Nigeria’s women’s basketball team, D’Tigress, has achieved a historic milestone by securing eighth place in the latest FIBA world rankings.
The world basketball governing body released the rankings on Thursday, showing that the six-time AfroBasket champions have climbed four spots to enter the top 10 teams globally.
With this achievement, D’Tigress becomes the first African team—male or female—to break into the top 10 of the FIBA world rankings.
The team’s impressive rise in the global rankings is attributed to their outstanding performance at the Paris Olympics.
D’Tigress made history by defeating both Australia and Canada in the group stage, becoming the first African team to reach the Quarter-Finals at the Olympics.
However, their remarkable run was halted by the USA in the Quarter-Finals.
D’Tigress’ exceptional performance also earned their head coach, Rena Wakama, the title of best coach in the women’s basketball event.
The United States, the reigning Olympic champions, maintains the top spot in the global rankings, followed by Australia and France. China and Spain round out the top five teams in women’s basketball.