Tag: Nigeria

Aminu, who played for the 2019 World …

Aminu, who played for the 2019 World Cup team, had surgery on Jan. 7 to repair torn meniscus cartilage in his right knee. How will the delay of the Olympics impact him? Mike Brown: He is obviously a guy who has been instrumental to this program for many years. He is one of the guys who has anchored the program. He has a lot going on right now to get himself healthy so he can compete with his current team, the Orlando Magic. Knowing him, how much pride he has and things he has helped his country accomplish in basketball, I think he’d want to play in the Olympics, especially the way they qualified. It gives him a lot more time to get healthy and get himself in playing shape. I’m sure he’s looking forward to it.

Last year, Antetokounmpo opened up to …

Last year, Antetokounmpo opened up to The Undefeated about wanting to learn more about his Nigerian roots. Since then, he said, a lot more Nigerians have embraced him. “I was really, really happy about that,” Antetokounmpo said recently. “They call me ‘The Greek Freak’ and a lot of people support me and all that [in Greece]. A lot of people don’t know that I love my Nigerian side. The minute I go back home and walk in — my mom is Nigerian, I don’t have Greek in my house, so a lot of Nigerian people reaching out to me — was amazing. It made me feel welcome, so that was nice.”

While Antetokounmpo feels pressure from …

While Antetokounmpo feels pressure from his fans to choose between Nigeria and Greece, he prefers to represent both. ​“It’s not a competition. I kind of hate that. I really do hate that,” Antetokounmpo said. “I’ve spoken about it. I kind of hate that a lot of people say, ‘He’s not Greek, he’s Nigerian.’ ‘No, he’s not Nigerian, he’s Greek.’ I’m both. I’m both. The same way a lot of people are both, I’m both. “My parents are Nigerian. When I go back home, it’s Nigerian. Nigeria is in my blood. But I was raised [in Greece] and I was born in Greece. I’m both. … Just to be arguing about it, that’s silly and that’s dumb. In my opinion, it has to be accepted that a guy can be both. He can feel both.”

Warriors’ Mike Brown to coach Nigerian Olympics men’s basketball team

Golden State Warriors assitant coach Mike Brown will be the coach of the Nigeria men’s basketball team at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Golden State Warriors assistant coach Mike Brown will be the coach of the Nigeria men’s basketball Olympic team, according to Marc J. Spears of the Undefeated.

Brown will lead the D’Tigers to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics this summer.

Nigeria men’s basketball qualified for the Olympics for the first time in 2012. The team hasn’t missed the cut since and is set to participate for the third time in a row.

In London 2012, the D’Tigers finished 10th. In Rio 2016, they came in 11th.

Brown has worked with seven different NBA teams since 1997 in either an assistant or head coach capacity, serving on staffs for 19 of those 23 seasons.

He was the head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2005-10 and the 2013-14 season, and was the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers from 2011-2013. Brown’s head coaching record is 347-216 (.616).

Brown also has Team USA experience. He was an assistant coach for the U.S. Pan American Men’s Basketball Team in 2015.

“I’m honored and humbled that Musa Kida and the Nigerian Basketball Federation have given me this opportunity,” Brown said to the Undefeated.

“The Nigerian Basketball Federation has been very professional and organized throughout the vetting process. They want to continue to build a world-class team and organization on and off the court. I’m excited to have learned that the Federation’s vision is to provide the team with the necessary resources to compete at the highest level. Their commitment will enable the players and coaches to focus our energy on competing at the highest possible level every time we step on the basketball court. We want to make all of Nigeria proud.”

Nigeria’s 2019 World Cup team included four players either on NBA teams or in G League associates: Al-Farouq Aminu, Chimezie Metu, Josh Okogie and Gabe Vincent, according to the Undefeated.

It also rostered former NBA players Diogu, Ekpe Udoh and Ben Uzoh.

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“I’m honored and humbled that Musa Kida …

Brown plans to hire a full coaching …

Brown plans to hire a full coaching staff, including player development personnel, video personnel, scouts, and medical personnel for the Nigerian national team. The Warriors have given Brown their blessing and will allow Nigeria to use its newly renovated East Bay practice facility in preparation for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Brown could also potentially add one NBA player to the roster that would be granted a Nigerian passport.

Anthony Joshua says he would like to defend his titles in Nigeria

New heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua wants to fight one day in his ancestral homeland of Nigeria.

Boxing is hitting the road and Anthony Joshua is among those who has his bags packed and is ready for what he hopes will be a heavyweight title defense in Nigeria one day.

Joshua’s dream of fighting in his ancestral home were revived Saturday when he reclaimed his belts in a redemptive rematch victory over Andy Ruiz Jr. in Saudi Arabia.

“Africa’s rooting for me for sure, so I would definitely love to fight out there,” Joshua told The Telegraph after he arrived in London to a warm U.K. homecoming Monday.

Joshua’s immediate itinerary appears to include at least one home date. The first defense of his reclaimed belts, a mandatory against Bulgarian Kubrat Pulev or Russian Oleksandr Usyk, is expected to be in London, possibly at the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in April or May.

Then the road beckons.

Joshua, an Olympic gold medalist at the 2012 London Games, grew up admiring Muhammad Ali, who was a world champion in every way. Ali traveled, defending his title all over the globe, including a memorable victory in Zaire over George Foreman in 1974.

Joshua visited Nigeria earlier this year. While there, he thought about Ali-Foreman, the legendary “Rumble In The Jungle”. It was then that he decided he wanted to fight where his mother was born.

“People had been telling me I should go back for ages,’’ said Joshua, who was born in the U.K. and then spent a few years as a student at a Nigerian boarding school. “It was crazy because they don’t have 24-hour electricity, but they still know me and support me.

“I went to the ghettos of the ghettos where it’s not all about egos and beef, it’s about people who are hungry to survive. It was one of the best things I’ve done. ‘’