It was a sleepy Saturday night exhibition game, not important in the grand scheme of things, just a glorified scrimmage for the U.S. men’s basketball team as it prepares for the Olympics. Keep in mind that the U.S. had never lost to a team from the continent of Africa. Nigeria was also a team that had lost to the U.S. by 83 points (156-73) in the 2012 Olympics. In exhibition games, the Americans were 54-2 coming into Saturday night’s contest.
But times are different now. Basketball is an increasingly international game, with more and more players reaching the NBA from outside the U.S. The game has grown in Nigeria as well, and their lineup featured five NBA players, including Gabe Vincent of the Miami Heat, who scored 21 points.
“There are more players of Nigerian descent in the NBA than probably any other country besides the U.S. 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.
