BERLIN (Germany) - Eight years ago in Tenerife, Nigeria’s D’Tigress made history by pulling off a stunning 57-56 upset against Greece at the 2018 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup. That victory secured their place in the Quarter-Finals and made them the first African team to reach that stage of the competition.
It was a breakthrough moment for African basketball, demonstrating that Nigeria could compete with, and defeat, Europe’s best on the biggest stage.
For Ezinne Kalu, one of Nigeria’s veterans who was there for that moment and is once again adorning the green and white, that victory remains a defining moment in the team’s evolution. “That one was a stepping stone for us,” she told FIBA.
“It was the first time that an African country had beaten a European team, so it propelled us to where we are now.”
Since then, Nigeria have continued to push the boundaries of what is possible for an African team on the international stage. The 2018 victory was followed by an historic run at the Tokyo Olympics, before the D’Tigress took another significant step forward at Paris 2024, where they became the first African women’s basketball team to reach the Olympic Quarter-Finals, advancing from the group stage.
For the players, however, the experience was about more than the results.
Playing through the silence in Japan
Tokyo presented a unique challenge, with the Olympics taking place largely behind closed doors because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nigeria had to compete without the atmosphere that normally makes international basketball so special.
“Individually it was tough being out there on the court with my teammates and not hearing people supporting us and cheering for us,” she shared.
“It was tough because we didn't have the energy from the fans. All we heard was quietness.” For a team that is high energy like Nigeria and thrives on emotion and intensity, the absence of that energy was difficult to ignore. “Basketball is passion. It's noise, it's drama and entertainment, so to not quite hear that on the court was difficult.”
Raising the bar in Paris
Paris represented a stark contrast, with packed arenas, a new generation of Nigerian players, and the weight of history behind them. The D’Tigress delivered one of the most remarkable performances ever by an African basketball team, whether male or female, at the Olympics.
“Paris was very special for us,” she said. “It was an amazing feeling to be out there on a different stage with new players, and we did really well.”
Nigeria broke new ground, raising the expectations of what could be expected from Africa.
We broke some records, set some standards, we set the bar really high
Their appearance ultimately ended against the United States, but even that defeat carried significance.
“Just to be in that space and have the opportunity to make the Quarter-Finals was an amazing feeling,” she said. “Unfortunately we ran into the USA, the basketball beast of the world and this time we are ready.”
Carrying a whole continent with them
Nigeria's progress has also taken on a significance beyond the team itself.
Alongside Mali, who are the only other African team which has qualified for Berlin, they have become one of the leading representatives of African women's basketball on the global stage, and with that comes a responsibility to inspire the next generation.
“It's on us and Mali to give other countries the confidence to say, ‘we want to be like Nigeria and Mali one day’,” she said. The ambition is not simply to see Nigeria and Mali continue to succeed, but to eventually see more African nations competing at this level.
“Maybe one day we will add more African countries, but it's about progress, and that is all we can ask for.” For Nigeria, that progress is not just about how far they have come. It is about how much further African women's basketball can go.
A team still waiting to show its hand
On paper, Nigeria's preparations for Berlin may not have painted the clearest picture of what is to come. The D’Tigress have suffered some defeats in their warm-up games, but within the group, there is a sense that those results tell only part of the story.
“Honestly, I think we're in a great spot, and nobody has really seen our full team yet,” she said. “They don't know what we are capable of.”
That belief is rooted in a team that blends experience with new energy. Veterans who have been part of Nigeria's rise over the past decade are now joined by a fresh generation of players, giving the D’Tigress a different look heading into the tournament.
“Even now we have a much better team and a fresh team, but with veterans too,” she said. “We're coming at it with a different mindset, and we will see that in our performances coming up.”
It is another chapter in a journey that has taken Nigeria from their breakthrough against Greece in Tenerife to the historic heights of Paris, with Berlin offering another opportunity to push the boundaries of what an African team can achieve. This time, however, the D’Tigress are not simply looking to build on their past.
They believe they have more to show. “We are going to surprise a lot of teams.”
FIBA