Ahead of 2020 summer Olympics, Engr Musa Kida-led Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) has urged Nigerians to stop speculations over the final 12-man roster for Nigeria’s men and women national teams, saying only the best will represent the country at the Tokyo Games.
This follows the self-declarations of top NBA players who have pledged their support and international career to Nigerian basketball programmes.
The NBBF announced that no player is guaranteed an automatic shirt on the team based on many factors ranging from technical and tactical setup of the coaches as well as unforeseen circumstances such as injuries.
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Kida described it as the golden era of basketball in Nigeria when everybody wants to be a part of history being written.
“Many high profiled players have started giving a thought to what D’Tigers and D’Tigress stand for. Many who would have turned us down in the past if invited are now hustling to get our attention which for us is a good thing,” Kida said.
“The tide where Nigerians aspired to, and left the country has completely changed where qualified non-Nigerians have expressed interest in playing for Nigeria.”
With a series of camps lined up for the D’Tigers before the summer games in Tokyo, the NBBF assured that all eligible players have equal chances of getting invited to camp and making the final list.
