Former NBA coach David Fizdale appointed new D’Tigers head coach
The Nigerian senior basketball team, nicknamed D’Tigers, now has a new head coach in the person of former NBA coach David Fizdale, whose appointment has been officially confirmed.
The engagement of Fizdale, who coached NBA sides including Memphis Grizzlies and New York Nicks, was confirmed on the official X handle of D’Tigers on Saturday morning.
“NEWS: David Fizdale, former NBA head coach, has been named the new head coach for D’Tigers,” the post shared by @NigeriaBasket read on X (formerly Twitter).
51-year-old Fizdale, who most recently coached in the NBA as an assistant with the Phoenix Suns from 2023 to 2025, also confirmed his appointment in a chat with ESPN on Friday.
“It will be fun and exciting calling timeouts and drawing plays up again as a head coach,” Fizdale told ESPN Andscape in a phone interview.
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“It will be good to get back in that mindset of preparation and motivation. That is going to be fun and exciting as well. But the biggest fact is the nostalgia and what is driving me to get to L.A.
“What is driving me the most is helping Nigeria not only qualify and medal but also to do that in front of my family. That would be the most special thing.”
Fizdale also thanked current Knicks head coach Mike Brown, who coached D’Tigers during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, for recommending him for the job.
“I’m super excited. I have Mike Brown to thank, who coached the team before and the year they beat the U.S. in the qualifiers and played in Japan. Mike brought it up to me. After some good talks and going back-and-forth, we agreed that I was going to try to take the team to qualify,” the coach said.
Fizdale, who currently serves as an analyst for NBA TV, now has his eyes firmly set on leading the D’Tigers to the 2028 Olympics in his hometown of Los Angeles.
