Precious Achiuwa in contention to play for Nigeria in Tokyo Olympics
Miami Heat center Precious Achiuwa is among approximately 35 players in contention to play for Nigeria in the Tokyo Olympics set to begin on July 23 in Japan, according to Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press.
Nigeria, which is led by Golden State Warriors assistant coach Mike Brown, begins a tryout camp this weekend in Oakland, California. The group of players will need to be cut to a 12-man roster prior to the start of the games.
In addition to Achiuwa, who was born in Port Harcourt, other NBA players expected to be in the mix to make the final roster include Al-Farouq Aminu, Chimezie Metu, Josh Okogie and Zeke Nnaji.
Preliminary play in basketball, which will feature 12 teams spread across three groups, will begin July 25 and run through Aug. 2. The quarterfinals will start on Aug. 3 and consist of the top two teams in each group from the preliminary phase.
The semifinals will take place on Aug. 5 with the gold and bronze medal games on Aug. 7.
Nigeria qualified for the Olympics after becoming the top African country in the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup. They will open play in Group B, which also features Australia and two other teams to be determined after the qualifying tournament.
The presence of Nigerian-born players or those of Nigerian heritage was on full display in the NBA this year. Including Achiuwa, there were seven players drafted last year that are either from the country or have at least one parent born there.
Achiuwa just wrapped up a strong rookie season with the Heat, averaging five points and 3.4 rebounds in 61 games. He posted three double-doubles, including a career-high 23 points and 10 rebounds in the regular-season finale on May 16.
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