Former D’Tigers captain Olumide Oyedeji has said Nigeria must not take its lead in African women’s basketball for granted. This comes after D’Tigress had a poor outing at the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup.
D’Tigress lost all three of their Group B matches in Berlin. Their last game ended in a heavy loss to France, with a score of 111-56.
Oyedeji called their early exit a wake-up call for Nigerian basketball. He urged the country to act fast to stop other African nations from catching up.
“The early exit is a wake-up call. It is a major step backward for the team, and urgent attention needs to be paid to the situation because the rest of Africa is also catching up with us,” Oyedeji said.
D’Tigress went into the tournament as the reigning African champions. They had just won their fifth straight AfroBasket title in 2025.
The team also made history at the Paris 2024 Olympics. They were the first African side to reach the quarter-finals of the women’s basketball event.
Oyedeji, who is also a member of the Nigeria Basketball Federation board, said this recent setback should lead to a review of how Nigeria prepares and develops its players.
The former NBA player added that Nigeria should use this disappointment to create a better future for the next generation of players.
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