Desmond Bane to switch allegiance to Nigeria for 2028 Olympics?

by Devesh Jaganath

image Desmond Bane to switch allegiance to Nigeria for 2028 Olympics?
Nigeria’s hopes of making a splash on the international basketball stage could receive a significant boost in the near future, with Desmond Bane suggesting that he would be open to switching allegiance from the United States to join D’Tigers for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

Orlando Magic star ‘to spearhead’ D’Tigers NBA recruitment 

Nigeria is widely known for producing some of the greatest athletes globally, and this is no different in the NBA, where several of the league’s top players hail from Nigerian heritage, such as Josh Okogie of the Houston Rockets. Check out our NBA predictions.

The latest player who could make the switch from the USA to their African homeland is Orlando Magic guard Desmond Bane, who has signalled his interest in joining D’Tigers for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Speaking in a media interview about the possibility of switching allegiance, Bane said: 

"I would for sure. We just need to get all the Nigerians together for the Olympics coming up in the next couple years and make something happen. I'd talk to Aaron Nesmith. Me and Gabe Vincent also talked about it a little bit. We need to do it.”

With Okogie, Precious Achiuwa and Adem Bona already listed as Nigerian players, and the possibility of Bane, Nesmith and Vincent joining the team in the coming years, D’Tigers could send out a formidable team in search of a medal at the Los Angeles Olympics.

Nigeria made their first appearance at the Games in 2012 and also featured in 2016 and 2020 before missing out in 2024. Their first chance to qualify for the 2028 edition will come at the 2027 FIBA World Cup in Qatar, where they will need to finish as the highest-ranked of the five African participating nations. 

Bane hoping to snap Magic’s four-game losing streak

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The Orlando Magic are having a mixed season in the NBA, currently sat in eighth place in the Eastern Conference with a 23-22 record, two wins behind the seventh-placed Miami Heat, while the Bulls and Hawks are also on 23 wins each. 

Orlando suffered their fourth loss in a row on Monday when they were beaten 114-98 by the Cleveland Cavaliers, which confirmed our basketball predictions. Bane finished with 19 points, four rebounds, and one block. He drained three of the team’s 11 three-pointers. 

For the season, the Magic’s guard is averaging 18.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.7 threes in 35.1 minutes per game. Orlando will travel to the Kaseya Center tonight to face the Heat, where a victory could close the gap to seventh to just one win.