5 iconic Nigerian sport stars in history

Since the 1940s, Nigeria has reared some incredible sporting stars across multiple disciplines and sporting events. These heroes have made their fame and fortune on an international scale and helped shine the spotlight on this African nation. 

But who, in particular, shone the brightest? Below, I rank my top five iconic Nigerian sports stars in modern history. This article should hopefully give you some food for thought for your sports betting ventures too, so you can consider other nationalities and countries for your bet options when looking at this Betano registration guide for Nigerian bettors or logging in at other sportsbooks.

1. Hakeem Olajuwon – basketball

Hakeem the Dream Olajuwon is my top pick, and although he eventually gained American citizenship, he was born and raised in Lagos. This legendary NBA center is arguably the greatest two-way center of all time and this shows with his two DPOY awards and his career points average of 21.8ppg. He could do it both ends of the court and make it look effortless too. His most iconic move was the dream shake but Hakeem’s game was so much more than that!

2. Jay-Jay Okocha – football

Jay-Jay Okocha – so good, they named him twice! What a legend! He is arguably the most famous Nigerian footballer of all time, and rightly so. I remember watching him play for Nigeria in numerous FIFA World Cups and also for Bolton in the EPL. 

He was a joy to watch and scored an impressive 89 goals during his 454 club appearances. He made 73 appearances for the Nigerian international team, including the memorable USA 94 and France 98 World Cups, and the legendary Olympic team that won gold in Atlanta in 1996.

3. Celestine Babayaro – football

Babayaro was another of the legendary Nigerian footballers during their epic Olympic gold medal win in Atlanta 1996 – that team had swagger, epic celebrations and just rocked. Born in Kaduna, Babayaro enjoyed great club success with Chelsea FC in the EPL and won numerous accolades throughout his career, including the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup, UEFA Super Cup, FA Cup, Belgium First Division and the FA Charity Shield.

4. Nwankwo Kanu – football

I remember watching Kanu play for Arsenal during the late 90s and early 2000s, and this is where he had arguably his greatest success. 

Lauded as one of the greatest African players of all time, his accolades include a UEFA Champions League, UEFA Cup, three FA Cups, two African POTYs and an Olympic gold medal. Indeed, his gold medal and years of international play have made him an African favorite.

5. Dick Tiger – boxing

Born Richard Ihetu, Dick Tiger, as he was more commonly known, was an amazing Nigerian boxer from Amaigbo. He moved to Liverpool and started his professional boxing career, and eventually became the two-time undisputed world middleweight champion. 

This was during a time when the sport was losing popularity, and he helped keep the fans entertained. Over his career, Tiger had 82 fights,  which resulted in 60 wins and 19 losses, and he remains the best-known Nigerian boxer of all time.

These Nigerian sporting legends will be forever remembered

There are many more Nigerian sporting heroes, such as Mercy Akide, Enefiok Udo-Obong, Chioma Anunwa and Innocent Egbunike, but the five icons mentioned here are my top picks. Hakeem stands as my all-time favorite, as I grew up watching him play for the Rockets, but I also have fond memories of watching Jay-Jay Okocha at the 1994 USA FIFA World Cup. Who are your standout Nigerian sporting heroes? Let us know in the comments!