The 2026-27 National Basketball Association (NBA) season tipped off on Tuesday, October 20, with six teams across the league taking to the court for the opening night of the new season.
On that opening night, NBA rosters include more than 25 players with at least one parent from Nigeria, with six Nigerians featuring on the night.
According to the NBA records, over 60 players who were either born in Africa or have at least one parent born on the continent were on opening-night rosters for the 2026-27 season.
The opening-night rosters featured 125 international players from record-tying 43 countries across six continents.
This is the sixth consecutive season with at least 120 international players and the 13th straight season with at least 100 international players.
Dallas Mavericks, Miami Heat and Washington Wizards have league-high seven international players each.
“We are excited to see a record six Nigerian players featured on opening-night rosters, alongside more than 20 second-generation Nigerians in the NBA this season,” Fola Folowosele, country head, NBA Nigeria, said recently.
According to him, the 2026-27 NBA season marks an exciting time for basketball across Africa, with 75 games set to air during primetime across the continent for the first time.
In the season opener, Nigerian fans watched the Boston Celtics take on the Detroit Pistons, who rallied from a 22-point deficit to secure a 121-113 victory, spoiling Paul George’s Celtics debut despite his game-high 38 points.
Detroit’s 23-0 run in the fourth quarter proved decisive, sealing an impressive comeback. “These milestones reflect the strong connection between Nigeria and the game.”
The 2026-27 NBA season will reach fans in 214 countries and territories in over 50 languages through the league’s broadcast partners around the world and NBA League Pass.
Here are the six Nigerian players:
Ugonna Onyenso, Detroit Pistons; Charles Bassey, Golden State Warriors; Adem Bona, Philadelphia 76ers with ties to Türkiye; Precious Achiuwa, Sacramento Kings; Josh Okogie, Utah Jazz; and Felix Okpara, Washington Wizards.
Others with ties to Nigeria are:
Country: Bahamas
Name: Deandre Ayton
Team: Washington Wizards
Ties: Nigeria
Country: Greece
Name: Giannis Antetokounmpo
Team: Miami Heat
Ties: Nigeria
Country: Netherlands
Name: Tristan Enaruna
Team: Cleveland Cavaliers
Ties: Nigeria
Country: United Kingdom
Name: Tobi Lawal
Team: Dallas Mavericks
Ties: Nigeria
Country: United Kingdom
Name: OG Anunoby
Team: New York Knicks
Ties: Nigeria
Seyi John Salau is a BusinessDay Correspondent with interest in development journalism, which tells stories that connect the people, brands, and the government. SeyiJohn is also a media professional with BSc, Mass Communition (ACU); Masters of School Media (MSM, Ibadan) & MSc, Mass Communication (Caleb).
