By: Boluwatife Kehinde
Nigeria’s men’s basketball team, D’Tigers, ended their 2025 FIBA AfroBasket campaign with a respectable fifth-place finish, demonstrating resilience, teamwork, and flashes of brilliance throughout the tournament.
They closed out the competition with three wins and one defeat.
The team opened their campaign with a convincing 76–59 victory over Madagascar, setting an encouraging tone for the rest of the tournament.
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Building on this momentum, they went on to secure back-to-back wins, underlining their competitive edge and growing confidence.
A standout moment came in their emphatic 87–66 triumph over Tunisia, followed by a thrilling 99–90 victory against Cameroon in a high-scoring encounter that further cemented their place among the tournament’s top contenders.
However, D’Tigers’ championship hopes came to an end in the quarter-finals, where they suffered their only defeat of the competition – a 75–91 loss to Cameroon.
The setback halted their progress but ultimately secured them a top-five finish.
In the final, Angola underlined their dominance in African basketball by overpowering Mali 70–43 to clinch their 12th continental crown, extending their record and reaffirming their status as the continent’s most successful basketball nation.
D’Tigers are expected back in Nigeria on Monday, where preparations will begin for the FIBA Men’s World Cup Qualifiers scheduled for November.
Having missed out on the 2023 edition, their primary goal will be to book a place at the 2027 World Cup in Qatar.
The tournament also celebrated individual brilliance.
Angola’s Childe Dundao was named Most Valuable Player (MVP), while the All-Tournament Team featured Dundao (Angola), Bruno Fernando (Angola), Mahamane Coulibaly (Mali), Aliou Diarra (Mali), and Brancou Badio (Senegal).
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Madagascar received the Fair Play Award for exemplary sportsmanship.
Diarra also emerged as the leading rebounder, with Badio recognised among the standout performers.
