October 26, (THEWILL) – The 2026-27 Nations Basketball Association (NBA) season kicked off last week, with a record six Nigerian-born players on opening-night rosters. The league confirmed on October 20 that a record of more than 60 players born in Africa, or with at least one parent born on the continent, are on rosters for the new campaign.
More than 25 of them are from Nigeria or have a Nigerian parent. The NBA said this marks the sixth consecutive season with at least 120 international players and the 13th straight season with at least 100.
The NBA listed the likes of Ugonna Onyenso of the Detroit Pistons, Charles Bassey of the Golden State Warriors, Adem Bona of the Philadelphia 76ers, Precious Achiuwa of the Sacramento Kings, Josh Okogie of the Utah Jazz and Felix Okpara of the Washington Wizards as Nigerian players.
In this piece, Let’s take a deep dive into the profiles of the six Nigerian players to watch in the NBA this season.
Joshua Okogie
Okogie is a Nigerian-American who plays for the Utah Jazz and the D’Tigers.
He played college basketball for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, and was selected 20th overall in the 2018 NBA draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves, where he spent his first four seasons before signing with the Phoenix Suns in 2022. Okogie played as a shooting guard for the Houston Rockets and he averaged 4.5 points, 2.6 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game last season.
He played a career-high 78 regular-season games for the Rockets (32 starts), averaging 4.5 points, 2.6 rebounds, 0.9 assists and 0.8 steals in 17.4 minutes per game. He shot 42.5 per cent from the field and a career-best 38.5 per cent from three-point range (on 2.1 attempts per game), well above his prior career mark of 31.2 per cent.
He appeared in six playoff games during Houston’s first-round series against the Los Angeles Lakers, averaging 4.8 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.2 steals in 17.3 minutes while maintaining the same 38.5 per cent three-point accuracy.
Okogie joined the Utah Jazz in July ahead of the new NBA season. He will be expected to improve on his output this season as the Utah Jazz target a play-off spot at the end of the season. He was part of the D’Tigers team at the 2025 FIBA AfroBasket.
Ugonna Kingsley
Kingsley was born in Owerri in the Eastern part of Nigeria on September 25 2004. He currently plays for the Detroit Pistons as a Centre in the NBA.
He played college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats, Kansas State Wildcats and Virginia Cavaliers. He has also played for the D’Tigers, where he was the youngest player to ever play for the team at age 17.
He is set to play his first season in the NBA this term after he was selected by the Houston Rockets with the 53rd overall pick in the 2026 NBA draft, afterward was traded to the New York Knicks, and later to the Detroit Pistons for cash considerations.
He signed a two-way contract with the Pistons. Kingsley will be hoping to impress in his first-ever season in the NBA. He made his debut for Nigeria in 2021, recording 10 points, four rebounds and two blocks in 16 minutes against Uganda to become the youngest player to represent Nigeria at the age of 17.
Adem Bona
Bona was born in Lagos on March 23, 2003 and he plays for the Philadelphia 76ers and the Turkish national team. He plays as a Power Forward. He played college basketball for the UCLA Bruins. Named a McDonald’s All-American in high school, he was named to the Pac-12 All-Defensive Team and voted the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year in 2023.
Bona was a first-team All-Pac-12 selection and voted the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year in 2024. He was selected by the 76ers in the second round of the 2024 NBA draft. He made his NBA debut in a 124–109 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2024-25 season.
He averaged 5.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 0.5 assists in 58 matches in his rookie campaign. However, Bona averaged of 4.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and 0.5 assists for Philadelphia during the 2025–26 NBA season. In this new season, he will be targeting an improvement on his output, especially with the acquisition of LeBron James, which is expected to boost the title chances of the 76ers.
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Charles Bassey
Bassey was born in Lagos on October 28, 2000 and he currently plays for the Golden State Warriors in the NBA.
He played college basketball for the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers. He was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round of the 2021 NBA draft with the 53rd overall pick.
Bassey has played for the likes of Philadelphia 76ers, San Antonio Spurs, Memphis Grizzlies, Santa Cruz Warriors before returning to the Philadelphia 76ers for his second spell.
Last season, He averaged 5.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 0.5 assists per game.
Bassey will be looking to establish himself at the Philadelphia 76ers this season in the new season.
He is currently battling with a knee injury but he is expected to be back in action next month to begin his first full season at the 76ers.
Precious Achiuwa
Achiuwa was born in Port-Harcourt on September 19, 1999 and he currently plays for the Sacramento Kings in the NBA.
He played college basketball for the Memphis Tigers, earning conference player of the year honours as a freshman in the American Athletic Conference (AAC) in 2020.
He was selected by the Miami Heat in the first round of the 2020 NBA draft with the 20th overall pick. After his rookie year ended in Miami, he was traded to the Toronto Raptors during the 2021 offseason before being traded to the New York Knicks in 2023.
He later returned to the Heat in 2025. He was waived by the Heat after the preseason but signed with the Sacramento Kings in November 2025.
Last season, Achiuwa made 73 appearances (including 57 starts) for the Kings during the 2025–26 season, recording averages of 10.1 points (a career–high), 6.7 rebounds, and 1.4 assists.
As a Center Forward, He needs to step up with his output for the Sacramento Kings in the new season. He is highly-rated at the club and the fans will be expecting a lot from him this season.
Felix Okpara (Centre)
Okpara was born in Lagos on April 20, 2004 ans he plays for the Washington Wizards in the NBA.
He played college basketball for the Ohio State Buckeyes and Tennessee Volunteers.
Okpara was drafted by the Orlando Magic with the 46th overall pick in the 2026 NBA draft then immediately traded to the Washington Wizards.
He recorded 7.1 points and 6.4 rebounds per game during his first season and junior season at Tennessee in 2024–25.
Okpara averaged 8.0 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game in his final and senior season in 2025–26.
He is set to play in the NBA for the first time in his career this season.
Pundits in the NBA have tipped him to have a breakout season due to his potential.
