Nigeria’s ambition to assemble a formidable basketball squad ahead of the 2028 Summer Olympics has received a major boost after four National Basketball Association players reportedly expressed their willingness to represent D’Tigers following the appointment of David Fizdale as head coach, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

Fizdale, a former NBA head coach with the Memphis Grizzlies and New York Knicks, recently worked as an assistant coach with the Phoenix Suns between 2023 and 2025 before taking charge of Nigeria’s men’s national team.

Basketball journalist and scout Coach Hova revealed that Aaron Nesmith has already committed to representing Nigeria in the next international basketball window.

Confirming the development, he wrote on X, “Sources close to me have confirmed that Aaron Nesmith has committed to representing the D’Tigers in the upcoming international basketball window.”

The Indiana Pacers forward was selected by the Boston Celtics with the 14th overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft before joining Indiana in 2022.

Hova also disclosed that Desmond Bane had begun processing his international switch to Nigeria ahead of the 2028 Olympics.

“Desmond Bane is committed and already processing his switch to represent D’Tigers ahead of the 2028 Olympics,” he stated.

According to the Hova, Bane has also been instrumental in encouraging other Nigerian-heritage NBA players to join the national team project, including Nesmith.

Earlier this year, Bane himself publicly declared his interest in representing Nigeria during a BBC interview in January 2026.

The Orlando Magic guard explained that he wanted to help gather top Nigerian-eligible players for a serious Olympic challenge.

“We just need to get all the Nigerians together for the Olympics coming up in the next couple years and make something happen,” Bane said.

He also admitted that he had already spoken with other players about joining D’Tigers.

“I’d talk to Aaron Nesmith,” he said.

“Me and Gabe Vincent also talked about it a little bit. We need to do it.”

Meanwhile, journalist Kehinde Bamidele further reported that Onyeka Okongwu remains interested in representing Nigeria under Fizdale.

According to him, “Okongwu remains interested in representing D’Tigers of Nigeria under new head coach David Fizdale.”

The Atlanta Hawks centre previously missed out on a potential invitation due to short notice, but talks are said to be ongoing ahead of the July international window.

Bamidele also reported that Ayo Dosunmu has yet to make a final commitment to Nigeria, although the new coaching crew are keen to convince him.

“Ayo Dosunmu is yet to commit to D’Tigers of Nigeria,” Bamidele wrote.

“Fizdale understands that one of his early priorities will be convincing the Wolves guard to represent Nigeria.”

The guard previously represented the United States at the youth level, winning gold at the 2018 FIBA U18 Americas Championship, meaning any switch could involve additional clearance procedures.

Fizdale has already made clear that qualifying Nigeria for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics remains his biggest ambition as D’Tigers coach.

After his appointment by the Nigeria Basketball Federation on Saturday, Fizdale told ESPN that leading Nigeria to the Olympics in his hometown would represent a career-defining achievement.

Nigeria have previously featured at the Olympic Games in London 2012, Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 but are still chasing their first basketball medal on the global stage.

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Three-time African champion Chukwuebuka Enekwechi will not be able to defend his shot put title at this year’s CAA African Championships in Ghana after withdrawing from Nigeria’s contingent, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

Enekwechi’s absence was confirmed on Monday, a day before the championship begins at the University of Ghana Sports Complex, where the event will run from May 12 to 17.

His withdrawal leaves Nigeria with a lean line-up in the shot put events following the absence of women’s African shot put record holder, Jessica Oji.

Decathlon national record holder Jami Schlueter is also unable to join the rest of the Nigerian contingent in Ghana due to visa issues.

“Another withdrawal for Nigeria — Chukwuebuka Enekwechi will not be participating at the 2026 African Championships in Ghana. Big Chuks will not be defending the title he won three consecutive times. Emmanuel Audu and Divine Oladipo will represent Nigeria in the shot put events in Accra,” Making of Champions’ Christopher Maduewesi posted on X on Monday.

Enekwechi’s absence comes as a surprise after he recently competed at the Simbine Classic in South Africa.

All efforts to ascertain why the 33-year-old will miss the championship were unsuccessful, as officials and coaches of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria were unreachable as of the time of filing this report.

His season’s best mark in the event is 21.74m, which earned him a second-place finish at the Drake Relays on April 24.

The 33-year-old has won the last three editions of the African Championships since making his debut at the 2018 edition in Asaba.

Earlier this season, Enekwechi delivered a modest performance in the men’s shot put at the World Indoor Championships, finishing 11th with a best throw of 20.04m in a field of 17 athletes.

Last year, he became the first African to surpass the 22-metre barrier in the men’s shot put. He also owns seven of the top 10 African all-time marks after delivering a groundbreaking performance at the 2025 Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, where he broke the African record with a throw of 22.10m to finish third.

Tyson Fury has questioned Anthony Joshua’s ability to withstand heavy punches, using Daniel Dubois’ stoppage victory over Fabio Wardley on Saturday night as the backdrop for a pointed assessment of his upcoming opponent’s chin, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

The day after Dubois retained the WBO heavyweight title with an 11th-round stoppage of Wardley in Manchester Fury took to Instagram to highlight what he described as a telling pattern in the record of the man he is due to face later this year.

“Well, I’ve just been sat here thinking after Dubois’ unbelievable fight last night,” Fury said.

“Dubois fought ‘Big Baby’ Miller, stopped him, but never put him down. Then he fought Hrgovic, stopped him, but never put him down. He fought Wardley last night in an unbelievable fight, stopped him, and never put him down. He hit Usyk with some big bombs, never put him over.

“But yet he fights Anthony Joshua and pummels him to the floor five times. I’m not saying Anthony Joshua’s chinless, but they’re the facts. Take it as you wish and as you will. Everybody else never went over. Not a singular person — ‘Big Baby’ Miller, Hrgovic, Usyk, or Wardley — but Joshua goes down five times. Chinny!”

Dubois knocked Joshua down five times in their IBF heavyweight title fight in September 2024, stopping the British-Nigerian fighter in the fifth round. The contrast with his performances against Miller, Hrgovic, Usyk and now Wardley, none of whom were floored, formed the basis of Fury’s argument.

Fury and Joshua are contracted to meet later this year in a long-anticipated all-British showdown, with the fight expected to take place in the fourth quarter of 2026.

However, the bout will only be confirmed after Joshua comes through his July 25 warm-up fight against Kristian Prenga in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Promoters Eddie Hearn and Frank Warren have both stated that the Fury clash will not proceed if Joshua loses to the Albanian, who has won 20 of his 21 bouts, all inside the distance.

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