The Nigeria Olympic Committee, NOC, has hailed Nigeria’s senior national Basketball team, D’Tigers for their historic win of the AfroBasketball Competition beating African superpower Angola in the final.

KINGS OF AFRICA: Nigeria’s men’s national basketball team D’Tigers emerged African champions, Sunday night after beating Angola 74-65 in the final of the 2015 Afrobasket championship in Tunisia.

D’Tigers were amazingly dominant against Angola clawing them 74-65 to book a place in the Basketball event of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. The qualification of the team brought out cheers from President of NOC, Engineer Habu Gumel who hailed them as ‘heroes’.

Gumel who is a member of the International Olympic Committee, IOC, said that he was gladdened by the teeth-gritted determination of D’Tigers. ‘’We welcome D’Tigers to Rio Olympics for their wonderful display of team work and determination. We congratulate the team and the President of NBBF, Tijani Umar whose leadership quality played a key role in the team’s success’’, Gumel said.

The qualification for Rio 2016 is going to be Nigeria’s second appearance at the Olympic Basketball event after D’Tigers debut at London 2012.

Nigerian Chamberlain Oguchi was named the Most Valuable Player and also the best three pointer of the tournament.

He was also named alongside team-mate, Al-Farouk Aminu, in the best five players of the tournament.

Mozambique were given the Fair Play Award.