Tems was asked, on a BET Awards red carpet of all places, whether she would consider dating Nigerian goalkeeper Maduka Okoye. Her answer was warm, firm, and unmistakably clear. It was not happening, and not because of him personally.
The Nigerian singer told interviewers she knows who Okoye is but does not know him personally, adding that she wished she did. What followed was the more telling part of her response. She described fellow Nigerian celebrities as family rather than potential romantic prospects, framing the idea of pursuing someone within that circle as something that simply is not done. We friend each other, she said. We are family.
The question did not come out of nowhere. Okoye has spent recent months as one of the more unexpected viral figures in football, with footage of his pre-match walk during a Super Eagles friendly circulating widely online and prompting fans and outlets alike to label him the sexiest footballer in the world. His photos and interview clips have since travelled well beyond football’s usual audience, pulling him into pop culture conversations he likely did not anticipate when he first pulled on the national team jersey.
Tems, for her part, had a busy night at the 2026 BET Awards beyond fielding questions about her dating preferences. She was among the headline performers, taking part in a tribute to Lauryn Hill, who received the ceremony’s inaugural Living Legend Icon Award, and featuring in a performance segment honouring the late D’Angelo alongside Ari Lennox, Raye, and Durand Bernarr. She entered the night with three nominations, Best Female R&B/Pop Artist, BET Her for ‘First’, and Viewers’ Choice for ‘Raindance’ with Dave, but left without a win in any category.
The Okoye exchange has nonetheless become one of the more talked-about moments from her night, with online reaction focusing less on the no itself and more on how she delivered it. Okoye has not publicly responded to the interview.
