Basketballghana.com can confirm veteran Power Forward Ike Diogu has been left out of Nigeria’s Men’s Basketball Team to compete at the Tokyo Olympics.
Players competing in the NBA like Jahlil Okafor of Detroit Pistons, Gabe Vincent of Miami Heat, Jordan Nwora of Milwaukee Bucks and Miami Heat’s Precious Achiuwa made the cut.
The shock news came to light following the announcement of a 15 man provisional list that is set to be cut down to 12 to meet the requirement of FIBA.
The final list of players is to be confirmed by Nigeria Head Coach Mike Brown “mere days” before the Olympic Games commences on July 24. Fellow veteran Forward Al-Farouq Aminu missed the cut.
Diogu is a former first round pick who played for New York Knicks, Indiana Pacers and Golden State Warriors in the NBA and has extensive experience playing in China. He is on Chemidor Basketball Club’s roster in the Iranian Basketball League.
The 37 year old 6 foot 9 inch Forward has been a mainstay with D’Tigers helping Nigeria win the 2017 AfroBasket while bagging the Most Valuable Player Award at the competition.
Below is the full list of names that made the cut:
Josh Okogie
Gabe Vincent
Jordan Nwora
Chimezie Metu
Jahlil Okafor
Obi Emegano
Caleb Agada
Stan Okoye
Kz Okpala
Precious Achiuwa
Miye Oni
Ekpe Udoh
Mike Gbinije
Chima Moneke
Ike Iroegbu
By Yaw Adjei-Mintah
@YawMintYM on Twitter
