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Basketball: Nigeria Shocks USA, Becomes First African Country To Defeat USA
On Saturday night, the Nigerian men’s basketball team accomplished something unprecedented. First African Country To Defeat USA
This occurred during an international friendly match against the United States men’s Olympic basketball team.
Nigeria defeated the USA team 90-87 in Las Vegas, in one of the most stunning international upsets in history.
This was Team USA’s first loss to an African country.
Mike Brown, a former NBA head coach, coached the Nigerian team.
Gabe Vincent, Precious Achiuwa, and KZ Okpala of the Miami Heat, Chimezie Metu of the Sacramento Kings, Josh Okogie of the Minnesota Timberwolves, and Miye Oni of the Utah Jazz comprise the Nigerian team. First African Country To Defeat USA
With Jahlil Okafor and Jordan Nwora in the mix, it could have the most NBA players on a single Olympic squad of any non-American nation in history.
The US team included Femi “Bam” Adebayo, a Nigerian-born player.
The number of three-pointers made by each team was the deciding factor between the two. Nigeria went 20 for 42, more than doubling the number of goals scored by the United States. It also won the rebounding battle by a score of 46-34.
The United States has three Olympic players: Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, and Kevin Love. First African Country To Defeat USA
Before the Olympic team was named, superstars such as LeBron James and Stephen Curry withdrew their names from consideration.
This historic win came nine years after the United States thrashed Nigeria’s basketball team 156-73 at the London Olympics. It was the most lopsided victory in Olympic men’s basketball history for the United States. One NBA player was on that Nigerian team (Al-Farouq Aminu). First African Country To Defeat USA