Nigeria’s men’s basketball team, D’Tigers, has fallen four places in the latest world rankings released by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA).
The team dropped from 39th to 42nd globally, with 299.7 points. They now sit sixth among African teams.
South Sudan has become the top-ranked African side, rising from 34th to 23rd in the world, overtaking Côte d’Ivoire. Angola, Tunisia, and Egypt round out Africa’s top five.
The United States retained their top spot globally, while Serbia moved up to second place with 758.9 points, surpassing Germany.
Basketball fans in Nigeria have expressed concern over the team’s decline. Femi Olatubosun told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN): “Sadly, D’Tigers has continued to drop in the scheme of things, this is due to lack of competition and absence from major championships.
“I urge the federation to look critically at this and organise some friendly games for the team before the qualifiers for the Africa Cup begin.”
Another fan, Anthony Bernard, said: “D’Tigers have dropped in the world rankings because there is neglect from the federation, the team needs to get back and challenge for titles.
“The federation should organise friendly matches so that they can gather enough points and regain their top spot in Africa and in the world.”
D’Tigers were previously the top-ranked African team before the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. They remain the only African side to have defeated the US national team.
