The FIBA Basketball World Cup(International Basketball Association),began in 1950 and is held every 4 years. Every 4th year, 32 countries battle it out in an awesome competition of national pride. What makes this tournament even more fun for NBA fans, is watching the international stars go against each other on their respective national teams. The variety of talent on these rosters is truly fascinating. You have combinations like Canada’s NBA MVP candidate Shai-Gilgeous Alexander, teaming up with the NBA’s most controversial player in Dillion Brooks, and Purdue’s 7 ‘4 National Player of the Year Award winning, Zach Edey, at center. It is a blast to watch, and all fun and smiles for NBA players getting some good work in before their season.
In the recent World Cup, Italy, USA, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Serbia, Canada, and Slovenia made it to the elimination stage. Serbia and the US cruised to easy wins, while Canada had to outlast Luka Doncic and Slovenia. Led by Dennis Schröder, Germany edged out Latvia by 2 points to set the stage for the semifinals. In the semifinals, both teams favored to win, Canada and the US, failed to capitalize on the hype, and lost. First, Serbia came out and held a very talented Canada team to 86 points, edging them out by only 9 points to advance to the Finals. In the other game, Germany and USA were neck and neck, but a dagger by Schröder, and a late turnover by Anthony Edwards ultimately gave Germany the upset win. In the 3rd place game following, USA trailed by 4 with 4.2 seconds left. Mikal Bridges had earned 2 free throws and after hitting the first he intentionally missed and got his own rebound and fired an off-balance 3 from the corner that was all net, and sent the game to OT. In OT, SGA took over, creating 7 points in 4 possessions. The US had no answer, and Canada snagged their medal. In the championship, Dennis Schröder once again came up big with 28 points to lead all scorers, and was clutch down the stretch scoring the game’s decisive final 5 points for Germany, to bring the championship home.
To keep it short and to the point, the US disappointed. Now, fourth place in the FIBA World Cup is not at all a bad performance for most countries. For the US however, they definitely let down the USA Basketball legacy a bit. For starters, the caliber of this roster was nowhere near the likes of the legendary “Dream Team” of 1992, or “Redeem Team” of 2004. The players showed their talent, but all seemed to play with a lack of passion for their country, unlike most other countries. The reason for this was probably not wanting to get injured or too fatigued before the season. This weakness allowed them to be out hustled and, ultimately, outscored. Many players, current and former, expressed their frustration with the state of USA Basketball, leading to many questions about the upcoming 2024 Olympics.
Shortly after the conclusion of the FIBA World Cup, the entourage of questions about rosters, player commitments, and coaching decisions for the Olympics was already in full swing. Suddenly, LeBron James made a commitment to playing for the US team in 2024, followed by Kevin Durant. Anthony Davis, James’ all star teammate then committed, followed by All-NBA Guard Damian Lillard, and even the reigning NBA MVP Joel Embiid committed to the US, instead of his home country, Cameroon. While controversial, the US is expected to field this stacked lineup for the Olympics. Other players available off the bench will be Steph Curry, Jayson Tatum, Devin Booker, Bam Adebayo, and Anthony Edwards. Steve Kerr will most likely return as coach, and the US should take Gold with ease. This team should be one of the most exciting teams of all time, if not the most. Unlike offseason pro-am games, and the All-Star Game, these players will be going 100%, and also unlike the All-Star team, where teams are drafted pretty evenly, this team is a combination of both, making them even more powerful.
In short, the 2023 FIBA World cup was very exciting, but underwhelming for Team USA. However, the 2024 Olympic Basketball will be must-see TV. Calling the roster a renovation is an understatement. It is a full rebuild. There are so many storylines to keep an eye on. Steph Curry and Lebron James in the same uniform for the first time. Kevin Durant will reunite with old teammates, and young stars Tatum, Booker, Adebayo, and Edwards will team up with the foundational players of the generation before them. I am so excited to watch, and you should be too.