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For decades, men's basketball has been a forte for the United States at the Summer Olympic Games. Winning more than a dozen Olympic gold medals, Team USA has entered as the favorite in nearly every Summer Olympic Games it has competed in. With that said, earning Olympic gold medals in men's basketball has proven to be more and more difficult for Team USA over the years. As the game has spread to Europe and South America, Argentina, France and even Canada have presented problems for America in years past. However, Team USA has been able to beat teams from the continent of Africa pretty handily. In fact, America beat Nigeria by 83 points in 1992 and 43 points in 2016. Over the weekend, the team in green got their revenge.
Playing physical defense and shooting well from deep, Nigeria was able to walk away with a three-point win against Team USA during a string of exhibition games in Las Vegas. Nigeria's close win was capped off by a poster-worthy block from Prince Achiuwa as Kevin Durant went up for a dunk.
While the win was a step in the right direction for Nigeria, D'Tigres Head Coach Mike Brown still feels there is more work ahead for his squad. Having defeated Team USA in an exhibition, Brown wants his team to keep their eyes on the prize, an Olympic gold medal.
"It was an exhibition and at the end of the day it doesn't mean much in the standings," Brown said after his team's upset win.
"But it's a good win for us. I don't think any African team has been able to beat USA Basketball."
Nigeria's Olympic hopes are powered by a roster that includes Gabe Nnamdi of the Miami Heat, Al-Farouq Aminu of the Chicago Bulls and more than ten other current and former NBA players.
“There are more players of Nigerian descent in the NBA than probably any other country besides the U.S.,” Brown told Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated.
“And so the talent is there. It’s just about getting everybody organized and on the same page and getting everybody excited about playing and wanting to be a part. And so there are right around 10 or so guys in the NBA that are going to come and try out for the team. So looking forward to mixing some of that NBA talent with some very talented individuals that are playing professionally in Europe and abroad.”
Nigeria will take the court in Las Vegas again on July 12 against Argentina.
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