Even earlier than Nigeria’s self-imposed two-year ban from worldwide basketball was introduced final month, D’Tigers captain Ike Diogu noticed the writing on the wall and joined Snoop Dogg’s Big3 workforce, Bivouac.
Having beforehand turned down approaches to play within the Big3, knowledgeable 3×3 league based by rapper Ice Dice, in favour of nationwide workforce obligation, Diogu modified his thoughts this 12 months and signed on after competing within the Basketball Africa League.
The 38-year-old former Golden State Warriors participant is the co-captain of Bivouac, a workforce partially owned by Snoop Dogg, and coached by NBA legend Gary Payton.
“I’ve truly been requested to play [Big3] quite a few years. It is simply that with all my nationwide workforce stuff, I simply was by no means capable of truly do it, however this was a 12 months when issues labored out schedule-wise, so I figured I would give it a go.” Diogu advised ESPN.
“There’s a whole lot of stuff occurring with the nationwide workforce proper now, so I simply determined to decide for myself primarily based off among the suggestions that I had been getting — and never even essentially concerning the ban both.
“It is simply among the stuff occurring with me personally and the nationwide workforce. I can not actually say for anyone else — only for me personally. I simply sort of figured that my summer season was going to be freer than it had been in earlier years.”
Though he would ordinarily be making ready to symbolize his nation at the moment of 12 months, Diogu, who additionally has NBA expertise with the Indiana Pacers, Portland Path Blazers, Sacramento Kings, LA Clippers and San Antonio Spurs, is just not going to be treating the Big3 as a vacation.
“[I’ll approach the Big3 with] the identical depth [as any other tournament]. On the finish of the day, it is nonetheless basketball. It is skilled basketball. You by no means know who’s watching. For me, each time I’m going out to play is a showcase, as a result of as you begin getting older, folks take a look at that quantity [38 years old] and get sort of scared,” he stated.
“I’ve received to go on the market and show that I am nonetheless in tip-top form — show that I can nonetheless be efficient. There’s a whole lot of good gamers on this league, so the very last thing you wish to do is come out and get embarrassed since you’re not ready. That is not what I will do – I will take this with a really severe strategy.
“I am nonetheless having fun with the sport of basketball, nonetheless very efficient. So long as I am wholesome, nonetheless efficient and nonetheless having fun with it, I will proceed to play. I like taking part in with totally different gamers from totally different walks of life. Particularly, it is sort of cool once I play in opposition to a few of these tremendous younger guys who’re 19, 20, 21.
“I give them a unique perspective as a result of I got here from a unique period of basketball to the best way that it is performed now. I feel it is fairly cool to be one of many elder statesmen nonetheless left within the sport.”
Particularly, Diogu is aiming to earn one other BAL contract, having completed third with Zamalek this 12 months.
When requested how he loved the revised format of the BAL, and taking part in with a brand new workforce, he added: “It in all probability exceeded my expectations. The playoff format was fairly enjoyable, fairly cool.
“It was simply disappointing that we weren’t actually at 100%, so it was going to be sort of laborious to compete for the championship, as a result of I feel that we actually wanted to be at 100% to beat US Monastir [in the semi-finals].
“That is simply how the sport goes typically, however the whole lot was good – Rwanda was good, the basketball was nice. Every part was simply actually good concerning the league. You by no means know what the longer term holds, however I hope to play in one other version of the BAL.”
As for his worldwide profession, Diogu returned to the D’Tigers roster final November for the primary spherical of 2023 FIBA World Cup African qualifiers. However he was one in all 15 gamers who signed a letter previous to NBBF presidential elections saying that they’d withdraw from the nationwide workforce if president Musa Kida was not changed on the helm of the organisation.
Nonetheless, the ability ahead/middle has not given up on taking part in for Nigeria once more. So far as he’s involved, nonetheless, even when the ban had been to be lifted, the NBBF would nonetheless have modifications to make earlier than he would think about returning.
When requested if it was too early to rule out a D’Tigers return, Diogu stated: “I do not know. You may by no means rule out something. I feel that the query that individuals ought to ask would not actually have something to do with me, as a result of I’ve pledged my allegiance to the nation since day one.
“I feel folks must ask these folks in energy in the event that they wish to have anyone like myself on the workforce. You in all probability will not be capable to get these solutions. It should simply be a kind of questions that I do not know when you’re ever going to get the reply to. As for me, I feel everyone is aware of precisely the place my loyalty stands.”
