Nigeria’s D’Tigress unveil a loaded 20-player roster for the 2025 FIBA Women’s AfroBasket. Led by FIBA Euroleague star Amy Okonkwo, WCBA star Ezinne Kalu, and Promise Amukamara, the reigning champions chase a historic fifth straight title amid WNBA player-release controversy.
Last Updated on
June 26, 2025
.jpg)
Nigeria's senior women's national team, D'Tigress, will begin preparations for the 2025 FIBA Women's AfroBasket with a 20-player roster. The Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF) has confirmed the preliminary squad as the defending champions look to retain their FIBA AfroBasket crown.
The list brings together a strategic blend of notable names, familiar faces, and emerging talents determined to maintain Nigeria's status as the leading nation in African women's basketball. However, the roster notably omits one of Nigeria's standout stars from the 2024 Paris Olympic campaign, raising questions about WNBA availability regulations and selection ahead of the continental title defense.
D'Tigress have won four consecutive AfroBasket titles and enter the 2025 edition as undisputed favorites to retian their highly sought after crown.
Leading the roster is Amy Okonkwo, who starred in the 2024-2025 FIBA EuroLeague Women for French club Tango Bourges Basket. Okonkwo averaged 15.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 16.8 efficiency, guiding Bourges to a EuroLeague quarterfinal finish in her debut season.
She led the EuroLeague in free throw percentage at 91.8% and ranked fourth in three-point shooting at 43.9%. Her season earned a EuroLeague MVP nomination and a WNBA training camp deal with the Connecticut Sun this past spring. Last year, during Nigeria's 2024 Olympic campaign in Paris, Okonkwo also posted 11 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.3 per game.
Ezinne Kalu returns after a dominant 2024-2025 season with Zhejiang Golden Bulls in China's WCBA, where she averaged 21.5 points. Kalu added 4.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game during the season. Last year, the point joined historic ranks when she became the first HBCU alumna in the WNBA in over 15 years while playing for the Atlanta Dream. During last year's 2024 Women's Olympic Basketball Tournament, Kalu contributed 18.5 points, three rebounds and four assists.
Also back is Promise Amukamara, who averaged 12.5 points, 2.3 rebounds and 5.5 assists at the Paris 2024 Olympic tournament. Nicole Enabosi had a standout season in France's La Boulangère Wonderligue, posting 14 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. Enabosi also connected on 38.5% of her attempts from three-point range, giving D'Tigress a stretch-forward weapon.
The roster includes returnees Victoria Macaulay, Christabel Ezumah and Lauren Ebo, all vital contributors in Nigeria's frontcourt rotation. New call-ups for Grace Efosa, who this past year in the NCAA averaged 13.4 points 4.3 rebounds and 1.7 assists for the Providence Friars and and Solape Amusan, a 6'1'' forward who most recently played at Maristas Coruna in Span's LF2, where she posted 10.9 points, 5.3 rebounds whilst shooting 39% from long range. Both of who will compete for final roster spots as Nigeria eyes a fifth straight AfroBasket title.
However, D'Tigress will miss the key defensive presence of Murjanatu Musa, who remains unavailable due to apparent team restrictions in the WNBA, which appears to be an ongoing imbalance in the league's international player release decisions.
Players such as Temi Fágbénlé (Great Britain), Leonie Fiebich (Germany) and Teaira McCowan (Turkey) were cleared for FIBA EuroBasket. Meanwhile, WNBA franchises appear to be restricting African players from representing their nations at the 2025 FIBA Women's AfroBasket.
Despite the setback, the 20-player roster gives D'Tigress one of the deepest squads heading into this year's continental tournament. Nigeria's goal remains clear—defend the AfroBasket crown and continue their dominance as the continent's premier women's basketball force.
There is still no word that head coach Rena Wakama, who the Chicago Sky recently hired, will lead D'Tigress' title defense in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. Nonetheless, the squad will need to be trimmed down in the coming weeks before the final 12-player team is announced for the tournament.
.jpg)
.jpg)
