Sesi Franca wins the FIBA Intercontinental Cup in spectacular fashion in Singapur against Bon 70-69. Lucas Dias was the hero as he made a game-winning shot.

Sesi Franca qualified for the FIBA Intercontinental Cup 2023 Singapore by winning the Basketball Champions League Americas last spring, and then carried on their winning ways in Asia, too. They defeated Al Ahly 90-70 in their first game in the Singapore Indoor Stadium, then outlasted NBA G League Ignite 98-89 to finish 2-0 and win Group A. And now they won a close game against the German team that won the Basketball Champions League in Europe last May.

In a hard-fought game, Bonn made a push in the fourth quarter, the game was leaning ther way with a lead going into the final seconds, but Sesi Franca managed to get the ball in Lucas Dias’s hands and made an incredible shot for the win.

THAT’S WHAT CAPTAINS DO! Lucas Dias wins the @FIBA #IntercontinentalCup for @FrancaBasquete AT THE BUZZER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/Ndf9EsOAk5

— FIBA Intercontinental Cup (@FIBAIC) September 24, 2023

Marcio Santos led the way with 15 points, while Dias had 14 points, David Jackson added 12.

For Bonn Glynn Watson had 15 points.

PHOTO CREDIT: FIBA

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The latest dominating display for Telekom Baskets Bonn in Singapore produced the win, 111-50, against Zhejiang Golden Bulls on Saturday.

The reigning champions of the Basketball Champions League meeting the Basketball Champions League Americas counterpart Sesi Franca will decide the new FIBA Intercontinental Cup champion tomorrow, Sunday.

After scoring 28 points in the Gameday 1 win against Al Manama, Sam Griesel threw in 16 more points topping the list of six double-digit scorers for the team coached by Roel Moors. Glynn Watson Jr. had 13 points adding to the second lopsided win in a row to secure the top seed in Group B.

The Chinese Basketball Association outfit struggled, failing to build on the competitive showing beyond the top half of the first quarter. Reggie Perry registered a team-high ten points in the disappointing team effort.

Ignite to seek first win in a classification game

Earlier, Sesi Franca confirmed the top seed in Group A with a 98-89 victory versus NBA G League Ignite.

Veteran forward Jhonatan Dos Santos combined 19 points with eight rebounds. Georginho, heading to the reigning champion of Germany’s easyCredit BBL ratiopharm Ulm for the upcoming season, shared the game-high 19 points. On the losing end, John Jenkins and London Johnson tallied 15 points each.

In the final opportunity to salvage a win in Singapore, Ignite will play for fifth place against the champion of the inaugural season of the West Asia Super League Al Manama.

Settling in the middle of the group with a 1-1 record, Basketball Africa League winner Al Ahly will face Zhejiang Golden Bulls for third place in the final rankings.

Photo Credit: FIBA.BASKETBALL

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After winning the 2023 Basketball Champions League – the first trophy in the German club’s history -, Telekom Baskets Bonn got the opportunity to represent Europe in the 2023 FIBA Intercontinental Cup, entering the competition against West Asia Super League champion Al Manama, from Bahrain.

In what ended up being an absolute domination from the beginning to the end, the German club won the encounter 105-50, shooting 42.2% from beyond the arc and being perfect at the free throw line on 12 attempts.

The 23-year-old small forward Sam Griesel was unstoppable for Roel Moors’ newest team, ending the game with a double-double of 28 points and 10 rebounds while shooting 6/9 from deep. “My teammates gave me the most confidence. Knowing I trusted them and they trusted me, we went out there and executed. We all want to win, we’re eager to do so”, he said after receiving the MVP of the Game Award.

Glynn Watson had also an impressive showing off the bench, scoring 15 points with 4 rebounds and 5  assists. On the Bahrain side, instead, Dominic Pointer had 14 points – with 7 turnovers – in his team’s loss, followed by Ahmed Haji’s 12 points. Overall, they had a rough shooting night from the field (17/57).

Siri, show me a perfect pro debut:
Sam Griesel, 23yo, 24min, 28PTS, 10REB, +43!@TelekomBaskets found a new fan favorite, for sure ‍#IntercontinentalCup pic.twitter.com/j26PvY8gVg

— FIBA Intercontinental Cup (@FIBAIC) September 21, 2023

First time for Africa in the Intercontinental Cup

The second game of the 2023 FIBA Intercontinental Cup in Singapore, unlike the first encounter which saw Telekom Baskets Bonn respecting the expectations, delivered a huge surprise: Al Ahly beat the NBA G-League Ignite 82-76, getting the first-ever victory for an African team in the competition.

The Egyptian side was dragged by the double-doubles of Mostafa Kejo (10 points and 13 rebounds) and of Omar Oraby (14 points and 11 rebounds), with also the former Miami Heat playmaker Norris Cole – who shot 4/17 from the field but still had 13 points and 9 assists – on board.

NBA G-League Ignite, instead, didn’t have the best of nights, considering the 18-year-old phenomenon Izan Almansa’s poor night of 4 points and 8 rebounds. Tyler Smith had 18 points and 6 rebounds in the loss, followed by John Jenkins and Ron Holland, who combined for 31 points.

PHOTO CREDIT: 2023 FIBA Intercontinental Cup

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Expanding the playing field to six teams and switching from February to September, the FIBA Intercontinental Cup is back with the 33rd edition of the tournament.

Basketball Champions League champion Telekom Baskets Bonn, NBA G League Ignite, Zhejiang Golden Bulls, Basketball Africa League champion Al Ahly, Basketball Champions League Americas champion Sesi Franca, and West Asia Super League champion Al Manama will compete for the trophy between Thursday and Sunday in Singapore.

2023 FIBA Intercontinental Cup

Group A

Sesi Franca (Brazil)
NBA G League Ignite (United States)
Al Ahly (Egypt)

Group B

Zhejiang Golden Bulls (China)
Al Manama (Bahrain)
Telekom Baskets Bonn (Germany)

After Cairo broke the Africa barrier in 2022, the Intercontinental Cup will be held in Asia for the first time. The six participants were drawn into two equal groups to play in a round-robin schedule. The top seeds will then battle for the trophy, the second seeds for third place, and the third seeds for fifth place.

Schedule

Thursday

Telekom Baskets Bonn – Al Manama (9:00 am CET)
NBA G League Ignite – Al Ahly (1:00 pm CET)

Friday

Sesi Franca Basquete – Al Ahly (9:00 am CET)
Zhejiang Golden Bulls – Al Manama (1:00 pm CET)

Saturday

NBA G League Ignite – Sesi Franca Basquete (9:00 am CET)
Zhejiang Golden Bulls – Telekom Baskets Bonn (1:00 pm CET)

Sunday

5th place game (6:00 am CET)
3rd place game (9:00 am CET)
1st place game (1:00 pm CET)

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FIBA announced the schedule of the second season of eFIBA on Monday.

Revealing the playing field set a new record with 61 participating nations. The International Basketball Federation’s official NBA 2K24 tournament will conclude with the first-ever in-person World Finals.

Per the press release: “ESL FACEIT Group (EFG), the leading esports and video game entertainment company, and the International Basketball Federation today announced the 61 nations participating in the second season of eFIBA, FIBA’s official NBA 2K24 tournament.

Beginning October 3, National Federations across seven regional areas will battle it out in the Pro-Am game mode to secure a spot in the first-ever in-person eFIBA World Finals at DreamHack Winter and a share of the €50,000 prize pool.

“After a successful inaugural season and eFIBA’s successful participation in The Olympic Esports Series, we are prepared to make the upcoming eFIBA Season 2 a landmark international event,” said Frank Leenders, FIBA Media and Marketing Services Director General. “eFIBA allows us to reach new basketball enthusiasts and build a global community of players and fans who share a passion for the game.”

eFIBA Season 2 is more than doubling its participating federations and expanding its competition schedule. The event includes online Regional Qualifiers from October 3 to November 2 and Regional Finals from November 7 to 9 across South East Asia, Oceania, Middle East, Africa, North America, South America, and Europe.

“The significant growth of participating National Federations and the incredible feedback we have received from players and the community shows that eFIBA is on the right track to become a great offering to the NBA2K community,” said Roger Lodewick, President, Sports Games at ESL FACEIT Group. “Together with FIBA, we have crafted a bold and innovative sporting concept that serves the esports community and connects with basketball fans. We are thrilled to tip off the second season.”

The winning nation from each Regional Final and the top two from Europe will secure a spot in the eFIBA Season 2 World Finals 2023, taking place live at the immersive gaming lifestyle festival, DreamHack Winter, from November 25-26 in Elmia, Jonkoping, Sweden.

The eFIBA Season 2 schedule will be:

Stage 1
October 3 Europe Qualifiers
October 5 South America Qualifiers and North America Qualifiers
October 10 Middle East Qualifiers and Africa Qualifiers
October 12 Oceania Qualifiers and South East Asia Qualifiers

Stage 2
October 17 Europe Qualifiers
October 19 South America Qualifiers and North America Qualifiers
October 26 Africa Qualifiers
November 2 South East Asia Qualifiers and Middle East Qualifiers

Stage 3
October 24 Oceania Finals and Europe Qualifiers

Stage 4
October 31 Europe Qualifiers

Finals
November 7 South East Asia Finals, Middle East Finals, Africa Finals
November 8 Europe Finals, South America Finals, North America Finals

Below is a breakdown of the National Federation representatives in each regional area:

Europe (26): Albania, Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Israel, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Montenegro, Poland, Portugal, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Türkiye, Ukraine

Africa (14): Algeria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, DR Congo, Egypt, Gabon, Ghana, Mali, Morocco, Senegal, Tunisia, Zimbabwe, Nigeria

North America (6): Barbados, Cayman Islands, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Puerto Rico, USA

Southeast Asia (5): India, Indonesia, Mongolia, Philippines, Singapore

South America (4): Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Venezuela

Oceania (2): Guam, New Zealand

Middle East (4): Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Lebanon

eFIBA Co-Streaming

This season, eFIBA actively works with the NBA2K community through collaborations with creators around the globe, as well as co-streamers of eFIBA events with a suite of customizable resources – including unprecedented access to gameplay feeds, overlays, opportunities to interview players, and more. The suite of streaming tools is open to community streamers, who can apply for exclusive access here.

Commencing October 3, the Regional Qualifiers and Regional Finals of eFIBA Season 2, as well as the eFIBA World Finals, will be streamed on Tuesdays and Thursdays on eFIBA’s Twitch and YouTube channels and on FIBA’s Twitch and YouTube channels.

Those looking to experience the action live can look forward to attending DreamHack Winter, as tickets to the festival also grant access to the international NBA 2K24 competition. More information about the ticket types and prices can be found on the official DreamHack Winter website.

For more information about eFIBA, visit the official channels on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok.”

Photo Credit: FIBA.BASKETBALL

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USA Basketball is back atop the FIBA men’s world rankings, even after failing to medal at the World Cup.

The Americans flipped spots with Spain for No. 1 in the world in the updated rankings that were released Friday, reclaiming the top spot that they lost late last year. Spain is now No. 2, and World Cup champion Germany soared eight spots to No. 3 on the world list — the best in that program’s history.

It’s certainly possible now that the Americans will keep the top spot leading into the Paris Olympics, where the U.S. will aim for a fifth consecutive gold medal. FIBA, the sport’s governing body, updates its rankings every few months; Friday’s update was the first tweak to the men’s list since February.

Spain had overtaken the U.S. in November 2022, ending a 12-year run in the top spot for the Americans.

FIBA’s rankings were changed in 2017 to a system that only takes results from the most recent eight years into account. The Olympic golds from Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo factor into the current rankings, and obviously help after back-to-back failures to medal at the last two World Cups — the U.S. was seventh at China in 2019 and fourth in Manila earlier this month, falling to Germany in the semifinals and Canada in the bronze-medal game.

Canada soared nine spots to No. 6 in the world after winning that bronze, and Latvia — which made the quarterfinals of its first World Cup — climbed 22 spots to No. 8.

The top 10 teams are the U.S., Spain, Germany, Australia (which slipped one spot to No. 4), World Cup silver medalist Serbia (which climbed one spot to No. 5), Canada, Argentina (down three spots to No. 7 after not even making the World Cup field), Latvia, France (down four spots to No. 9) and Lithuania (down four spots to No. 10).

The biggest climber in the rankings after the World Cup was South Sudan, which was No. 63 in the world before the tournament and moved up 32 spots to No. 31. South Sudan qualified for the Paris Olympics after ending the World Cup as the best finisher from Africa at the tournament.

Latvia was the second-biggest climber, rising 22 spots, and Cape Verde — which got a win at the World Cup — improved its ranking 19 spots to No. 46.

There are 159 men’s teams in the FIBA rankings. USA Basketball also is ranked No. 1 in the other three sets of rankings maintained by FIBA — women, boys and girls, all by wide margins.

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The FIBA Congress elected Sheikh Saud Ali Al Thani as the new FIBA President and appointed new Central Board members, as announced Wednesday.

The XXII FIBA Congress was held in Manila, ahead of the 2023 FIBA World Cup to be hosted in the Philippines, Indonesia, and Japan.

Per the press release: “The XXII FIBA Congress has elected a new President and members of the Central Board for the upcoming 2023-2027 cycle in Manila today.

Sheikh Saud Ali Al Thani, who succeeds Hamane Niang in becoming the new President of FIBA, was elected unanimously by all in attendance. Sheikh Saud Ali Al Thani has been FIBA Vice President for the previous cycle, which began in 2019, and President of FIBA Asia since 2002, having formerly been President of the Qatar Basketball Federation and a Vice President of the Qatar Olympic Committee.

Sheikh Saud Ali Al Thani said upon his election: “It is a great honor to take over this responsibility: for me, for my country of Qatar, and for our continent of Asia. I now represent the interests of all 212 National Federations across all five Regions.

“Basketball is a global sport and this is our most important strength. I can only make one promise today and that is that I will work hard with the leaders of FIBA and the entire Central Board for the good of basketball and for the good of FIBA.”

Mr. Ingo Weiss from Germany was re-elected for his third term as FIBA Treasurer.

The following are the members of the Central Board for the term of 2023 to 2027:

Ms. Carol Callan from USA
Mr. Yamil Alejandro Bukele Perez of El Salvador
Mr. Usie Richards of Virgin Islands
Ms. Yuko Mitsuya of Japan
Mr. Yao Ming of China
Ms. Carmen Tocala of Romania
Mr. Matej Erjavec of Slovenia
Mr. Asterios Zois of Greece
Mr. Tor Christian Bakken of Norway
Ms. Jubilee Kuartei of Palau
Mr. Burton Ross Shipley of New Zealand
Ms. Pascale Mugwaneza of Rwanda
Mr. Jean-Michel Ramaroson of Madagascar

These Central Board members, along with the newly elected President and Treasurer, will join FIBA Secretary General Andreas Zagklis as well as the Presidents of FIBA’s five Regions for the term of 2023-2027: Mr. Anibal Manave of Africa, Mr. Fabian Borro of the Americas, Dr. K Govindraj of Asia, Mr. Jorge Garbajosa of Europe and Mr. David Reid of Oceania.

The Central Board will appoint to the Central Board a representative of the National Basketball Association (NBA) of the USA and a representative of the players. In addition, the Central Board may co-opt additional members (with full voting rights) for the vision, skill and special expertise that they will bring.

The newly-formed Central Board will meet for the first time on Saturday, September 9, in Manila, on the occasion of the Finals weekend of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023.”

Photo Credit: FIBA.BASKETBALL

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Argentinian basketball is going through one of the darkest pages of its history. After not being able to qualify for the 2023 FIBA World Cup, they lost against the Bahamas to miss the opportunity of playing in next year’s FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament, being left out of Paris 2024.

One of the reasons why the Albiceleste couldn’t make it against the Caribbean team is related to the experienced NBA shooting guard Eric Gordon, who suit up alongside Buddy Hield and DeAndre Ayton to help the Bahamian national team in the 2023 FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament, played in Argentina.

In the final 82-75 victory to seal the tournament, the former Los Angeles Clippers shooting guard had 27 points with 6/7 from beyond the arc, being crucial for his team. Following this game, Argentinian legend Andres Nocioni questioned the decision by the Caribbean basketball federation.

“Now with a cold mind, I think: is it fair what the Bahamas did to nationalize a player who had already competed for the United States (even winning a World Cup) at the last moment? This signing belongs to the club league, not the national team competition. And it should be corrected”, the former Real Madrid player commented on X.

The 34-year-old future Phoenix Suns player, in fact, already played the 2010 FIBA World Cup with Team USA, helping his native country come home with the gold medal by averaging 8.6 points for the United States. Recently with the Bahamas, instead, he averaged 20.3 points scored per night.

Ahora en frío, pienso: es justo lo que hizo Bahamas de nacionalizar a último momento a un jugador que ya había competido por Estados Unidos (incluso ganando un Mundial)? Esto de fichar a antojo se llama liga de clubes no competencia de selecciones. Y debería corregirse.

— Andrés Nocioni (@SoyElChapu) August 21, 2023

PHOTO CREDIT: 2023 FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament

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Sergei Babkov, one of the most prominent Russian players of the 1990s, passed away at 56 per Sport Express. A shooting guard, Babkov spent most of his career in Spain with Unicaja Malaga.

Babkov won back-to-back silver medals in the 1994 and 1998 World Championships as a member of the Russian national team. In 1994, he was the leading scorer in the Final loss (91-137) against Team USA (Dream Team II).

At 21 and just in the second year of his professional career, Babkov became the scoring champion in the 1993-94 German League with TBB Trier. He then signed a contract with Malaga where he spent the next five seasons before moving to fellow Spanish side Joventut Badalona for 1999-00.

He overall averaged 16.4 points during his six-year run in the Spanish ACB League.

After playing one year for his hometown team Novosibrik, Babkov retired from basketball in 2001 and then began a coaching career with several Russian teams.

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The 2023 FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournaments will begin on August 12, and Turkey is set to face Bulgaria, Iceland, and Ukraine in its Group in Istanbul.

This is the full list of Turkish players available in the OPQT: Şehmus Hazer, Yiğitcan Saybir, Sertaç Şanlı, Onuralp Bitim, Sadık Emir Kabaca, Kenan Sipahi, Okben Ulubay, Berk Uğurlu, Furkan Korkmaz, Alperen Şengün, Ercan Osmani, and Ömer Faruk Yurtseven. Shane Larkin and Scottie Wilbekin won’t be available, as Fenerbahce released a press release to respond to Ergin Ataman about it.

Preparing for the 2023 FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament, Turkey beat Cape Verde and Poland (twice) in friendly games after losing in the Trentino Basket Cup against the host Italy.

A Milli Takım’ın FIBA Olimpiyat Ön Elemesindeki kadrosu belli oldu:

Şehmus Hazer, Yiğitcan Saybir, Sertaç Şanlı, Onuralp Bitim, Sadık Emir Kabaca, Kenan Sipahi, Okben Ulubay, Berk Uğurlu, Furkan Korkmaz, Alperen Şengün, Ercan Osmani ve Ömer Faruk Yurtseven. pic.twitter.com/V2XllClLEO

— Eurohoops Türkiye (@EurohoopsTR) August 11, 2023

PHOTO: 2023 FIBA World Cup European Qualifiers

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On August 12, the 2023 FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournaments in Turkey, Syria, and Poland-Estonia will begin, while the ones in Argentina and Nigeria are set to begin on the 14th. It’s time, then, to explain everything you need to know about these tournaments.

First and foremost, the number of all participating teams: 40. These are comprised of the “28 countries that participated in the Second Round of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 Qualifiers and did not qualify for the 32-team World Cup”, as stated in an official press release by FIBA. The remaining “12 countries are among the highest-ranked national teams that did not qualify for the Second Round of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 Qualifiers”, the statement continues.

Each 2023 FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament consists of two groups of four teams each, with the top two teams which will advance to the Final Phase. “The first-place team will crossover to play the second-place team from the other Group in the Semi-Finals. The winners of each Semi-Final matchup will advance to play against the other in the Final to determine the winner of each OPQT”, the press release goes on.

Finally, “The five winners earning spots in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments to be held in 2024”. These are the participating teams in the five OPQTs:

2023 FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament in Poland-Estonia

• Group A: Czech Republic, Estonia, Israel, North Macedonia
• Group B: BIH, Hungary, Poland, Portugal

2023 FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament in Turkey

• Group C: Bulgaria, Iceland, Turkiye, Ukraine
• Group D: Belgium, Croatia, Netherlands, Sweden

2023 FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament in Argentina

• Group A: Argentina, Bahamas, Cuba, Panama
• Group B: Chile, Colombia, Uruguay, Virgin Islands

2023 FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament in Nigeria

• Group A: Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Uganda
• Group B: Congo DR, Cameroon, Guinea, Tunisia

2023 FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament in Syria

• Group A: Bahrain, Chinese Taipei, India, Korea
• Group B: Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia, Syria

PHOTO CREDIT: FIBA

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Before the friendly game between Greece and Slovenia, the Hellenic Basketball Federation decided to honor the greatest white-and-blue basketball player of all time. The No.4 Greek national team jersey will always belong exclusively to Hall of Famer Nikos Galis, a man who transformed how basketball is experienced by an entire nation.

Wearing only the jerseys of Aris (1979-92) and Panathinaikos (1992-94) on a club level after coming out of Seton Hall University, Nikos Galis will be always recognized for his legendary career with the Greek national team.

He retired as the second-best all-time leading scorer with 5.129 points in 168 games played – behind Panagiotis Giannakis with 5.301 in 351 appearances -, he won EuroBasket 1987 at home and got the silver medal at EuroBasket 1989 in Yugoslavia.

The moment #NickGalis pic.twitter.com/V8TRFu6mGT

— Eurohoops (@Eurohoopsnet) August 4, 2023

Galis, 66, did not address the crowd packing the gym to witness the special moment. But he was extremely welcoming across the lineups of both Greece and Slovenia, including NBA superstar Luka Doncic.

“It is a particularly special moment because this is my sports family,” the member of both Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and FIBA Hall of Fame told Greek public television ERT before the ceremony, “I am really touched. It is huge for any athlete to retire his jersey. I feel like it was just yesterday when I was playing here.”

Galis and Luka pic.twitter.com/RiHEvGwh37

— Eurohoops (@Eurohoopsnet) August 4, 2023

FIBA Secretary General Andreas Zagklis and HBF President Vangelis Liolios presented additional honors to Galis, complementing the emotional jersey retirement ceremony.

A Greek god cried and a whole nation shivered #NickGalis #GOAT pic.twitter.com/ogFUtLUMfA

— Eurohoops (@Eurohoopsnet) August 4, 2023

Completing the home-and-away series, Greece and Slovenia continue preparations for the 2023 FIBA World Cup. The team coached by Dimitris Itoudis prevailed, 98-91, in Ljubljana Wednesday. 

The elite of international basketball

Since opening jersey numbers beyond the traditional range between #4 and #15, the German Basketball Federation rushed to be first in retiring a jersey, honoring national team great Dirk Nowitzki. Also, the French Federation of Basketball plans to retire Tony Parker’s jersey.

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The latest setback concerning the health of young players competing in the 2023 FIBA U18 European Championship will not force scheduling changes, upon the agreement of all involved sides.

Players and members of six national teams, Finland, Greece, Lithuania, Slovenia, Spain and Turkey, showed symptoms of viral infection, as announced by FIBA yesterday, Tuesday. Updating the status of the junior international tournament, FIBA confirmed all games to be held as scheduled today, Wednesday.

Per the press release: “The six teams – Finland, Greece, Lithuania, Slovenia, Spain and Turkey – affected by what appears to be a viral infection confirmed they will play their games as scheduled, today.

FIBA and the organizers have offered the affected teams the option to reschedule today’s games to Thursday, but all concerned agreed to instead proceed as per original program.

Some of the teams’ personnel continue to be weakened by the illness but the majority of those affected have either recovered or on their way to full recovery.

The Serbian Basketball Federation are waiting for the official results of the tests conducted by the relevant health authorities investigating the exact cause of the illness.

FIBA, the Serbian Basketball Federation and the local health authorities will continue to monitor the situation and share any updates with all stakeholders accordingly.”

Earlier in the U18 European championship, numerous games were held under unsafe conditions on a slippery floor.

All 16 teams were placed in the bracket of the knockout stage, depending on ranking in the preliminary round. From the Round of 16 contests today, the Quarterfinals will follow Thursday. The semifinals and Finals will take place Saturday and Sunday.

Photo Credit: FIBA.BASKETBALL

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Players and members of the Finnish, Greek, Slovenian, Spanish and Turkish national teams playing in the U18 European Championship held in Nis, Serbia, have been showing symptoms of viral infection, FIBA announced in an official statement.

Per FIBA:

A number of players and delegation members from six teams have been showing symptoms of a viral infection. The teams affected are Finland, Greece, Lithuania, Slovenia, Spain and Turkey. The exact cause of the sickness and a diagnosis have not yet been established.

All of the affected are under constant supervision by team doctors and the local health authorities.

FIBA, the Serbian Basketball Federation and the local organizers will continue to monitor the situation and will share any updates, including a possible decision regarding the game schedule, with all stakeholders accordingly.

FIBA wishes a speedy recovery to all persons affected.

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The future of basketball is already here, thanks to FIBA using the ASB GlassFloor.

The full video floor was unveiled during the Quarterfinals of the FIBA U19 Women’s Basketball World Cup 2023 last Friday. It allows live tracking of players, providing fans with enhanced interaction and better engagement.

At the end of the day and especially considering the positive feedback from players, coaches, and fans directly enjoying the technology, and others watching from home, the sky is the limit regarding additional perks way beyond game presentation to sponsors and more.

As FIBA secretary general Andreas Zagklis has said: “It’s a historical day for FIBA and for the players here in Madrid, who are being given an opportunity to compete on this amazing and innovative surface”.

“There’s been a lot of anticipation leading up to this moment and to be able to finally unveil this glass flooring court is really exciting. It’s also fitting that the first games being played on it will be four highly competitive FIBA U19 Women’s Basketball World Cup Quarter-Finals.”

He added: “With this successful global premiere of the LED glass floor, we have another example of how we are joining two strategic priorities: ‘Enlarge the FIBA Family’ by endorsing and encouraging innovation in basketball, and ‘Women in Basketball’ by introducing the LED glass floor in a Women’s event”.

The players privileged to compete on the state-of-the-art court were fascinated by the multiple options coming into play with the LED glass floor.

Leila Lacan went on to score 36 points for France in the overtime win against Japan. “Maybe the glass floor brought me some luck. I will need to ask my club to always play on this glass floor,” she jokingly commented on the innovative court.

“Wow, playing in this court was unbelievable. I had never played in a court like this and it was crazy,” mentioned the TISSOT MVP of the tournament, Spain’s Iyana Martin Carrion.

“I sent photos and videos home. Nobody could believe it,” shared USA’s Grace VanSlooten, among the impressed players and leaders en route to capture the gold medals.

“It is like playing on a giant television screen,” added Canada’s Jasmine Bascoe.

Following up was the demo presentation of the ASB GlassFloor.

“The fan experience will be even greater and it can offer a wide variety of entertainment,” described soon-to-be FIBA Hall of Famer Amaya Valdemoro, “Watching it live is really cool, but it’s even better on TV.”

Welcome to the future of basketball #FIBAU19 pic.twitter.com/rfl8mnAaNN

— FIBA (@FIBA) July 23, 2023

“This court puts basketball in a different era. I am fascinated with its new dimension with countless options,” confirmed Spain’s Betty Cebrian, “I am really proud that FIBA has thought of this scenario and chosen a women’s tournament to unveil the court.”

It seems a matter of time for glass floors to expand to more competitions across the globe.

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Mirko Novosel, one of the greatest figures in the history of Yugoslavian basketball, passed away at the age of 86 Thursday (20/7). The Croatian coach was a member of both the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the FIBA Hall of Fame.

A longtime head coach of the Yugoslavian national team during the 70s and 80s, Novosel led the squad to the gold medal in the 1973 and 1975 EuroBasket, the silver medal in the 1974 World Cup and the 1976 Olympic Games, along with the bronze medal in the Olympics of 1984.

In 1993, Novosel was the coach of the Croatian national team in the 1993 EuroBasket, winning the bronze medal.

On a club level, Novosel coached Cibona Zagreb towards the back-to-back EuroLeague championship titles of 1985 and 1986, along with the Saporta Cups of 1982 and 1987.

Novosel was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, as a coach, in 2007 and entered the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2010.

“Mirko, for me personally, through all that he did for Yugoslavian, Croatian and Zagreb basketball, is the greatest! And he is also responsible for my and Drazen’s arrival in Zagreb,” wrote Croatia head coach Aco Petrovic, the older brother of the late Drazen Petrovic, on Twitter. “Mirko, rest in peace.”

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Maxime Raynaud dropped 26 points and grabbed five rebounds while Ilias Kamardine posted 23 points and seven assists as France beat Israel 89 – 79 in the Final of the FIBA 2023 U20 European Championship to win the gold medal.

Kamardine won tournament MVP after finishing with 14.0 points (on 14-29 threes), 3.4 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 2.6 steals.

Both Kamardine and Raynaud also scored all points of the French national team in the extra period, combining for a decisive sequence of triples. After missing the shot to win the game at the end of the regulation, Raynaud made the start and then it was Kamardine time. The Dijon guard hit two of his own while making a 4-point play in his later attempt to put France up 84 – 77.

Israel was unable to respond and Raynaud drained the 3-pointer that gave France a 10-point lead with 53 seconds remaining.

Noaam Yaakov had 31 points plus five assists and Daniel Wolf notched 17 points, 16 rebounds and four assists for Israel. The latter scored the basket to tie the game at 72 with 17 seconds remaining in the fourth period and won the foul, having a chance to put the Israeli side ahead. He missed before Raynaud also misfired as the game went to overtime.

In the third-place game, Greece beat Belgium 68 – 64 behind 16 points and 12 rebounds by Vangelis Zougris to claim bronze medal.

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History was made in Ljubljana as Belgium beat Spain 64-58 to be crowned FIBA Women’s EuroBasket champions for the very first time.

Trailing by as many as 10 points in the contest, their dream appeared to be fading, but a strong last phase of the game and Kyara Linskens having a career night delivered a landmark victory.

Down by 10 points and looking like they might be running out of gas, Belgium dug deep, worked their way back and when Emma Meesseman stroked a triple to give them the first lead of the game at 56-55, it was a momentum-shifter. The confidence flowed through the Cats and they were the better team from that point onwards.

Kyara Linskens chose the biggest game in Belgium’s history to have her best ever game in a national team jersey. She torched Spain with as she torched Spain with an enormous double-double of 18 points and 15 rebounds, as well as 3 blocks.

Belgium showed incredible basketball in this tournament but also resilience and belief by the bucket load. They could have thought it was not going to be their night but they came together to get it done. Emma Meesseman supported Linskens with a massive 24 points, 8 rebounds and 5 steals which was so important. They always said this was their title to win – and they did it.

Spain fell short but considering they were completely written off by some people after losing their opener, to get the silver medal was some compensation and a comeback. Meanwhile there was a slice of history for Spanish star Alba Torrens who passed Amaya Valdemoro to become the All-Time top Spanish scorer at the event.

Meesseman takes MVP award

There was a double celebration for Belgium leader Emma Meesseman after she added the TISSOT MVP award to her FIBA Women’s EuroBasket 2023 winners’ medal.

The forward was phenomenal for Belgium throughout and came up with the goods in the 64-58 Final win against Spain with a typically superb showing of 24 points, 8 rebounds and 5 steals. Across the competition, Meesseman averaged 21.7 points, 8.7 boards, 5.2 assists and 4.3 steals.

She was joined in the TISSOT All-Star Five by her teammates Julie Allemand and Julie Vanloo. The former led the competition in assists by passing the rock and average of 8.7 per game to go with 11.0 points per outing. Her assists per game output set a new All-Time FIBA Women’s EuroBasket competition high.

Meanwhile, Vanloo found the hot hand from downtown and it was her three-point shooting that regularly helped Belgium to impose itself in games. She dropped 24 triples in the tournament and netted 16.2 points per game and 3.2 assists.

Alba Torrens may have been on the losing side in the Final, but she added a TISSOT All-Star Five berth to her resume with 11.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 2,0 assists per game. She also became Spain’s All-Time record scorer at the FIBA Women’s EuroBasket after passing Amaya Valdemoro’s high tide mark in the Final.

Sandrine Gruda also made the lineup after helping France to an eighth consecutive medal as they beat Hungary in the Third Place Game. The center averaged 10.2 points and 4.3 rebounds in the competition, with her leadership at key moments standing out. She also moved into second place in the All-Time rebounding chart.

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The newly elected FIBA Europe Board, term of office 2023-2027, held its first meeting in Ljubljana, with the Final Phase of FIBA Women’s EuroBasket 2023 taking place in the Slovenian capital.

The meeting which was chaired by FIBA Europe President Jorge Garbajosa, was attended by FIBA President Hamane Niang, FIBA Secretary General Andreas Zagklis, and FIBA Executive Director Europe Kamil Novak.

As a special guest, UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin opened the meeting, greeting all participants in his native country.

The Board unanimously approved Mr. Garbajosa’s proposal for the three new Vice-Presidents of FIBA Europe – Matej Erjavec (Slovenia), Carmen Tocala (Romania), and Hannes Jonsson (Iceland).

Also unanimously approved were all proposals regarding the compositions of the Executive Committee, the different permanent Commissions, three new Working Groups, and two co-opted Members to the Board: Tomas Van Den Spiegel, the President of ULEB; and Darius Gudelis, Chairman of the Board of BC Rytas Vilnius and Lithuanian Basketball Federation Board member.

Mr. John Goncalves (Gibraltar) was appointed as chairperson for the Management Committee which will supervise the Youth Development Fund, Her World Her Rules, and all other FIBA Europe development projects.

FIBA EuroBasket

Following recommendations by National Federations and an evaluation by the Competitions Commission seeking to protect the health and well-being of the players, the Board approved a proposal to add an extra rest day to the competition system of EuroBasket 2025 and two extra days as of the 2029 edition of the event.

The Board approved a request of the four hosts of EuroBasket 2025 for an early designation of the four groups to each city. This will take place during the last two days of the Women’s EuroBasket in Ljubljana.

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Following Lenovo Tenerife’s crushing victory in the 2022 FIBA Intercontinental Cup in the Canary Islands, this year will mark an essential change in the competition’s system, with the trophy being moved to Singapore, where six teams will fight for it from September 21-24.

In Group A there will be Sesi Franca (BCLA Champion), Team Ignite (NBA G League), and Al Ahly (BAL Winner), while in Group B Zhejiang Golden Bulls (CBA Representative), Al Manama (WASL Champion) and Telekom Baskets Bonn (BCL Winner) will face each other.

“International stars Vlade Divac of Serbia, Chinese great Yi Jianlian, and Ian Mahinmi of France were in Singapore to promote the FIBA Intercontinental Cup. While in town, they conducted a clinic for ActiveSG Basketball Academy and spoke to the participants”, FIBA’s official statement stated. The three former players joined the Sport Singapore Deputy Chief Executive Officer Toh Boon Yi, the Group Head of Events & Placemaking at Singapore Sports Hub Yazed Osman, and the Chief Executive Officer of the Basketball Champions League Patrick Comninos.

“This edition of the FIBA Intercontinental Cup marks a new era for this esteemed tournament that already has a long and rich history. With six clubs participating for the first time and a fresh format, we are pleased to host this edition in Singapore and look forward to expanding and including more clubs in future editions”, stated FIBA Secretary General Andreas Zagklis, who recently spoke about FIBA’s relationship with the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague.

The field for the FIBA #IntercontinentalCup in 𝓢𝓲𝓷𝓰𝓪𝓹𝓸𝓻𝓮 is set! Who will be crowned? pic.twitter.com/zZfkdanYO3

— FIBA Intercontinental Cup (@FIBAIC) June 20, 2023

PHOTO CREDIT: FIBA Basketball

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