Abi Olajuwon, the daughter of Nigerian-American NBA legend Hakeem Olajuwon, has publicly criticised the Nigerian Ministry of Sports for allegedly failing to pay her after she played a significant role as an assistant coach for D’Tigress, the Nigerian women’s basketball team, at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Under the leadership of FIBA Coach of the Year Reno Wakama, D’Tigress achieved a historic victory by defeating Australia 75-62 in their opening match, marking Nigeria’s first Olympic basketball win in two decades.
Although the team lost their next game to France, they still managed to secure a spot in the quarter-finals, making history as the first African basketball team—male or female—to reach this stage in the Olympics. They were eventually defeated by the USA in the quarter-finals.
Amid widespread praise for their groundbreaking performance, Abi Olajuwon voiced concerns over financial discrepancies. She claimed that neither she nor her fellow assistant coaches have been paid the amounts promised by the ministry.
In a public statement, Abi expressed her frustration: “Achieving something at the Olympics similar to what my father did with the USA was a dream come true. However, despite the hard work and commitment from the coaching staff, we have not received the payments owed to us. It is disappointing that, while some players were paid less than what they were promised, the assistant coaches have been completely overlooked.”
Abi further revealed that her efforts to resolve the payment issue through official channels have been ignored. She also accused Coach Wakama of removing her from the team’s WhatsApp group after she raised concerns about the unpaid wages.
At the time of this report, the sports ministry has yet to respond to Abi’s allegations.
