Benin City-based veteran, Esosa Kelvin Okundaye has been tipped to carry the weight of Nigeria’s quest for gold in the men’s 3×3 basketball event at this year’s Commonwralth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, where he will play alongside Robert Ukawuba from Lagos and USA-based Marcel Esonwune.
Sports247 gathered that while Esonwune also comes highly rated with huge credentials from his base in New York, his list of honours rolls far behind those of Okundaye, who made waves in Germany before relocating to Benin City.
Okundaye, who was born in Germany and grew up in Lörrach, Southern Baden, played youth basketball in the U19 Bundesliga, first for Dragons Rhöndorf and then BIS Baskets Speyer, which he also featured for in the men’s regional league.
The 36-year-old Okundaye, who averaged a point per game in six outings for Baskets Speyer during the 2011/2012 season, was German runner-up in the 3-on-3 basketball league in 2022 and further created an impact in politics while working as a pariamentary assistant to MEP Peter Liese.
Okundaye, who again finished second at the German Championship in 2023, was first called up to Nigeria’s 3×3 basketball national team in the same year and a few months later helped the squad place second at the African Championship in December.
He will now hope to step up from second place, as he hunts for gold at Glasgow 2026, ahead of which a statement from Nigeria Basketball Feeration (NBBF) added, “(The team is made up of) a trio that blends homegrown talent with experience drawn from the Nigerian diaspora.
“The squad comprises Esosa Kelvin Okundaye, who wears jersey number nine and hails from Benin; Marcel Esonwune, who wears number 12 and is based in New York, United States; and Robert Chima Ukawuba, who wears number four and hails from Lagos.
“Okundaye is expected to bring agility and an explosive style of play that federation officials believe will prove crucial in the fast-paced three-a-side format, while Esonwune, representing the diaspora contingent, brings international experience and veteran leadership built up in the United States.
“Ukawuba, meanwhile, is regarded as a defensive cornerstone of the team, with his physicality expected to help Nigeria compete for a medal in a discipline known for its relentless, high-intensity, where every possession can decide the difference between a podium finish and an early exit.”
