Basketball

Basketball World Cup 2023: How to Watch, Who’s Playing, Who’s Favored and More

AP Photo/Aaron Favila
A man plays basketball in front of a wall painted with JIP, the FIBA Basketball World Cup mascot, Thursday, Aug. 17, 2023, in Taguig city Philippines.

11:04 JST, August 24, 2023

The Basketball World Cup — FIBA’s biggest tournament — starts Friday, spread out across three countries for the first two rounds before all the biggest games get played in Manila to decide which nation will go home with gold medals and the Naismith Trophy on Sept. 10.

Spain is the defending champion, having won in China four years ago. The U.S. was only seventh in that tournament, its worst finish ever in a major international event. But the Americans have high hopes, and enter as the tournament favorites.

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

The 32 teams were split into eight different groups of four. The top two teams from each group will make the second round. The top eight teams after the second round advance to the quarterfinals.

Here’s a list of all the opening games for all 32 teams:

FRIDAY

Group A (at Manila): Angola vs. Italy, Dominican Republic vs. Philippines

Group D (at Manila): Mexico vs. Montenegro, Egypt vs. Lithuania

Group E (at Okinawa): Finland vs. Australia, Germany vs. Japan

Group H (at Jakarta): Latvia vs. Lebanon, Canada vs. France

SATURDAY

Group B (at Manila): South Sudan vs. Puerto Rico, Serbia vs. China

The 32 teams were split into eight different groups of four. The top two teams from each group will make the second round. The top eight teams after the second round advance to the quarterfinals.

WHO ARE THE PLAYERS TO WATCH?

Rosters won’t be finalized until later this week, but expect at least 20 of the 32 teams to have at least one NBA player on the roster. The U.S. is the only team with all 12 players hailing from the NBA.

Canada has a slew of NBA talent, as would be expected, including Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, RJ Barrett, Kelly Olynyk, Dillon Brooks, Lu Dort, Nickell Alexander-Walker and Dwight Powell.

RULE DIFFERENCES

Those who are used to the NBA game will find some parts of the FIBA game confusing, particularly what constitutes basket interference or goaltending. In short, once a ball hits the rim, it’s fair game for either the offense or defense to hit it even while it remains in the cylinder.

The 3-point line is a bit closer, the ball is a bit smaller, players foul out on their fifth personal and the game doesn’t last as long. Quarters are 10 minutes, not 12 like in the NBA.