Great Britain and Italy Basketball Teams Hold Moment of Silence for Queen Elizabeth Before Game

Natasha Dye
·2 min read
General view inside the stadium prior to the FIBA EuroBasket 2022 group C match between Great Britain and Italy at Forum di Assago on September 08, 2022 in Milan, Italy. Great Britain have asked FIBA to postpone the game following the death today of Queen Elizabeth II at Balmoral Castle in Scotland on September 8, 2022.
General view inside the stadium prior to the FIBA EuroBasket 2022 group C match between Great Britain and Italy at Forum di Assago on September 08, 2022 in Milan, Italy. Great Britain have asked FIBA to postpone the game following the death today of Queen Elizabeth II at Balmoral Castle in Scotland on September 8, 2022.
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Mattia Ozbot/Getty

Great Britain and Italy's basketball teams held a moment of silence for Queen Elizabeth II before their EuroBasket game on Thursday.

The British basketball team was scheduled to tip off against Italy at Milan's San Siro Stadium shortly after the Royal Family confirmed the Queen's death. Italian fans and players joined Great Britain in a 30-second moment of silence before the game began.

Great Britain shared the touching moment afterwards on their Twitter account. "A moment of silence was observed here in Milan before our @eurobasket game against @italbasket, following the death of HRH Queen Elizabeth II."

RELATED: Queen Elizabeth, the Longest-Reigning British Monarch, Dies at 96

Prior to the moment of silence, Great Britain Basketball shared a tribute to Queen Elizabeth with their social media followers. "The British Basketball community is united in mourning at the passing of Her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth II. Our deepest condolences are with the Royal Family."

General view of a minute's silence in honor of Queen Elizabeth II inside the stadium prior to the FIBA EuroBasket 2022 group C match between Great Britain and Italy at Forum di Assago on September 08, 2022 in Milan, Italy. Great Britain asked FIBA not to play the game, Queen Elizabeth II died at Balmoral Castle in Scotland on September 8, 2022.
General view of a minute's silence in honor of Queen Elizabeth II inside the stadium prior to the FIBA EuroBasket 2022 group C match between Great Britain and Italy at Forum di Assago on September 08, 2022 in Milan, Italy. Great Britain asked FIBA not to play the game, Queen Elizabeth II died at Balmoral Castle in Scotland on September 8, 2022.

Mattia Ozbot/Getty EuroBasket players hold a moment of silence for Queen Elizabeth

Great Britain's basketball team has struggled to stay afloat in EuroBasket's standings, with their third defeat coming in a 93-77 loss to Greece on Monday. Despite playing efficiently, the team couldn't survive the domination of Greece's star, Giannis Antetokounmpo. "They raised the pressure, we didn't handle the pressure, it's fairly simple," Great Britain Head coach Nate Reinking told BBC.

Following EuroBasket, Great Britain's basketball team will compete for a spot in the World Cup as qualifiers begin November 10.

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Additional teams across the globe have also made plans to honor the Queen in light of Thursday's news. Arsenal presented a tribute before continuing the second half of their match against Zurich.

The NFL will honor the late Queen as well Thursday night as they kickoff the 2022-2023 season. National NFL insider Ian Rapoport reported that the Los Angeles Rams and Buffalo Bills will hold a moment of silence before Thursday's game.