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Ogwumike sisters named in D’Tigress provisional Olympics squad

THE Ogwumike sisters, Nneka, Chinenye and Erica, are on the threshold of history as they have all been included in the 15-woman provisional D’Tigress squad submitted to the Nigeria Basketball Federation for the Olympics by head coach Otis Hughley.

Number one overall draft in 2012, WNBA Most Valuable Player in 2016 and current Los Angeles Sparks power forward, Nneka Ogwumike, 31, has been listed alongside Chinenye Ogwumike, 29, who had previously represented the United States of America at the U-18 and U-19 categories.

Erica, 23, completes the list of the Ogwumike sisters who may be making history as siblings playing for the same national team at the Olympic Games.

Team captain Adaora Elonu, who has also been named as the assistant captain of Team Nigeria to the Olympics, is among the regular faces in the provisional list of 15 players.

Regular trio of Promise Amukamara (Charnay BB of France), Atonye Nyingifa (Porta XI Ensino, Spain) and Ezinne Kalu (Landerneau, France) are also in line to make their debut at the Olympics as they are all in the provisional squad.

Pallas Kunayi-Akpannah, the 23-year-old centre who plays in the Italian Serie A for Pallacanestro Vigarano, is also included, alongside Ifunanya Ibekwe and Louisville point guard, Elizabeth Balogun.

Amy Okonkwo is also in consideration for the final squad of 12, same as Oderah Chidom who narrowly missed the 2018 World Cup in Spain.

Longest-standing member of the Atlanta Dream franchise in the WNBA, Elizabeth Williams, will also be on the plane to Tokyo alongside Victoria Macaulay and veteran Aisha Balarabe, who is the only member of the squad with Olympics experience having played at the Athens 2004 Games.

According to the Nigeria Basketball Federation, the final 12-woman squad will be announced before the team jet out to Japan from their camp in the USA.

The Nigerian ladies will face USA, Japan and France in Group B of the women’s basketball event at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

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Naija Times