Miami Heat center Precious Achiuwa was among the 15 players named to the Nigerian 15-man provisional roster for the Tokyo Olympics, the team announced on Tuesday.
Achiuwa, who was born in Port Harcourt, was among nearly 50 players in contention to play for Nigeria. The team is expected to announce the final, 12-man roster after completing a four-game exhibition schedule from July 10-18 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Nigeria, which is led by Golden State Warriors assistant coach Mike Brown, also features other NBA players like Detroit Pistons center Jahlil Okafor, Minnesota Timberwolves guard Josh Okogie and Milwaukee Bucks guard Jordan Nwora among others.
The 15-man roster 🇳🇬🇳🇬 pic.twitter.com/4H95yiGGLb
— D’Tigers | Nigeria Basketball (@NigeriaBasket) July 6, 2021
Nigeria qualified for the Olympics after becoming the top African country in the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup. They will open preliminary play in Group B, will begin July 25 and run through Aug. 2. Group B also features Australia, Italy and Germany.
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. The semifinals will take place on Aug. 5 with the gold and bronze medal games on Aug. 7.
Achiuwa turned in a strong rookie season with the Heat, averaging five points and 3.4 rebounds in 61 games. He now appears to be on the verge of making the final Olympic roster for Nigeria after competing in training camp.
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