The Nigeria Basketball Federation has appointed David Fizdale as the new head coach of Nigeria’s senior men’s national basketball team, D’Tigers.
Fizdale, a seasoned NBA coach, brings extensive experience to the role after previously managing the Memphis Grizzlies and the New York Knicks in the NBA.
Speaking after his appointment, Fizdale expressed excitement about leading the Nigerian national team and revealed that former D’Tigers coach Mike Brown played a major role in persuading him to accept the position.
“I’m super excited. I have Mike Brown to thank, who coached the team before and the year they beat the U.S. and played in Japan,” Fizdale said.
“Mike brought it up to me. After some good talks and going back-and-forth, we agreed that I was going to try to take the team to qualify.”
Brown previously guided D’Tigers during one of the team’s most memorable periods, including their historic victory over Team USA in a pre-Olympic exhibition game ahead of the Tokyo Olympics.
Fizdale’s appointment is expected to boost Nigeria’s preparations for upcoming international competitions as the federation seeks to return D’Tigers to the top stage of global basketball.
