By our reporter 19.10.2025
Nneka Ogwumike has lamented the world basketball governing body FIBA’s rejection of her appeal for the third time to play for Nigeria’s D’Tigress.
Ogwumike who had played for the USA team winning two World Cups was hoping to be in the D’Tigress in the upcoming World Cup and 2028 Olympics
“After the second time trying to appeal, I made my peace with it. The third time, I was like, let me say I gave it my all. I’m kind of at the point where I’m very much over it,” Nneka Ogwumike told The Associated Press in an interview.
“It’s unfortunate, but there’s just certain things you can’t control.”
The governing body then said her appeal to play in last year’s Paris Games came after the deadline. FIBA discourages athletes from playing for more than one senior national team in their careers, and Ogwumike revealed that USA Basketball told her not to try to get a passport from another country when she was younger.
“My involvement with USA is for them, their strongest point, but it doesn’t necessarily make the sense that it does to the individual that’s being penalised for it,” Ogwumike said.
“You guys are going to continue using this excuse over and over again. I’m not about to beat a dead horse. I gave it an honest try so I feel fine about it.”
With her career records, the US would surely want her to their team, or at the very least, not represent Nigeria, which is up-and-coming in the Olympic stage. The country became the first African nation to reach the quarterfinals of the Olympics at the Paris Games before losing to the US. Ogwumike feels that this has a hand in her case. She now hopes that her fight to try to play for Nigeria will help shed some light on the process and “how people decide to pick their nationalities when they want to represent their country.”
Nneka Ogwumike...