Head coach of Nigeria’s D’Tigress, Rena Wakama, has been named the new manager of Hive BC ahead of the 2025–2026 season of the Unrivalled Basketball League in the United States.
The Unrivalled League — established in 2023 by WNBA stars Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier — kicked off its maiden season in January 2025 with six teams. The competition will expand to eight franchises when its second season begins in January 2026.
Wakama’s appointment was confirmed on Thursday as the league unveiled the full lineup of coaches for the upcoming campaign. She joins seven others who will lead teams into the league’s sophomore season.
“Rena Wakama will lead Hive BC in the team’s Unrivalled debut, following her first season as an assistant coach for the Chicago Sky,” the league announced in a statement.
Wakama also continues her role as head coach of Nigeria’s Women’s National Team. She made history in 2024 when D’Tigress became the first African team — male or female — to reach the quarterfinals of the Olympic Games.
The 32-year-old coach has enjoyed a remarkable rise in her career. She guided D’Tigress to back-to-back FIBA Women’s AfroBasket titles in 2023 and 2025, becoming the first woman to win the championship as head coach.
She also led Nigeria to a historic quarter-final appearance at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
According to the league, “After joining as head coach in June 2023, she became the first female coach to win a Women’s AfroBasket title in August 2023 and followed it with another in 2025.”
Before taking charge of the national team, Wakama served as an assistant coach at Tulane University and Stony Brook University in the U.S. Her coaching journey began at Manhattan College, where she first worked as director of basketball operations before rising to assistant coach.
As a player, she competed at Western Carolina University, laying the foundation for her future coaching success.
Wakama now joins a talented group of coaches in the Unrivalled League, including Noelle Quinn (Breeze BC), Andrew Wade (Laces BC), DJ Sackmann (Lunar Owls BC), Zach O’Brien (Mist BC), Roneeka Hodges (Phantom BC), reigning champion Nola Henry (Rose BC), and Teresa Weatherspoon (Vinyl BC).
