Nigerian NBA players: every Nigerian-born player in history
Seventeen Nigerian-born players have played in the NBA, led by Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon. Here is the full list.
Last updated: 6 October 2026.
Nigerian NBA players have ranged from one of the greatest centres in history to many squad players who filled important roles. Basketball-Reference lists 17 players born in Nigeria who have played in the NBA up to the 2025–26 season, led by Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon. This guide lists all of them, profiles the most notable, and explains how Nigerian-heritage stars such as Giannis Antetokounmpo fit into the picture. Data comes from Basketball-Reference player records and is correct as of October 2026.
The short answer
- Nigerian-born NBA players: 17, according to Basketball-Reference’s birthplace records up to 2025–26.
- The greatest: Hakeem Olajuwon, born in Lagos. He was 1994 MVP, won two championships and is the NBA’s all-time leader in blocked shots.
- No. 1 draft picks: two. Olajuwon (Houston, 1984) and Michael Olowokandi (LA Clippers, 1998).
- Other champion: Festus Ezeli, born in Benin City, won the 2015 title with Golden State.
- Active in 2025–26: Precious Achiuwa, Charles Bassey, Adem Bona and Josh Okogie all appeared that season.
Every Nigerian-born NBA player
This list is in alphabetical order, with the seasons each player appeared in, as recorded by Basketball-Reference.
- Precious Achiuwa: 2020–21 to 2025–26
- Solomon Alabi: 2010–11 to 2011–12
- Peter Aluma: 1998–99
- Udoka Azubuike: 2020–21 to 2023–24
- Nate Barnett: 1975–76
- Charles Bassey: 2021–22 to 2025–26
- Adem Bona: 2024–25 to 2025–26
- Yinka Dare: 1994–95 to 1997–98
- Obinna Ekezie: 1999–2000 to 2004–05
- Festus Ezeli: 2012–13 to 2015–16
- Chima Moneke: 2022–23
- Julius Nwosu: 1994–95
- Josh Okogie: 2018–19 to 2025–26
- Hakeem Olajuwon: 1984–85 to 2001–02
- Michael Olowokandi: 1998–99 to 2006–07
- Eugene Omoruyi: 2021–22 to 2023–24
- Olumide Oyedeji: 2000–01 to 2002–03
Nate Barnett, who played 12 games in 1975–76, is the earliest Nigerian-born player on the list.
Hakeem Olajuwon: “The Dream”
Olajuwon was born in Lagos on 21 January 1963 and attended the Muslim Teachers College there. He did not start playing basketball until he was 15, when he entered a local tournament, and he then moved to the United States to play for the University of Houston. The Houston Rockets made him the first pick in the 1984 draft.
His achievements are some of the best in the sport:
- Champion: 1994 and 1995, and Finals MVP both years.
- MVP: 1993–94. That season he became the only player to win MVP, Defensive Player of the Year and Finals MVP in the same year.
- Defensive Player of the Year: twice.
- All-Star: 12 times.
- Blocks: 3,830 in his career, the most in NBA history.
- Hall of Fame: inducted in 2008. He was also chosen for the league’s 75th Anniversary Team in 2021.
He became a US citizen and won Olympic gold with the United States at Atlanta 1996. Since 2022, the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year trophy has been named after him.
Michael Olowokandi: the second No. 1 pick
Born in Lagos in 1975, Olowokandi went to school in England and then to the University of the Pacific. The Los Angeles Clippers chose him first overall in 1998, and he played nine NBA seasons. He was named to the 1998–99 All-Rookie team but never became the star a top pick is expected to be.
Festus Ezeli: a championship ring
Ezeli was born in Benin City in 1989. Golden State drafted him with the 30th pick in 2012, and he was a backup centre in the Warriors team that won the 2015 title. That makes him the only Nigerian-born champion apart from Olajuwon. The 2015–16 season was his last in the league.
The current generation
Precious Achiuwa and Josh Okogie have both played six or more seasons, and Okogie’s eight seasons are the longest NBA career by a Nigerian-born player after Olajuwon and Olowokandi. Charles Bassey and Adem Bona were also on NBA rosters in 2025–26.
How this list was compiled
We used Basketball-Reference’s birthplace search, which covers every NBA and ABA player and records where each was born. That approach has some limits:
- Birthplace, not nationality: players born in Nigeria count even if they grew up or became citizens elsewhere, as Olajuwon and Olowokandi did.
- Heritage players are left out: players born abroad to Nigerian parents are not included, however closely they identify with Nigeria.
- Regular-season appearances: a player needs to have played at least one NBA game. Draft picks and training-camp signings who never played do not count.
Two of the 17, Olajuwon and Olowokandi, were No. 1 overall picks, and Ezeli was taken with the last pick of the 2012 first round.
Nigerian-heritage stars
Many more NBA players have Nigerian parents but were born elsewhere, so they do not appear in birthplace lists. The best known is Giannis Antetokounmpo, born in Athens. His surname was originally spelled Adetokunbo, a Yoruba name, according to Basketball-Reference. He is a two-time MVP, the 2020 Defensive Player of the Year and the 2021 champion and Finals MVP. He has played for Greece internationally.
Fans often count such players as Nigerian, which is why lists of “Nigerian NBA players” vary so much in length.
FAQ
Who was the first Nigerian in the NBA?
Basketball-Reference’s earliest Nigerian-born player is Nate Barnett, who played in 1975–76. Olajuwon, who debuted in 1984, was the first Nigerian-born star.
How many Nigerian-born players have played in the NBA?
Seventeen, up to the 2025–26 season, according to Basketball-Reference.
Which Nigerian players have won an NBA title?
Among Nigerian-born players, Olajuwon (1994, 1995) and Festus Ezeli (2015). Giannis Antetokounmpo, who has Nigerian heritage, won in 2021.
Is Giannis Antetokounmpo Nigerian?
He was born in Greece and plays for Greece, but his family name is Nigerian.
What to watch
The 2026–27 NBA season, and whether any more Nigerian-born players are drafted or signed, will decide whether this list grows to 18.
Related: D’Tigress AfroBasket titles: Nigeria’s record seven crowns; How a Super Bowl halftime performer is chosen. More in our International Entertainment section.
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