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The NBA is home to talent from all over the world. Basketballers from every corner of the planet dream of playing in the league one day. Every NBA Draft night, draft prospects, domestic and international, are picked by the NBA teams.
This year, a country has established its presence during the NBA drafts - Nigeria. Eight of the draft picks are players with Nigerian heritage. Two of them, Precious Achiuwa, picked by the Miami Heat, and Udoka Azubuike, picked by Utah Jazz.
Five active players in NBA of Nigerian origins
In acknowledgment of the players of Nigerian Origin's impact on the NBA, this list is a chronicle of the best such active players. This list will consider the players' impact on the NBA league and their current form and past seasons.
#5 Andre Iguodala
Andre Iguodala is currently a player for the Miami Heat. Iguodala was picked up in the 2004 NBA drafts by the Philadelphia 76ers. He went on to play for the Golden State Warriors and won three rings in 2015, 2017, and 2018. Iguodala's mother is African American while his father is Nigerian.
In his rookie year, he teamed up with Allen Iverson and would regularly display his leap to convert Iverson Alley Oops into monsterous dunks. Iguodala has played in six NBA finals, out of which five were with the Golden State Warriors and one with the Miami Heat. He was awarded the Finals MVP in 2015.
#4 Victor Oladipo
Victor Oladipo grew up in the town of Upper Marlboro, Maryland. His parents were Nigerian immigrants who moved to America. Victor began his NBA career in 2013 as a second overall draft pick by the Orlando Magic.
Oladipo is a multi-dimensional player. A 6' 4" shooting guard, he is agile and athletic with exceptional explosive strength. He has the ability to drive to the basket and finish with aggressive dunks or crafty layups. On defense, Oladipo can guard all around his court. From protecting his rim to cutting off a drive, he knows how to defend and score points.
He has appeared in three playoffs and two NBA All Stars games proving his potential. In his best NBA regular-season performance, Oladipo averaged 19.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 4.8 assists.
#3 Deandre Ayton
The 6' 11" center plays in the NBA for the Phoenix Suns. He began his career as the first overall NBA draft pick in 2018. Ayton was born to a Nigerian father and a Jamaican and Bahamian mother.
In his rookie year, Ayton posted noteworthy numbers by averaging 16.3 points and 10.3 rebounds. The most noteworthy performance of his career came last season when the Phoenix Suns reached the NBA finals, a first for Ayton. He supported Devin Booker and Chris Paul as they fought their way through the ranks.
Deandre Ayton averaged 15.8 points, 11.8 rebounds and registered a 65.8 field goal percentage. He played like a man possessed while under the paint. Constantly contesting with the help of his exceptional strength and size. His stellar performance, however, wasn't enough and the Phoenix Suns lost to a stronger Milwaukee Bucks but not due to a lack of effort.
He plays like a typical center, his strong fundamentals help him score. He can pivot and spin around defenders for easy floaters or reach out for in-traffic dunks. His defensive prowess lies in his ability to gather balls off the rim and offensively, he can put the same balls back in for quick buckets.
#2 Bam Adebayo
Bam Adebayo, simply put, has no regard for the basket. He attacks it as if wanting to tear it apart from the very board. His high-flying leap and freakishly strong frame put him at second number on this list.
Born to and African American mother and Nigerian father, Adebayo began his career as the 14th overall NBA draft pick by the Miami Heat in 2017. He has since performed phenomenally for his team. Along with his star teammate Jimmy Butler, Adebayo has taken the Florida team to three playoffs, reaching the NBA finals against the LA Lakers in the 2019-20 season.
In his NBA finals run, Adebayo put up unbelievable numbers in the playoffs for a second-year-player. He scored 17.8 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 4.4 assists.
#1 Giannis Antetokounmpo
The 2020-21 NBA Champion and NBA Finals MVP, a player who is now arguably the best player in the league, Giannis Antetokounmpo is without a question number 1 on our list. Born to Nigerian immigrants, Giannis is from Greece. He is often called the Greek Freak, a name that perfectly suits his style.
Giannis is a force of nature, an unstoppable force that mows down everything in its path. Once he picks up momentum it is unstoppable to stop the Greek Freek. He drives to the ring with great speed and regularly dunks without holding back. Giannis is often double-teamed in defense and yet he spins, pivots, or just drives past.
He can knock down mid-range jumpers, floaters and fadeaways to score in contests making him a lethal scorer. On defense, Giannis swats the ball away with ease. He protects the paint regularly, implements chase-down blocks, and can even snatch offensive and defensive rebounds. His most lethal move is his euro step, which he uses to slither to the basket in traffic.
Giannis posted his best playoff numbers in his 2021 NBA Championship bid, averaging an incredible 30.2 points, 12.8 rebounds and 5.1 assists.
