By Victor Kanayo
Three Basketball players of Nigerian descent – Jonathan Mogbo, Oso Ighodaro and Adem Bona have made history in the NBA.
Also, Ulrich Chomche, a talented basketball player from Cameroon, a total of four Africans made the cut this term.
This is after they were selected in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft.
The announcement happened at ESPN’s Seaport District Studios in Manhattan, New York.
Unlike recent years, the 2024 draft took place over two nights between June 26 and 27, 2024.
While initially projected for the late second round, the players defied expectations.
This continues a strong trend for Nigerian basketball.
For the past 10 years, at least one player with Nigerian roots has been selected in the NBA Draft.
Mogbo, from the University of San Fransisco, surprised everyone by being drafted 31st overall by the Toronto Raptors.
Ighodaro’s journey also took an interesting turn. Mock drafts placed him with the Memphis Grizzlies at 58th, but he ended up being picked earlier by the Portland Trail Blazers at 40th overall, via a trade with the Atlanta Hawks.
Bona, on the other hand, followed his projected path.
Originally expected to be drafted 41st by the Philadelphia 76ers, he landed exactly at that spot, solidifying his place in the NBA.
Chomche representing NBA Academy Africa—an elite basketball training centre in Saly, Senegal— was selected 57th overall by the Memphis Grizzlies in the 2024 NBA Draft presented by State Farm.
In all, there were 58 athletes drafted altogether with 30 making the first round, 28 the second.
The 2024 NBA draft was the 78th edition of the National Basketball Association’s annual draft.
Four-time NBA Most Valuable Player LeBron James, who is a four-time NBA champion, has said he would like to play alongside his son next season — in what would be the first father-son combination in NBA history.
