Impressions and engagements across all social media platforms were off the chart during the 2023 FIBA World Cup.

FIBA presented record-breaking numbers regarding social media, website, broadcast, and attendance on Tuesday.

Per the press release: “The FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 witnessed some phenomenal and record-breaking engagement levels to cement its status as the biggest and most successful event in FIBA’s history.

Delivered for the first time by three host nations, the prestigious tournament in the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia attained incredible levels of engagement and eye-popping numbers across the entire spectrum of digital, social media, broadcast and attendance.

There were more than 20 billion impressions and 480 million engagements across all platforms, more than triple the numbers recorded in 2019. When it came to social media video views, there was a stunning quadrupling of engagement levels, with the number reaching over four and a half billion.

The @FIBA and @FIBAWC accounts grew significantly during the event, with 4.5 million new fans joining between the Competition Draw and the all-important Final, now seeing 35.4 million followers across both channels.

The FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 website saw significant and eye-catching growth, with over 16 million users accounting for an unprecedented 33 million sessions, which was just shy of double compared to the 2019 event in China. The mobile app, available in 7 languages, reached the milestone of one million downloads.

Meanwhile, a global broadcast distribution to 190 countries achieved a 15 percent increase and there were plenty of impressive highs as fans tuned in to watch the action. The Japan and Cape Verde contest on September 2 was the highest rating broadcast of the calendar year in Japan, while the Philippines and Angola game achieved the second-highest sports audience of 2023 in the Philippines.

There was incredible interest in the title game as Germany made history by beating Serbia to claim their first-ever crown. The game claimed a 35 percent market share in Germany, with over 4.6 million watching live on ZDF, plus 1.3 million reached on MagentaSport. The 59 percent market share on RTS in Serbia was also particularly impressive.

Fans also came in big numbers to watch the games, with over 700,665 attending during the course of the tournament, including the record-breaking FIBA Basketball World Cup crowd of 38,115 at the Philippine Arena for the game between the co-hosts and the Dominican Republic.

“We are very proud and extremely satisfied with the fact that this was the most followed FIBA Basketball World Cup ever and attracted those record levels of engagement,” stated FIBA Secretary General Andreas Zagklis.

“Our biggest-ever event showcased the sport like never before and it underlined that the global appetite for basketball is growing more strongly than ever. Both the existing fans and the millions of new fans that we attracted during the tournament enjoyed some amazing basketball and we would like to take this opportunity to thank them all for their support.”

He added: “We also appreciate the amazing work of our partners in helping to deliver a competition that will be remembered for a very long time. However, we don’t stop here, and we’re already looking forward to breaking more new ground at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 in Qatar.”

Photo Credit: FIBA.BASKETBALL

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There’s an old Magic Johnson quote about the value of passing the ball: “Passing makes two people happy. Scoring only makes one person happy”.

However, happiness is debatable when you don’t win or don’t have a great offense.

That ended up being the case in the FIBA World Cup, according to the advanced statistics released by FIBA.

According to those numbers, Spain averaged a tournament-high 212.4 passes (including only front-court, non-out-of-bounds passes) per game, but that translated just to the 11th-best offense (85.8) on a tie with New Zeland and an early exit from the tournament.

The eventual World Cup winners, Germany, with 134.3 passes per game were near the bottom of this list, and on the very bottom, the USA averaged only 114.1 passes per game, the lowest among all teams.

It’s a shocking number because Steve Kerr himself called his unit just before the start of the tournament “more of a passing team”, compared to the team of 2019 that “had many great individual scorers”.

And what’s even more shocking is that due to the scoring ability of players like Anthony Edwards and Austin Reaves the USA had the highest-scoring team at the World Cup, averaging 104.5 points. Those numbers, however, were not enough for a medal…

AutoStats data collected by Stats Perform

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Germany is The World Champion

Germany becoming the world champion wasn’t on the radar for most people even those considered to be experts. It was a great outcome for those fortunate few who decided to bet on Germany, however.

It goes to show that no one can predict the outcome and that betting can be quite exciting. Before making any bets, however, it’s best to first study all you need to know about Bitcoin betting and the teams you want to bet on.

However, this doesn’t mean that Germany’s win was an accident. They were the best team of the whole championship and they were clearly a better team in a finale against Serbia.

USA Disappoints

Team USA didn’t come back home with a medal. This happened after two disappointing losses against the now World Champion Germany and Canada. The losses were well-deserved with Brandon Ingram, Paolo Banchero, and Jaren Jackson Jr. and constant lapses in defense.

Anthony Edwards was the best player for Team USA in Manilla. Chances are that the team will have to go through some changes before the Olympics in Paris 2024.

Serbia Surprises

There wasn’t much expectation out of Serbia for this championship, without Jokic on the court and with a young team that didn’t really shine in the Euro 2017. However, the team had some luck with an easy group and stellar performance against Lithuania and Canada.

Nikola Jovic was a pleasant surprise. With him being only 20 years old it’s safe to say will hear more from this outstanding young player in the years to come. Serbian was especially good in defense where Aleksa Avramovic stopped the Canada team in its tracks.

The Rise of South Sudan

The story of South Sudan was truly amazing and it goes to show much of the impact basketball has in the country and in Africa in general. South Sudan gained independence 12 years ago and it was 62nd in the world before this World Cup. It was therefore the lowest-ranked team ever to qualify for the Olympics.

Current General Manager and former NBA All-Star Luol Deng led the team and appointed, Houston Rockets assistant Royal Ivey, to be the head coach. This has proven to be a great decision and South Sudan was an unexpected powerhouse.

It became the only African team to win 3 games at the championship and it earned its ticket to Paris after a win against Angola.

A Tournament Full of Surprises

There were a lot of surprises at this World Cup. For instance, Australia and France, both of which are considered to be among the top five teams in the world, were eliminated rather easily. Neither team reached the knockout round even though their roasters were filled with NBA players.

Both teams will compete in Paris in 2024 regardless of their poor performance this year, so maybe there’s a chance we’ll see some of the performance we’ve been expecting.

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson really shined this tournament and the comparison to Jordan and Bryant isn’t far off. This was especially noticeable in the game against New Zealand when fans chanted “Kobe, Kobe, Kobe” at the top of their lungs after Jordan’s Rondae Hollis-Jefferson destroyed New Zealand for 39 points (12-for-24 shooting) in the first round.

He averaged 24 points, 8 rebounds, and four assists per game, which is a powerhouse performance. Hollis-Jefferson is 28 years old meaning that there’s still a good chunk of a career in front of him, but now we’re seeing the full potential this player has to offer.

Simone Fontecchio

Italy’s Simone Fontecchio is one of the biggest surprises of this World Cup. He’s been a Utah Jazz forward for the past two years, but has a decade of experience in European basketball, proving to be just as competitive, if not more.

He impressed all World Cup, averaging 18 points and six rebounds, and proved to be a capable three-level scorer. Chances that this will lead to a more prominent role in Utah Jazz, as no one expected this performance. Italy itself didn’t impress on the court.

Luka Doncic

Luka Doncic was a disappointment in this tournament, even though the results and the stats may not reflect it. Doncic is an impressive player and Slovenia counts on his powerhouse performance. However, at the same time, Doncic is a drag on the team in the broader sense of the world.

Against Australia, Doncic earned a technical foul for throwing the ball down the court unnecessarily. He also complained about the referees, regarding almost every decision and even implied that the referees are on the take. It goes against the rules of fair play and it has a psychological effect on the whole team.

Jaren Jackson Jr.

There’s no one player to blame for the poor result Team USA showed. However, many are pointing fingers at Jaren Jackson Jr. due to his low stats and overall lack of vigor on the court. He scored just 8.1 points per game and 2.9 rebounds per game.

It’s not just about the stats, Jackson simply wasn’t a noticeable presence on the court and both Canada and Lithuania seemed to have put a stop to the US attack all together for good parts of the game. This won’t affect Jackson’s career in the months to come but it might change the US tactics for the Olympics.

Latvia

In the end, we need to mention Latvia and their shocking performance in this Championship. Latvia played a few amazing games and managed to find its spot within the top 8. On the route to that achievement, it took out France, the former world champion – Spain, and it was only two down against the current World Champion – Spain.

All of this becomes even more impressive when you consider that it’s a small European country with a population of only 1.8 million and that it’s one of the few teams with no NBA stars playing for it.

To Sum Up

We’ve just watched a great World Cup with a lot of stellar performances, great basketball, and tough and challenging matches. Out of this, many surprises came up, such as the fact that Germany won, the US underperformed, and the former world champion didn’t have much to show for it.

Serbia also had a surprisingly good performance, managed to get the silver and get a ticket for Paris, even without their star player Nikola Jokic. South Sudan and Latvia were among the other surprises and teams to watch for in the future, as they have a lot more to show us.

Photo credit: FIBA

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One of Serbia’s heroes in Manila during the FIBA World Cup was without a doubt Aleksa Avramovic. Partizan’s points guard transformed team Serbia into a silver medal winner with his tenacious defense.

“We had a great group of guys. I would start with my teammates and then through the coach, the entire coaching staff. We all functioned perfectly as we completed the tasks that were asked of us. Everyone knew their role. Bogdan was the captain, and he carried the biggest burden on his back, Milutinov played a fantastic tournament and I say, not everyone came, but we are still a team. It was also seen after the championship. We had a joint dinner, a celebration. We invited everyone and everyone came because this is really a success for all of us. Both of us who were there and the players who could not be with us for various reasons, we again showed unity and now we can’t wait for the Olympic Games“, said Avramovic in an interview with Mozzart Sport,

As the conversation progresses, it seems that Aleksa would immediately head for Paris.

“I already think about the Olympic Games in Paris every day. I can’t stop thinking and I will continue to think. As for me, drop the ball now, let’s go. We will go out in Paris with a strong line-up, whatever it is. After all, it doesn’t even matter. Certainly, our goals will be the same. We are attacking the medal!“.

He continued in the same tone.

“God willing that we be healthy and get together. A year of experience means a lot when you know the habits of teammates and coaches. It will be easier for everyone.”

The internet World Cup stopped for a moment for Borisa Simanic, Serbia’s forward who lost his kidney after being hit in a game against South Sudan.

“A really harmless situation at first. Professor Gaga Radovanović explained to me how rare this case is. If that situation happened again now, it probably wouldn’t end with such an injury. And really, we already talked about it. He is a true hero. Borisa is someone who really united us and brought us together. And in the most difficult and critical moment for him, he managed to send us a message, while he was fighting for his life, and he remembered that we were playing in the quarterfinals… Now, I shudder when I think about it. That gave us the biggest motivation to run out onto the floor“.

It was a nightmare for Serbia in those moments.

“Borisha was immediately hospitalized. We didn’t know how critical it was and how dangerous it was. We knew that Bora would have an operation after that examination. We didn’t know what was going to be done. Only at one point at four in the morning, did they send us a message that they needed blood. Because I guess he lost over two liters of blood. And it has that rare blood type that no one else has. Except for Bogdan Bodganovic’s mother. And there is an indication of some of our unity. And that was before the match with Italy. And we didn’t sleep at all.”

The match with Canada and a head-to-head battle with NBA All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was something special. Bogdan Bogdanovićcrevealed that Aleksa had been studying the Oklahoma player’s moves for days.

“It’s not like that, I analyze every player, every opponent. I watched him, I watched Jokubaitis, Schroder… Before that, the Italians, and the Dominicans. It was all the same way of preparing for the next game. There is nothing spectacular or new about it. I think every player analyzes his opponent, it’s a normal part of scouting. I just did my part in preparation like every player in the team did.”

Serbia lost in the finals against Germany and Avramovic explains why Germany fully deserved to be champions: “We watched them and we knew that they are the best team in the championship because they have been together for a long time, they work great. They have a leader in Schroder, they are full of NBA talent who play in the national team together every year and this is the crowning glory of their career, but we could have messed with their strings. They were simply more physically fit, especially since we were without two very important players – Ognjen Dobrić and Nikola Milutinov, who were injured. We could not match their strength. They deservedly won, and I congratulate them on that.”

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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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With the end of the 2023 FIBA World Cup, Ilias Zouros and the Georgian national team officially crossed different ways, as the Greek head coach left the red-and-white side after seven years in charge, having taken the job in 2016.

The 57-year-old head coach shared an emotional farewell to Georgia on his personal Facebook profile. “The last 8 years have been a fantastic journey for me with the Georgian National team! I want to thank everybody for the amazing memories and the Georgian Basketball Federation for their trust and support! Working and developing with all these talented players during these years was a privilege and I feel honored to have represented such a wonderful and beautiful country!”, he said.

“All the hard work and sacrifices paid off, and reaching the Top 16 countries in the world shows that discipline and focus are everything! I wish everybody all the best in the future and I look forward to living new challenges and creating more success stories”, Ilias Zouros’ statement continued as he said goodbye to Georgia after coaching two EuroBasket (2017, 2022) and one FIBA World Cup, where the national team classified as 16th by reaching the second round.

Prior to sitting on the Georgian bench in 2016, Ilias Zouros also coached the Greek national team in the 2011-12 season while leading other European powerhouses like Olympiacos, Zalgiris Kaunas, Anadolu Efes, and more. His last coaching experience with a club came in Promitheas during the 2021-22 season.

PHOTO CREDIT: 2023 FIBA World Cup

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The 2023 FIBA World Cup was completed with Germany getting the right to be called World Champions (pun intended), two and a half weeks of great basketball, amazing storylines, and a classic sense of fulfillment.

To get back at the start of it, it was like a great taste of vanilla ice cream like the one Jordan Clarkson got, and as it happens in many cases, vanilla leaves you wanting a little bit extra.

Don’t get this wrong. No matter how you measure it, this was so far the biggest ever FIBA World Cup with the digital growth is mindboggling.

The event proved beyond any doubt that basketball is on the rise especially in Asia, something that the FIBA Secretary General Andreas Zagklis underlined by calling the Japanese league one of the Top 10 domestic leagues in the world (and he is absolutely right on that).

On top of that, there’s no doubt that the players’ experience was on another level this summer, not comparable with anything provided before.

Especially entering the quarterfinals, this was also translated on the court with almost every knockout game being an instant classic.

So why does this ice cream, no matter how tasty it was, seem to be missing a little bit more?

First and foremost, empty seats, while limited, took away from the whole experience, and only in the games of the Filipino national team, the sheer basketball-loving madness of the hosts was on full display.

Zagklis admitted that the prices on some tiers were simply too much for the average Philippino fan, so while in total the attendance brook another record with more than 700,000 tickets sold, the final experience in the arena was not always the one expected.

Plus FIBA has decided that the World Cup will serve also as a direct qualification tournament for the Olympics, creating high-stakes classification games in many cases.

That move, however, clearly comes at the cost of many top-level NBA players skipping the tournament, since they aim to play next summer in the Olympics. The upside of this tactic is that the USA is bound to present vulnerable rosters in the World Cup, something that takes away from the marketability of the event in North America, but on the other hand, gives one more incentive to the rest of the world to watch, since beating the US has now been almost a World Cup tradition.

Compared to last year’s Eurobasket buzz when Giannis, Jokic, and Doncic played, this year things were relatively tamer on star power, even if Doncic was present again with Slovenia, Austin Reaves has a fan club in Manila and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander proved beyond any doubt that he is more than elite.

But those two issues are just some sprinkles missing on the top. And there’s a notion that in four years in Qatar, due to the fact that the whole World Cup will be contained in one location with all arenas of all four groups being just 15 minutes away from each other, things can only get better.

Still, the Philippines – plus co-hosts Japan and Indonesia – delivered the best yet tournament, which created new record numbers on every metric and also introduced new on-court global powers in Canada and Germany.

After all, you can’t go wrong when ordering vanilla ice cream, a taste that leaves pretty much everyone satisfied…

PHOTO CREDIT: FIBA

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Coming back to Belgrade as heroes, the Serbian national team was celebrated by thousands of countrymen, who also had the opportunity to watch Borisa Simanic on stage after he lost one kidney following contact with South Sudan’s Nuni Omot during the 2023 FIBA World Cup.

“I’m doing great, really! At first, it was really awkward, but day by day it’s getting better. I’ve started walking and eating, so I hope for a speedy recovery”, he first said in an interview with Radio Belgrade. “Since I had two surgeries, I practically didn’t know about myself for five days. I didn’t even have a phone”, he added.

He went on to talk about the message he sent to his teammates prior to the Quarter-Finals against Lithuania. “When I managed to physically reach my mobile phone on the first occasion, I sent them a message and that really lifted their morale a lot. Their victories meant a lot to me, so in that way, we complemented each other. I followed them through the mobile application”, the 25-year-old power forward also commented.

Finally, he provided an update about his future on the court. “For now, I don’t know much”, Borisa Simanic first said. “Of course, it is possible that I will play again. I only know that I must not do anything for three months. After that, my kidney needs to heal. I am expected to undergo analyses under physical effort and after that, we will know everything”, Casademont Zaragoza’s player commented.

Before and after every big game played by Serbia, all the protagonists featured on the national team had emotional words for their teammates, including Nikola Milutinov and Marko Guduric. After the win in the Semifinal against Canada, the Fenerbahce guard said that “This is bigger than basketball”.

PHOTO CREDIT: Serbian Basketball Federation

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Despite Serbia not being able to make it all at the 2023 FIBA World Cup in Manila, losing against the German national team in the final played at Mall of Asia Arena, Svetislav Pesic’s national team was welcomed by thousands of fans in Belgrade to celebrate the silver medal.

A few hours after putting silver around their necks, Serbian players could see Novak Djokovic writing another page of tennis history, winning his 4th US Open – his 24th Gran Slam ever. The 36-year-old legend, one of the best ever in the sport, surprised everybody by joining the basketball team on the stage.

“There are rare moments in which somebody is speechless, I’m shaking and I don’t know what to say, and I have so much to say. First of all, I want to congratulate the basketball champions on their phenomenal success. Not only this year but throughout history and I thank them for accepting me to be part of this celebration and to hang out together tonight”, he said.

Big basketball fan, Novak Djokovic said this is a dream coming true for him. “This is the realization of a boyhood dream for one big reason, and that is that as a kid, like many of my generation and other generations, I was there in the crowd and celebrated big medals from the basketball, water polo, volleyball and other championships that represented Serbia in the world”, he said.

During the big celebration, Ognjen Dobric, who had to leave the court due to a twisted ankle at the very beginning of the last game in the competition, and Borisa Simanic, who had to undergo urgent surgery to remove a kidney after the game against South Sudan, were also there. The Serbian national team who won the recent 3×3 European championships also attended the event.

“Great respect for all of you, it was a great honor and pride to represent this national team and play for all of Serbia. We are finally seeing the fruits of all that we have worked for all these weeks spent together. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, We love you all. I can’t help but mention this guy here, Boriša Simanić, he united us all. He gave Serbia much more than all of us together”, Aleksa Avramovic added on stage.

Later on, Denver Nuggets superstar and 2023 FIBA World Cup justified absent Nikola Jokic joined his national team teammates and Novak Djokovic to conclude the evening.

Jokić with his teammates from the national team having fun in Belgrade. Novak Djokovic is also there with them.#joker #nikola #jokic #denver #nuggets #milutinov #djokovic #belgrade pic.twitter.com/ilrnfANmOU

— архиватор (@_arhivator) September 13, 2023

Germany and Latvia also welcomed their heroes

While Serbia celebrated its silver medal in Belgrade, similar situations were recorded both in Frankfurt and Riga, to welcome respectively the German and Latvian heroes.

The 2023 FIBA World Cup MVP Dennis Schroder and all his teammates were celebrated after winning the first-ever gold medal in the country’s history after landing back home.

In Riga, instead, Luca Banchi and the Latvian national team were received by thousands of fans after ending the International competition in the 5th position. It was their first-ever FIBA World Cup participation.

Fewer than 2 million people live in Latvia and we think most of them lined the streets of Riga yesterday 🫶

@basketbols #FIBAWC x #WinForLatvia pic.twitter.com/SGGMHEthlp

— FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 (@FIBAWC) September 12, 2023

PHOTO CREDIT: Serbian Basketball Federation

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Prior to the final phase of the 2023 FIBA World Cup in Manila and following his gold medal win at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Noah Lyles shared a controversial opinion regarding whether NBA champions should be called World Champions.

While most of the superstars in the best league on the planet went at him, Giannis Antetokounmpo stood tall with the 26-year-old American phenomenon in the latest episode of the “48 Minutes “podcast. “I wanted to back him up so badly. He received so much backlash for saying the obvious, but some people don’t understand it. Maybe there’s just arrogance in it”, he first said.

In the Quarter-Finals of EuroBasket 2022, the Greek Freak lost against the German national team 107-96 after dropping a performance of 31 points, 7 rebounds, and 8 assists, and saw the true potential of Gordie Herbert’s squad.

After Germany’s triumph in the Philippines, the Milwaukee Bucks superstar praised them referring to what Noah Lyles first said. “Germany won the 2023 FIBA World Cup and they can say “We are the World Champions”. They beat the USA and then they beat the Serbian national team”, he said.

“Playing in the World Cup, when you play against The USA and other countries around the world, then they say you’re the World Champions. Manu Ginobili said it the best because when Argentina won the World Cup in 2006 he could say he was the World Champ, because he went there, beat the Greek team which previously beat the USA, he beat the Spanish and Brazilian teams”, Giannis Antetokounmpo explained.

Despite the most exciting basketball tournament in the world being played in the USA, the 2x NBA MVP totally agrees with the American athlete. “At the end of the day, in order for you to be the World Champ, you have to beat the World. I understand the NBA is the best league in the world and its talent is the best you’ll ever see in your life. It’s not even close. But we can’t say we are the World Champions because you play in the best league in the world. You have to respect those teams who are the EuroLeague, Greek, Spanish, and French champs”, he said.

“I may get some backlash for this, but I don’t care: I totally agree with him [Noah Lyles], because he’s on the world stage. He’s the best in the USA, but then he beat other competitors around the world. That’s where you can call yourself a World Champ, competing against everybody in the world”, the Greek superstar added.

Giannis Antetokounmpo is proud to be called the next Hakeem Olajuwon

During the conversation in the “48 Minutes” podcast, the 28-year-old commented on being considered the next Hakeem Olajuwon. “That’s a great compliment to be in the same sentence as Hakeem Olajuwon. One of the best international players to ever play this game. For sure the best African player to ever play this game. I loved his game. I always tried to study his game. I loved that he did it the right way; he stuck with his teammates and won two championships”, he said.

Continuing to comment on the former Houston Rockets superstar, Giannis Antetokounmpo praised him. “If I can kind of take a few things from his game, or learn anything from the few days I’m going to spend with him, it’s going to be a blessing. It’s a guy I looked up to my whole life. It’s a guy my parents looked up to because he was the number one guy in Nigeria. He was the best athlete… in Africa”, the Milwaukee Bucks superstar commented.

The 2x NBA MVP, who grew up in Greece with Nigerian roots, also spoke on whether he feels more European or African. “We grew up in a Nigerian household. Sometimes the way I operate, it’s a little bit Greek, it’s a little bit European because I went to school, and most of my friends are Greek and European. It’s a little bit of both”, he said. “At the end of the day, everybody knows that I’m Nigerian”, Giannis Antetokounmpo added.

PHOTO CREDIT: 2022 FIBA EuroBasket

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The silver boys Serbia arrived from Manila on the night of Monday to Tuesday, They landed at “Nikola Tesla” airport in Belgrade, where they were awaited by fans with flags, banners and a song. Tonight, traditionally, there will be a reception in front of the City Assembly (8:00 p.m.).

Basketball players will appear on the balcony, fans will have the opportunity to greet Svetislav Pešić’s team, and the selector and his chosen ones will be rewarded for their success in the Philippines. The Government of Serbia decided that each member of the national team will be awarded 25,000 euros.

All national team members who contributed to Serbia reaching the Mundobasket finals and winning a new world medal will be awarded: captain Bogdan Bogdanović, Filip Petrushev, Nikola Jović, Vanja Marinković, Ognjen Dobrić, Dušan ristić, Marko Gudurić, Stefan Jović, Dejan Davidovac, Boriša Simanić, Aleksa Avramović and Nikola Milutinov. As well as the selector Svetislav Pešić.

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MANILA, Philippines – Players committing to representing Canada in major international tournaments over multiple summers stretched to Melvin Ejim. The same bunch is now heading to the 2024 Olympic Games, carrying the experience of winning bronze in the 2023 FIBA World Cup.

“It’s huge, it’s the first time we were able to get a medal,” stressed Ejim following the win over the United States in the bronze medal game held in Mall of Asia Arena Sunday.

“It’s an amazing feeling for us, something which will prepare us for the future to do even better. To show what we can reach when we have guys who are committed when we work to come in and represent our country,” he added, “It’s an amazing thing for us tonight.”

Dillon Brooks poured in a game-high 39 points against the USA.

“He’s a performer, he’s amazing. I don’t think I have a say much,” commented Ejim, “He had 39 points, he made amazing passes and shots. He was just great out there. When you have guys like that who are committed, guys like Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander], RJ [Barrett], Nickeil [Alexander-Walker], Lu [Dort], Kelly [Olynik], who are coming in to put Canada on the map is amazing. Dillon was amazing today and I don’t expect anything less from him. He’s an amazing player and he’s been showing that throughout his career.”

Ejim, 32, has spent most of his career in Europe. Following the World Cup, he will switch focus to a second campaign with Unicaja, featuring the Basketball Champions League and domestic competitions in Spain. At the international level, he emerged among the 14 players committing to representing Canada through the ongoing cycle of international competitions, stretching from 2022 to 2024.

“These guys are obviously really talented, what I learned the most is how committed they are to the program. Everyone came here sacrificing something to represent Canada,” noted Ejim, “All of these guys came here, they’re willing to do what’s needed for us to win. That says a lot about them as people, as characters, and about our program. In the future, we will have more and more talented players, who want to achieve more than what we did. Bronze is amazing, but we have the talent, the people, and the organization to go for gold. In the Olympics, we can show that.”

His contribution amounted to 2.4 points, 2.9 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.3 steals, and 0.1 blocks per contest over eight games played in the World Cup.

“Even if it’s not this year, I believe in the future they’re gonna understand, see what Canada can do, and want to be a part of it. There’s been a lot of guys who wanted to be a part of this and they couldn’t be here for a bunch of reasons,” said Ejim on potential additions to the national team pool, “Going into the future, there’s gonna be a lot of high-level players to put Canada forward into the future.”

Besides securing the bronze medals, drawing a win over Team USA was a special moment for Ejim.

“It’s a great team, it’s a team that hardly ever loses, which has been on top of the world for a long time. We’re excited to have beaten them, it’s always a great feeling,” he explained, “We hope that in the future we will continue playing at this level, competing with the USA.”

Coming up next, Canada will compete in the Olympic Games for the first time since 2000.

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MANILA, Philippines – For the first time in the country’s history, Germany has reached the top of the world, beating Serbia in the 2023 FIBA World Cup Final to get a golden medal around their neck.

One of the protagonists of the most anticipated clash of the year was Johannes Voigtmann, who ended the game with 12 points and 8 rebounds while shooting 4/5 from the field. Stopping by in the mixed zone afterward, he took out all of his emotions.

“Unbelievable, it’s unbelievable. I’ve been talking about it now, but I still don’t understand what happened. I’m so happy for all the guys who are with us: the team, coaches, the staff. We’ve been suffering a lot in the past years, and we were able to move it around”, he first said.

While being an X-Factor on offense, the current Olimpia Milano’s forward had a big impact on the defensive end as well, containing his former teammate Nikola Milutinov, who ended the tournament with only 2 points and 4 rebounds. “We knew in the beginning that Niko is an unbelievable player, he played a great tournament. We were worried because we only had four bigs to put him in trouble and try to contain him and put him in trouble. It worked up pretty well”, he commented.

Spending years with him in CSKA Moscow, the 30-year-old praised the Serbian center. “I played with this guy for a long time, I’ve played against him in practice for a long time. I know what he doesn’t like. He played a great tournament and I think in the next couple of days he will realize what they’ve done because they’ve been playing a great tournament as a team, overcoming what happened to them and to Simanic… you have to give them credit”, Voigtmann added about the whole Serbian team.

On what this victory means for German basketball, the power forward said he still feels surreal. “I just saw the trophy and it’s gonna say Germany for eternity. It’s gonna be Germany on that thing. We’re gonna realize in the next couple of days, maybe weeks or months what we’ve done here. For us, we’re gonna just enjoy it. We had some bad times, we almost didn’t qualify for EuroBasket 2016. We fought back”, the 30-year-old commented.

Finally, Johannes Voigtmann shared emotional words on Germany’s head coach Gordie Herbert, who led this team to an unbeaten run in the 2023 FIBA World Cup. “He’s a very rational person, he tries to take all the emotions out before the game. You don’t wanna be too emotional before a game like this. He did a great job throughout the whole tournament in preparing us, giving us confidence, and putting us together as a team. You can’t say enough good words about him because he’s an excellent coach. A great person, a fair guy, and he’s straight up with everybody. He’s not gonna please everybody on the team,  but he’s damn close. His impact is huge. I can’t emphasize it enough”, he concluded.

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Manila, Philippines – After completing his debut World Cup tournament with a silver medal,  big man Filip Petrusev will look to use the whole experience, particularly the loss to Germany in the Final, as a motivation for the upcoming season with the Philadelphia 76ers.

This is a motivation maybe to just keep working,” Petrusev said ahead of his first season in the NBA. “Everybody as a group. Come back next summer stronger and do a little better.”

Petrusev averaged 8.2 points and 3.5 rebounds in the tournament. He had 10 points plus four boards vs. Germany.

“Nobody gave us a chance,” Petrusev said when asked to assess Serbia’s performance in the World Cup. “Nobody thought we’d make the Olympics. We made the Olympics. We got the medal. We should be proud of ourselves. I mean, it’s hard after today. But we fought and we should be proud of ourselves.”

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Manila, Philippines – Serbia center Nikola Milutinov took his share of the blame for his national team’s loss to Germany in the 2023 FIBA World Cup Final.

“I had to play better. I take full responsibility,” Milutinov said. “I wasn’t on the level I was playing in this tournament. I’m feeling terrible right now. But, still, I’ proud of my guys for being in this position and for taking the silver medal because it’s a really big thing.”

Milutinov began the game with four assists in five minutes but didn’t manage to overcome Germany’s defense in the long run. The Olympiacos Piraeus center finished with two points and 0-4 shots along with four rebounds after posting 16 points and 10 rebounds in the semifinal win over Canada.

He overall averaged 12.1 points, 8.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists in the tournament and won his first medal with the senior national team.

“It’s a big thing being second in the world, especially with the team we came here. Still, it’s difficult to lose in the Final.”

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Manilla, Philippines – Germany big man Mo Wagner praised his head coach Gordon Herbert and how he deals with the very diverse group of players of the national team.

“He’s a very focused man,” Wagner said after hearing about Herbert’s emotional reaction after the win over Serbia in the World Cup championship game. “Without him, we probably wouldn’t be here. He has great attention to detail and great intensity behind every word. And it helps us a lot with a group of great characters. It gets loud sometimes and he keeps us calm, focused.”

Wagner was feeling happy not only for what he just accomplished but for what this gold medal means for German basketball.

“I will say that this is really cool for German basketball in general,” Wagner mentioned. “It’s not about me. It’s about us. In the grand scheme of things, this means a lot for the German basketball culture. Having the feeling of being part of something bigger than yourself, it’s so valuable and awesome. I’m grateful for that.”

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MANILA, Philippines –Dennis Schroder is living the time of his life with the team of his life.

The captain of the German national team has been committed for a decade and finally, he achieved something that even Dirk Nowitzki couldn’t do.

“It’s been a long wait”, he admitted after winning the final and being named FIBA World Cup MVP.

“I have been here for 10 years and to be here now, after last year’s bronze medal. It’s an unbelievable group. Coach did a great job of bringing us together, the best to be successful, being 8-0. In a group where we had big-time teams getting to the next stage playing Georgia and Slovenia, it was unbelievable and stayed perfect until the end. That’s a blessing. The people in the locker rooms, my family, my kids, my wife”.

Of course, Dirk was bound to enter the conversation, since in 2002, a young Nowitzki led Germany to the bronze medal of the FIBA World Cup.

Schroder talked about his relationship with him: “Of course, Dirk Nowitzki is one of the best power forwards ever, he changed the game of basketball, an NBA champion. cool guy outside the court, It was great to play with him in 2015. But we couldn’t have done it without being a team. So kudos to everyone”.

Asked, however, if Nowitzki was his idol growing up, Schroder was totally sincere: “I would lie if I say growing up I was looking up to him. I was watching players like Mike Conley, Tony Parker and Chris Paul. But when I went to the NBA and had a workout in Dallas, he met me and said to me “Take my number, text me, call me”. Since then we have had a great relationship, nothing but love for him”.

And then coach Gordon Herbert intervened to put things into perspective: “With complete respect to Dirk, he was then, Dennis is now. He deserves respect for what he has done and where he has taken this team”.

To be exact, not only Dennis Schroder but the team itself needs respect and a broadcasting partner.

Until the final game, all the FIBA World Cup games were only streamed in Germany, something that Schroder found disappointing and hopes will change: “We first thought the tournament was going to be on the TV. Only the final was on the TV. Basketball is a great sport and I hope we can get our respect for what we are doing the last two years. I wish that every single game is on TV. Ten years ago when I started, we had Dirk Nowitzki but nobody knew who were the other guys on the team. Now we go to Japan and the Philippines and they know us. We hope to get this respect also in our country and get recognized”.

And speaking about Japan, this was the place when for the first time the Germans felt they could win it all.

Dennis told the story: “Coach came to us in Okinawa and we had a meeting and it was four groups of four people. He asked everybody what you guys want to accomplish. Everyone said a medal and I said gold. The guys in the locker rooms, everybody is so together and that’s why I said it. Because our defense is special, we play together as a team and that’s insane to me, to get 8-0″.

Well, crazier things have happened, like the German national team games not being broadcast on free television in Germany. However, things are hopefully changing…

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Manila, Philippines – Not only did Germany star forward Franz Wagner become a world champion but accomplished it while sharing the floor with his older brother Moe.

“It’s special,” Wagner said after being asked how it feels to win the World Cup with his brother as teammate. Special to have our parents here too. This is so surreal, it doesn’t make sense that we are both on this team and we can enjoy it.”

After recovering from an ankle injury, Franz Wagner returned strong for the knockout games to help Germany make it all the way to the Final. He had 22 points and five rebounds in the semifinal win over Team USA while posting 19 points plus seven boards in the victory over Serbia in the championship game.

Germany finished the World Cup with an 8-0 run.

“There were so many moments this year in so many games that the other team made a run, this game, the game before against the States,” Wagner said. “We never let it slip, we just kept playing and kept staying together. That made a huge difference in all these games.”

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MANILA, Philippines – Gordon Herbert is a quiet man. He is also a happy and blissful man, after leading Germany to the top of the world by winning the FIBA World Cup.

The way he just sat down on the floor after the final demonstrates that his emotions simply couldn’t be contained.

And he has not even yet grasped the full picture: “No really hasn’t hit me yet, I am just so proud of these guys. It’s going to get me in a couple of days. All I know is that tomorrow is Monday and I am just so proud of these guys. After my kids being born, which is my family, this is number 2 in my life, being around these people”.

It’s a surreal moment for Herbert who got a unique message before the final: “I got up at 6.30, got to the practice, and then took a nap. I woke up from my nap and got a message from cancelor Olaf Scholz and that shows what this means to Germany. I was also a fan of cancelor Merkel. The best leaders in Germany, even in the world but it’s not that hard after having Donald Trump”.

Herbert’s comments include his wish for better beer in the Philippines and also for German open-air television to broadcast the national team games – “Our games should have been on the normal TV from the get-go, I hope from now on they understand how this team represents Germany” – and on a more serious note, he explained how this Germany team was built.

It all started in his first meeting with Dennis Schroder: “In 2021 September we talked with Dennis for three or four hours. I felt his heart, his commitment, his care and that’s where it all started. We played the first game of qualifications and we lost to Estonia and then, we went 10-2. We had Dennis, Isaac Bonga, and Johannes Voigtmann playing in June windows. Guys who didn’t have contracts came and committed, setting an example for everyone else. And now this is the result. It’s a surreal moment, it’s a tremendous team of players. We are a team first, we have individual talent but they guys cared for each other, challenged each other and we competed with each other”.

Despite their recent infamous timeout tension, Herbert really loves and respects his captain: “I think Dennis and I got a connection since September 2021, we developed that trust in the team and between us. The biggest thing I did was to make Dennis captain. He takes so much pride in being the captain of the German national team. And this is year two of our three-year plan… I think the biggest thing with this team is that we enjoyed being here, we enjoyed competing and I can’t say enough for Dennis Schroder and what he meant for German basketball. Dennis will tell you first that it’s a team-first thing. We would not be here without him and we wouldn’t be here without the team”.

And this love spreads even to the Serbian team, with Herbert calling coach Svetislav Pesic a friend: “I have known coach Pesic for quite a while, I consider him a friend, we had some little red wine and I have a lot of respect for what he has done with his group here”.

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Manila, Philippines – Serbia star guard Bogdan Bogdanovic completed a FIBA World Cup tournament with the silver medal for the second time in his career after 2014. It’s quite an accomplishment but, naturally, the Atlanta Hawks player wishes that he would leave the competition with the gold.

“I was second once. I’ll be happy to get the gold as well. To finish the tournament with a win,” Bogdanovic said after the loss to Germany in the championship game. “Unfortunately, sometimes luck is not on your side. We missed some shots, we missed some opportunities. That’s the game of basketball. That’s how it works. I’m just happy and proud of these guys. Since Day 1, nobody believed in this group. We have been working hard since Day 1 and achieved something, I think.”

Eurohoops asked Bogdanovic if he feels that Serbia would’ve beaten Germany if they faced them in a series instead of a knockout game.

“They have experience,” Bogdanovic answered. “They built this team over years. I’ve been watching them. I know a lot of guys [on the team]. They have been together for years. I think we had better chances in one game. Congrats to them really. They are a tough opponent. They won every single game in this tournament. They have beaten tough teams since the beginning. They deserved it honestly.

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