Nigeria’s senior men’s basketball team, D’Tigers, has dropped four places in the latest FIBA world rankings, now standing at 42nd globally.
The former African champions, who previously held the 39th position, now rank sixth in Africa with 299.7 points.
In contrast, South Sudan made a significant leap, moving from 34th to 23rd in the world rankings, becoming Africa’s top-ranked team, surpassing Cote d’Ivoire. Angola, Tunisia, and Egypt round out the continent’s top five.
Meanwhile, the United States remains at the top of the global rankings, with Serbia climbing two spots to second place, overtaking Germany.
Basketball fans and analysts have expressed concern over D’Tigers’ decline, attributing it to a lack of competitive play and absence from major championshipsSome concerned fans lamented the team’s fall from prominence, urging the federation to organize friendly games to prepare for upcoming Africa Cup qualifiers. another fan revealed these sentiments, criticizing the federation’s neglect of the team and calling for more action to restore D’Tigers to their former glory.
D’Tigers were once the leading team in Africa and are the only African side to have ever defeated the U.S. national team, a feat achieved before the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
