Miami Heat center Precious Achiuwa on Monday was among the players named to the Nigerian 12-man final roster for the Tokyo Olympics, the team announced.
Achiuwa, who was born in Port Harcourt, was among nearly 50 players in contention to play for Nigeria at the start of training camp. He eventually played during their three-game exhibition schedule from Las Vegas, Nevada, and emerged as a key player for the team.
The 21-year-old helped Nigeria to a 2-1 record during its exhibition slate, including an upset win over the United States on July 10. He hauled in a key rebound late during that contest to seal the win, while he also had a highlight-reel block on Kevin Durant.
Your 12-man Olympic roster. #Tokyo2020 pic.twitter.com/nUv3MFMEr7
— D’Tigers | Nigeria Basketball (@NigeriaBasket) July 19, 2021
Achiuwa is one of eight active NBA players to make the final roster for Nigeria. He offers the team a strong presence inside and often does the dirty work on the court, something head coach Mike Brown said was similar to how Draymond Green plays.
Nigeria qualified for the Olympics by being the top African country in the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup. They have been placed into Group B during preliminary play at the Olympics, and will begin with Australia on July 25.
Italy and Germany are also paired with Nigeria and Australia in Group B.
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The quarterfinals of the men’s basketball tournament will start on Aug. 3 and consist of the top two teams in each group from the preliminary phase plus the two third-place teams with the best records. The semifinals will take place on Aug. 5 with the gold and bronze medal games on Aug. 7.
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