Nigeria has not enjoyed much representation at the NBA Draft in recent years, but the 2026 edition turned the trend on its head, with no fewer than six Nigerians making their way into the league. Chances were initially high for 10 Nigerians ahead of the draft at Barclays Centre on June 23 and 24, but ultimately, six would hear their names called, a significant turnaround from last year’s no-show for the country.

Of the six Nigerian players drafted this year, Felix Okpara and Ugonna Onyenso, both drafted in the second round by the Washington Wizards and Detroit Pistons, respectively, are Nigerian-born. The quartet of Ebuka Okorie, Toibu Lawal, Otega Oweh and Zuby Ejiofor are American-Nigerian talent.

The last time Nigeria had this much representation was in 2020, a standout year that saw nine players of Nigerian descent picked, including Precious Achiuwa and Udoka Azubuike, who were the third and fourth Nigerian-born players to be drafted in the first round since 2000. It is a welcome return for Nigeria into the conversation, especially after last year’s zero, when the duo of South Sudan’s Khaman Maluach and Senegal’s Saliou Niang kept the continent afloat in the 2025 Draft. For a country whose NBA lineage includes icons such as Hakeem Olajuwon and Giannis Antetokounmpo, the incremental growth of Nigerian representation in the league could not be more timely, and it is a moment that earns the six players selected a much closer look.

Nigeria’s 2026 NBA Draft Class

Ebuka Okorie (Pick 17, Detroit Pistons)

Okorie led the ACC in scoring as a freshman at Stanford, putting up 23.2 points per game and earning himself a green room invitation in the process. The Pistons made a bold move to jump up a few spots, ahead of the Toronto Raptors at No. 19, to secure one of the top point guards in the class. Quick and wiry with sharp playmaking instincts, Okorie profiles as a complementary piece alongside Cade Cunningham and is expected to be an immediate contributor to Detroit’s backcourt.

Zuby Ejiofor (Pick 23, Atlanta Hawks)

6-foot-9 centre Zuby Ejiofor began his college career at Kansas before transferring to St. John’s, where he developed into one of the most decorated players in the programme’s recent history. He swept Big East Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and Scholar-Athlete of the Year honours in his final season, averaging 16.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.1 blocks per game. The Hawks landed a physical, two-way forward with a 7-foot-2 wingspan and the kind of motor that tends to age well.

Otega Oweh (Pick 41, Oklahoma City Thunder)

Oweh was born to Nigerian parents of both Urhobo and Igbo heritage, and his family already has one sibling in major league sports, with brother Odafe a first-round NFL pick currently with the Washington Commanders. A high-motor scorer at Kentucky who excelled getting downhill, he was originally drafted by the Miami Heat before being traded to Oklahoma City. He joins a Thunder squad built for the long haul and will compete for rotation minutes under Sam Presti.

Felix Okpara (Pick 46, Washington Wizards)

Okpara grew up playing football and picked up basketball in Nigeria shortly before moving to the United States in August 2018. The Lagos State-born centre played two seasons at Ohio State before transferring to Tennessee, where he ranked in the top ten nationally in blocks and earned 2025-26 SEC All-Defensive Team honours. Originally drafted by the Orlando Magic, he was traded to Washington, where he arrives as a long-term project at the five alongside a young core in need of frontcourt depth.

Toibu Lawal (Pick 48, Dallas Mavericks)

Like Hakeem Olajuwon before him, Lawal did not pick up a basketball until he was a teenager, 16 years old in his case, growing up in London and starring for the City of London Academy before crossing the Atlantic. He started his college career at VCU before transferring to Virginia Tech, where, as a senior, he posted 12.3 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 29.1 minutes per game on 54% shooting from the floor. Dallas gets a versatile, late-bloomer forward with a strong physical base and plenty of developmental runway.

Ugonna Onyenso (Pick 53, Detroit Pistons)

The Imo Owerri-born centre first picked up basketball after a local coach pulled him away from soccer, then spent three years at the NBA Academy Africa in Senegal before making his way stateside. At 17, he became the youngest player ever to suit up for the Nigerian senior national team. His block rate of 17.4 percent was the best in college basketball, and after stints at Kentucky, Kansas State and Virginia, he lands in Detroit alongside compatriot Okorie, giving the Pistons two Nigerian prospects to develop in the same rebuild.

“I’m really surprised. Coming from Africa, where basketball isn’t the main priority, achieving this goal means a lot. The NBA Academy helped shape me mentally,” Onyenso said.