Team USA vs Nigeria Exhibition Game Thread

Team USA’s Men’s basketball team will have their first exhibition against Nigeria on Saturday at 8 p.m. EST. The game will be hosted at the Michelob ULTRA Arena at Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas Nevada. It is the first of three exhibition games the team will play in Las Vegas. Argentina and Australia are also participating.

The Nigerian team, which will bring 15 players to Las Vegas before cutting the roster down to the final 12, features a lot of talent. Many of the names will be familiar to college basketball fans and the majority of the roster has NBA experience.

Their current roster includes: Josh Okogie, Gabe Vincent, Jordan Nwora, Chimezie Metu, Jahlil Okafor, Obi Emegano, Caleb Agada, Stan Okoye, Kz Okpala, Precious Achiuwa, Miye Oni, Ekpe Udoh, Mike Gbinije, Chima Moneke, and Ike Iroegbu.

Okogie, Okafor, and Achiuwa are probably the names most familiar to NBA fans but this team has a lot of length and athleticism on the wings as well. It’s also worth mentioning that guard Ike Iroegbu is a former member of the Capital City Go-Go.

Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images

When asked about his role on Team USA, Wizards’ guard Bradley Beal said, “Personally, I want to defend. I want to be one of the best defenders on the team.” If coach Gregg Popovich is on board with that plan, expect to see Beal chasing around players like Okogie or Miye Oni of the Utah Jazz.

The full Team USA roster includes: Bam Adebayo (Miami Heat), Bradley Beal (Washington Wizards), Devin Booker (Phoenix Suns), Durant, Jerami Grant (Detroit Pistons), Draymond Green (Golden State Warriors), Jrue Holiday (Milwaukee Bucks), Zach LaVine (Chicago Bulls), Damian Lillard (Portland Trail Blazers), Kevin Love (Cleveland Cavaliers), Khris Middleton (Milwaukee Bucks) and Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics).

Use this space to chat about tonight’s game, and feel free to chat about tonight’s Mystics vs. Sky game as well. It’s their last game before the Olympic Break.