The 2026 NBA Draft featured six athletes with Nigerian roots, underscoring the nation’s expanding impact on professional basketball. The two-day event at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center saw Ebuka Okorie, Zuby Ejiofor, Felix Okpara, Otega Oweh, Tobi Lawal, and Ugonna Onyenso selected by various teams.
Ebuka Okorie from Stanford University was the top pick among the group, selected 17th overall by the Oklahoma City Thunder with plans for a trade to the Detroit Pistons. St. John’s University product Zuby Ejiofor was chosen 23rd by the Atlanta Hawks, followed by Otega Oweh, who went 41st to the Miami Heat before an anticipated trade to the Thunder. Oweh, a Kentucky star, averaged 18.6 points per game this past season.
Rounding out the selections were Felix Okpara at 46th to the Orlando Magic, Tobi Lawal at 48th to the Dallas Mavericks, and center Ugonna Onyenso, who was drafted 53rd by the Houston Rockets. Onyenso’s path is particularly notable; he shifted from football to basketball after moving to the U.S. in 2018 and later attended the NBA Academy Africa. Remarkably, he previously became the youngest athlete to represent the Nigerian senior men’s team, the D’Tigers, at 17.
