RIVERS HOOPERS REUNITE WITH RAPHIAEL PUTNEY AS NPBL PLAYOFFS COME TO PORT HARCOURT

PORT HARCOURT, Nigeria – Rivers Hoopers have signed forward Raphiael Putney ahead of the 2026 Nigeria Premier Basketball League (NPBL) which begins this weekend in Port Harcourt.

Putney returns to Nigeria’s six-time champions, having previously anchored the franchise during the 2025 Basketball Africa League (BAL) season.

The 6-foot-10 versatile forward brings NBA G-League All-Star pedigree, elite rim protection and perimeter shooting to the KingsMen. A UMass product, Putney played professionally throughout Europe, Africa and Latin America with stops at Élan Chalon in France, Maccabi Haifa in Israel, Petro de Luanda in Angola and the Cape Town Tigers in South Africa.

He made headlines in October 2025 by scoring 55 points for Tanzanian team Dar City in a 102–50 Road to BAL Group D win against Djabal Basket Club of Comoros. That performance made him the first player in Road to BAL history to surpass the 50-point mark in a single game.

He will get his first taste of the NPBL when he suits up for the KingsMen during the postseason.

Putney’s signing completes a high-profile roster rebuild for the Port Harcourt-based team – which also added rebounding leader Peter Olisemeka, Tunisian guard Omar Abada and Greek-Nigerian big man Nikolaos Okekuoyen – as they prepare to host the eight-team, round-robin playoffs from August 29 to September 6 in Port Harcourt.

Check Also

Fake agencies, ghost workers: Tinubu approves forensic audit of IPPIS, Ministries, Agencies

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has tasked the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for Economy, …

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *