# Nigeria women's national basketball team

The Nigeria women's national basketball team, also known as the D'Tigress, represents Nigeria in international women's basketball competition, and are regulated by the Nigeria Basketball Federation, the governing body for basketball in Nigeria. Nigeria has one of the most successful women's national teams on the African continent, being the current African champions. They have won the Women's Afrobasket Championship four times in a row and six times in total. They won in 2017 at Bamako, Mali, 2019 at Dakar, Senegal, 2021 at Yaounde, Cameroon, and 2023 at Kigali, Rwanda.

## History
### 2004 Summer Olympics

The Nigerians competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in basketball, one of ten events their national teams qualified for. The Nigerian women's basketball team was one of the twelve teams competing in the event. They earned their berth through a zone qualifying tournament and played in Group A along with Australia, Brazil, Greece, Japan, and Russia. The team went 0–5 in the preliminary round. In the 11/12th place game, they defeated the Korea for a final finish of 11th out of 12 teams. With this win, they became the first women's African basketball team to win a game at the Olympics.
Mfon Udoka was the team's leading scorer and the tournament's second highest scorer. Team athletes Itoro Umoh-Coleman and Joanne Aluka both played high school basketball at Hephzibah High School prior to playing together for Nigeria.

### 2006 FIBA World Championship for Women

Nigeria qualified for the 2006 FIBA World Championship by winning the 2005 FIBA Africa Championship for Women. They were placed into Group C with China, Russia, and the United States. Nigeria did not qualify for a pass into the second round and were defeated in the 15/16th place game by fellow African representatives Senegal by a score of 66–64. Their tournament record was 0–5.
Nigeria also participated in the 2006 Commonwealth Games held in Melbourne, Australia.

### Team in 2007

The team attended the FIBA Africa Championship for Women 2007; the qualifying event for African teams attempting to make the 2008 Summer Olympics. Nigeria made it to the quarterfinals of the 2007 FIBA African Championship before losing to Mozambique 69–61. They won fifth place by defeating Cameroon 63–50. The team did not qualify for the Beijing Olympic Games.
The Nigerian squad went undefeated in group play during the 2007 All-Africa Games. They went on to the semi-finals and lost to Mozambique 57–46.

### 2009 Nations Cup

Nigeria has qualified for the 2009 Africa Cup of Nations (basketball) to be held in Libya.

### 2024 Summer Olympics

At the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, the Nigerian women’s basketball team defeated Australia 75-62 in their first game. This was the team’s first Olympic game victory in 20 years. The team lost its second game in the tournament 75-54 against the host nation, France. In their third game, they won 79-70 to advance to the quarterfinals for the first time ever. With this victory, the team became the first African basketball team, male or female, to qualify for the quarterfinals of the basketball competition at the Olympics.

## Competitive record
### AfroBasket Women

AfroBasket record :
| Year | Round | Position | GP | W | L | GS | GA | GD |
| 1966 | did not enter | did not enter | did not enter | did not enter | did not enter | did not enter | did not enter | did not enter |
| 1968 | did not enter | did not enter | did not enter | did not enter | did not enter | did not enter | did not enter | did not enter |
| 1970 | did not enter | did not enter | did not enter | did not enter | did not enter | did not enter | did not enter | did not enter |
| 1974 | Group stage | 5th | 5 | 3 | 2 | 278 | 245 | +33 |
| 1977 | did not enter | did not enter | did not enter | did not enter | did not enter | did not enter | did not enter | did not enter |
| 1979 | did not enter | did not enter | did not enter | did not enter | did not enter | did not enter | did not enter | did not enter |
| 1981 | Group stage | 7th | 4 | 1 | 3 | 215 | 280 | −65 |
| 1983 | did not enter | did not enter | did not enter | did not enter | did not enter | did not enter | did not enter | did not enter |
| 1984 | did not enter | did not enter | did not enter | did not enter | did not enter | did not enter | did not enter | did not enter |
| 1986 | did not enter | did not enter | did not enter | did not enter | did not enter | did not enter | did not enter | did not enter |
| 1990 | did not enter | did not enter | did not enter | did not enter | did not enter | did not enter | did not enter | did not enter |
| 1993 | did not enter | did not enter | did not enter | did not enter | did not enter | did not enter | did not enter | did not enter |
| 1994 | did not enter | did not enter | did not enter | did not enter | did not enter | did not enter | did not enter | did not enter |
| 1997 | Semi-finals | 3rd | 6 | 4 | 2 | 398 | 310 | +88 |
| 2000 | did not enter | did not enter | did not enter | did not enter | did not enter | did not enter | did not enter | did not enter |
| 2003 | Champions | 1st | 6 | 5 | 1 | 386 | 328 | +58 |
| 2005 | Champions | 1st | 5 | 2 | 3 | 454 | 293 | +161 |
| 2007 | Quarter-finals | 5th | 8 | 6 | 2 | 516 | 448 | +68 |
| 2009 | Quarter-finals | 5th | 8 | 4 | 4 | 441 | 440 | +1 |
| 2011 | Semi-finals | 4th | 8 | 4 | 4 | 511 | 502 | +9 |
| 2013 | Quarter-finals | 6th | 8 | 3 | 5 | 411 | 429 | −18 |
| 2015 | Semi-final | 3rd | 8 | 6 | 2 | 608 | 477 | +131 |
| 2017 | Champions | 1st | 8 | 8 | 0 | 645 | 413 | +232 |
| 2019 | Champions | 1st | 5 | 5 | 0 | 399 | 243 | +156 |
| 2021 | Champions | 1st | 5 | 5 | 0 | 367 | 292 | +75 |
| 2023 | Champions | 1st | 5 | 5 | 0 | 374 | 274 | +100 |
| 2025 | Qualified | Qualified | Qualified | Qualified | Qualified | Qualified | Qualified | Qualified |
| Total | 15/29 | 6 titles | 89 | 61 | 28 | 6003 | 4974 | +873 |

## Team honours and achievements

Intercontinental
* FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup
** Quarterfinals: 2018
Continental
* AfroBasket Women
** Gold Medal: 2003, 2005, 2017 2019 2021 2023
** Bronze Medal: 1997, 2015
* All Africa Games
** Gold Medal: 2003
** Silver Medal: 2007, 2015
** Bronze Medal: 1995, 1978, 1999, 2011

## Team
### Current roster

Roster for the 2024 Summer Olympics. A 16-player roster was announced on 7 July 2024. The final squad was revealed on 23 July 2024.

### Former players and coaches

This is a list of former players and coaches, as well as current players who have played on past squads, with their years on the team indicated by the Nigerian flag beneath a given year.
| Name | Number | Position | Nationality | 2008 |
| Olawunmi Adebayo | 9 | | | |
| Tayeloly Adeniyi | 10 | | | |
| Mobolaji Akiode | 6 | Guard | Nigeria | |
| Joanne Aluka | 5 | Forward | United States | |
| Mactabene Amachree | 13 | Guard | Nigeria | As a player from 1994 to 2009 as an Executive 2017 to 2021 |
| Parricia Chukwuma | 12 | | | |
| Kevin Cook | | Coach | | |
| Adenike Dawodu | 11 | | | |
| Nguveren Iyorhe | 10 | Guard | | |
| Ezinne James | 15 | | | |
| Aisha Mohammed | 9 | Guard | | |
| Juliana Ojoshogu Negedu | 7 | Guard | | |
| Scott Nnaji | | Coach | | |
| Chineze Nwagbo | 8 | | | |
| Linda Ogugua | 15 | Center | Nigeria | |
| Morolake Ogunoye | 5 | | | |
| Ugo Oha | 8 | Center | United States | |
| Ugochuckwu Oha | 15 | | | |
| Funmilayo Ojelabi-Ogunleye | 10 | | | |
| Mercy Okorie | 7 | | | |
| Adeola Olanrewaju | 14 | | | |
| Taiwo Rafiu | 14 | Center | | |
| Rashidat Sadiq | 12 | Forward | | |
| Sam Vincent (basketball) | | Coach | | |
| Itoro Umoh-Coleman | 4 | Guard | United States | |
| Tamunomiete Whyte | 5 | | | |
*Olympic games attended by the squad indicated in this year.