Six-time Nigerian champions Rivers Hoopers have made a major statement ahead of the 2026 Nigeria Premier Basketball League (NPBL) playoffs, securing the high-profile signing of veteran Tunisian point guard Omar Abada.
The 33-year-old playmaker joins the Port Harcourt-based side as they look to recapture the national championship and will be instrumental for the KingsMen when they play on home soil as the playoffs get underway on 29 August, at the Basketball Stadium on Niger Street.
Known for his composure, pick-and-roll mastery, and perimeter shot-making, Abada brings an elite, trophy-laden resume to the Hoopers backcourt.
On the international stage, the point guard anchored Tunisia during back-to-back FIBA AfroBasket titles in 2017 and 2021, averaging 12.7 points, 4.7 assists, and 4.0 rebounds per game during their successful title defense in Kigali to earn an All-AfroBasket First Team selection.
His scoring power and distribution have also been on full display across international competitions. During the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup African Qualifiers, Abada averaged 14.5 points and 3.1 assists per game, while posting 11.7 points and 4.0 assists per game in the 2019 FIBA World Cup proper in China, where he led all players in preliminary-round steals.
In continental club action, Abada’s Basketball Africa League (BAL) credentials include being named as an All-BAL First Team honoree in the league’s inaugural 2021 season, during which he averaged 11.0 points and 5.2 assists per game to guide US Monastir to the final. He featured for Côte d’Ivoire’s ABC Fighters in 2023 and reached new statistical heights during the 2026 BAL campaign with Club Africain, where he posted 18.7 points, 7.6 assists, and 2.6 rebounds per game.
Beyond the African continent, Abada has tested himself in top leagues across Europe and the Middle East. His club tour includes a spell in France’s LNB Pro B with Saint-Chamond, as well as stints with Saudi Arabian side Al-Ittihad Jeddah—where he averaged 24.5 points and 6.6 assists per game—Syria’s Al Wahda Damascus, and Egyptian giants Al Ahly.
Abada is well-known among Nigerian basketball fans who have seen the veteran’s skills in action. He featured in the 2017 Afrobasket final as Tunisia beat Nigeria 77-65 to clinch the title, as well as in Lagos during the 2023 FIBA Olympic pre-qualifying tournament, where he averaged 24.0 points and 7.5 assists per game.
Most recently, the skilled playmaker starred in a tightly contested 81-84 defeat against Nigeria’s D’Tigers in the FIBA World Cup African Qualifiers in July, leading the stats sheet with 21 points, 8 assists, and 6 rebounds in Radès.
Abada joins a Rivers Hoopers side hungry for success, having suffered an agonisingly narrow defeat in the championship game of the NPBL last season, and his quality—as well as experience—is expected to elevate the Hoopers’ offensive tempo as they navigate the eight-team playoffs for the 2026 NPBL season.
