot continue like this. Basketball in Nigeria has no structure, no direction. Since 2017, we have not had a functional domestic league. That is unacceptable.
“The time for politics is over. Basketball must return to the courts, not the courtrooms,” Mark said.
He urged the National Sports Commission (NSC) to intervene decisively to sanitise the system, warning that talented players are being lost to other countries due to lack of local opportunities.
Similarly, former D’Tigers captain Olumide Oyedeji said that the failure to run a viable league is weakening Nigeria’s competitiveness in Africa and globally.
“No country can succeed at the top without grassroots development and a strong domestic league. We are only recycling talent, not the new stars,” Oyedeji told NAN.
The 2025 Afrobasket Championship, which ran from Aug. 15 to 24 in Angola, featured 16 teams, and served as a pathway to the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup qualifiers.
Nigeria, once a dominant force on the continent and champions in 2015, struggled in the group stage and barely advanced before falling to a tactically superior Senegalese side.
Basketball analysts say the cracks in the system have long been visible, pointing to the leadership tussles that have plagued the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) over the past decades.
Sports development consultant Tunde Popoola said Nigeria’s basketball infrastructure has failed to keep pace with the standards.
“Our basketball system is outdated. Countries like South Sudan, Rwanda, and Cape Verde are investing in their leagues and reaping the rewards. We’re stuck in crisis mode,” Popoola said.
Meanwhile, fans and former players have taken to social media to express disappointment over the team’s performance, demanding accountability from sports authorities.
As calls grow louder for reforms, stakeholders agree that only a clear roadmap, led by competent leadership and supported by government policy, can revive the sport.(NAN)