Within days of arriving in Washington DC after being drafted by the NBA's Washington Wizards, Felix Okpara went looking for the familiar.
If you guessed the practice facility, or the arena, you guessed wrong. It was none of those things. What he was looking for were the best spots to get Nigerian food in DC.
"I already checked out some of the food spots," Okpara, who was born in Lagos, told reporters during a media availability organized by NBA Africa.
"That's the first thing I did. There are some good ones. You've got to have a little taste of home. Afang is probably my favourite. Egusi too. I actually cook egusi myself."
For the 22-year-old center, Washington is going to mean way more than the city where his NBA career begins. It is also home to one of the largest Nigerian and African communities in the United States.
He believes this might make the transition to the world's biggest basketball league feel a little less daunting for a Nigerian kid who left the comfort of home at a young age to travel thousands of miles away for his basketball dream.
"I think I'm going to feel more at home," he said. "Even not just Nigerians, but people from Africa.
"Just being around them, I think that's why I love DC so much."
The city is already home to other players of Nigerian origin. There is the duo of Nigeria internationals Monday Gift and Deborah Abiodun at the NWSL's Washington Spirit, Kiki Iriafen at the WNBA's Washington Mystics, and even Okpara's teammate Deandre Ayton, whose father is Nigerian.
Whether the Wizards had that community in mind when they selected the Tenessee Volunteers star, or they did so for purely basketball reasons, it certainly will do no harm having a sense of familiarity around him.
Basketball may have brought Okpara to Washington but during the course of that journey, Nigeria has remained the thread connecting every major chapter of his life.
It began with an unexpected decision, when he decided to switch sports back home in Nigeria, leaving soccer, the country's national sport, for basketball.
"I stopped playing football when I realized I was getting a little too tall for it," he said. "Then I got introduced to basketball back in Nigeria before I came here, and that's really what sparked everything."
He fell in love with the game almost immediately: "The first time I picked up a basketball, I fell in love with it. That's what kept me motivated every day."
That passion eventually took him to the NBA Academy Africa before he moved to the United States, where he developed through high school basketball and later at Tennessee under veteran coach Rick Barnes.
"I was still very raw," Okpara said of his early days. "Most of my development came here in the USA. I had great coaches and a great system that helped shape me into the player I am today."
The path was not easy because leaving Nigeria also meant leaving behind the people who mattered the most to him: "The biggest challenge has been not seeing my family every day.
"When you're a kid coming from Africa, you're leaving everything you know behind and coming to a foreign country to chase a dream.
"Most kids don't make it. I think the ones who do are the ones with strong willpower and the right people around them."
Okpara certainly had both, and the fact that he came through all is proof positive, which is why that sacrifice made draft night especially emotional for him.
"It didn't feel real," he recalled. "My dad was jumping up and down when I FaceTimed him, and my mum was crying.
"They know how much work I've put into this. They've been there through the difficult days, so seeing everything pay off meant a lot."
The Nigerian thread in his professional life was made even stronger by seeing other players of Nigerian origin put in the work, make similar sacrifices and reap the benefits.
There was one whose story was particularly important and provided a source of inspiration for the young Okpara, even before he reached the NBA -- Giannis Antetokounmpo. Not because of championships or MVP trophies, but because their stories shared familiar beginnings.
"It's really his story that inspires me," Okpara said of the former Milwaukee Bucks star.
"His parents were Nigerian immigrants in Greece. He picked up basketball, got drafted and made it to the NBA. The way he was motivated by his family is very similar to what motivates me. That's why I started looking up to Giannis when I first began playing basketball."
Okpara was one of several players of Nigerian heritage selected in this year's NBA Draft and play in the NBA Summer League, and he acknowledged that it is a reflection of the growing influence of African basketball on the world's biggest stage.
"It says a lot," he said. "Basketball is growing really fast in Africa.
"We need more people investing in kids across the continent and giving them opportunities to show their talent and chase their dreams. There are so many talented players in Africa that nobody knows about.
"I think we're showing there's still so much more talent waiting to be discovered."
This year's draft is second only to the 2020 class when it comes to the number of Nigerian players drafted to the league. Okpara believes that those numbers places a big responsibility on this generation: "I think we've given kids an opportunity to dream.
"Whether they're in Nigeria or anywhere else in Africa, that they can see different pathways to the NBA. They can dream big and believe those dreams are possible."
His own dream, however, is just starting. Getting drafted into the NBA was one milestone, what he hopes to be the first of many. Representing Nigeria is the next, and he wants to do so in quick time.
"Playing for Nigeria is one of my goals," he said. "I've already been in contact with some of the coaches and assistant coaches. This year was different because of the draft process, but hopefully next year I'll have the opportunity to represent my country."
For now though, the rookie is focused on earning his place with the Wizards. With veterans like Anthony Davis and Deandre Ayton on the roster, Okpara is hoping to learn as much as he can, adjust to the pace of the NBA, and embrace the daily work that comes with professional basketball.
"The biggest thing for me is being a sponge," he said. "I'm surrounded by guys like AD, DA and Alex who have been in the league for a long time. I just want to learn from them.
"They can help point me in the right direction and help me play this game for a long time. As a rookie, I'm excited to soak up everything I can."
And then there is the legend himself, coach and NBA icon Patrick Ewing, who played against unarguably Nigeria's biggest basketball legend, Hakeem Olajuwon.
As a big himself, Okpara believes Ewing, widely known as the big man whisperer, will be key to his own development: "I'm trying to learn everything I can from him.
"He talks about how different the NBA was when he played, when there were a lot more traditional big men. Now it's a much more perimeter-oriented game.
"He's shared stories about battling Hakeem and given me little tips that will help my development. Having him as one of our coaches is going to be a huge part of my growth."
But once the basketball ends, Washington offers reminders of home for the youngster, who proved he could still bleed green and white as he showed off his Nigerian pidgin when asked what Nigerians should expect of him.
"I go give am my all representing our country," he said. "Naija no dey carry last.
"Every opportunity wey I get, I go play hard and show say Nigeria be number one for Africa."
