International Basketball Federation (FIBA) has named head coach of D’Tigress Rena Wakama as the best female basketball coach at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
The federation announced this on Sunday.
Wakama, the first Nigerian female basketball team coach, guided Nigeria to a historical quarter-finals spot in Paris which was the first time an African team (both men and women) would reach that level of the competition.
Her team narrowly lost 74-88 to Team USA.
Under her guidance, the team secured memorable victories against the world’s top-ranked teams, including Australia (ranked third) and Canada (ranked fifth).
Appointed in June 2023 amid widespread scepticism because of her limited international experience, the 32-year-old shattered records and made history at the summer games.
Wakama was born in Raleigh, North Carolina, on April 11, 1992. Johnson Wakama and Rosana Oba, her parents, are natives of Okrika in Rivers State.
Last year, she led the team to win the women’s Afrobasket championship by defeating Senegal 84-74. She made history as the first female coach to win the competition since it began in 1966. It was Nigeria’s fourth consecutive victory at the championship.
