D’Tigress’ Head Coach Wakama named Olympics best female basketball coach

At the Paris 2024 Olympics, Rena Wakama, the head coach of Nigeria's senior women's basketball team, D'Tigress, has been crowned the best female basketball coach. On Sunday night, the International Basketball Federation's X handle tweeted, "Best coach of #Paris2024 Women's Basketball, Rene Wakama, Nigeria."

When the 32-year-old captain led the women's basketball team to a 79-70 victory over Canada, they advanced to their first-ever Olympic quarterfinals. Nevertheless, their Olympic adventure came to an end in the women's basketball quarterfinals, as they were defeated by the eventual winners, the United States, 88-74.

In spite of this, the team achieved the remarkable distinction of being the only men's and women's African basketball team to get to the round of 16. Since the women's Afrobasket tournament began in 1966, Wakama is the first coach of the Nigerian National Female Basketball Team to win the championship. In the championship game, D'Tigress defeated Senegal 84-74, making Nigeria the only nation to win the championship four times in a row.

She has, in fact, cemented her reputation in Nigerian women's basketball history. ⁩A'ja Wilson (USA), Gabby Williams (France), Breanna Stewart (USA), Alanna Smith (Australia), and Emma Meesseman (Belgium) are the events' All-Star Five. Ezinne Kalu, the point guard for D'Tigress and a three-time Afrobasket winner, was also selected as one of the All-Second.