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USA Basketball names 12-player team for FIBA World Cup. See who made the roster

Jeff Zillgitt, USA TODAY
·2 min read
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The USA’s 2023 FIBA World Cup men’s basketball roster has a heavy Villanova influence, a dash of Duke and inexperience at the international senior level.

Of the 12 NBA players named to the World Cup team on Thursday, three played at Villanova, two played at Duke and not one has played a major senior FIBA competition such as the World Cup or Olympics.

Still, the U.S. enters the event with the most NBA players of any roster in the 32-team event, and it is the favorite to win the gold after finishing seventh in 2019.

Let’s take a look at who is playing for the U.S. team and what is at stake at the FIBA World Cup which will be played Aug. 25-Sept. 10 in Japan, Indonesia and Philippines:

Who is on the U.S. FIBA World Cup roster?

Nets forward Mikal Bridges drives to the basket against Cavaliers guard Darius Garland during the first half of their game, March 23 in New York.
Nets forward Mikal Bridges drives to the basket against Cavaliers guard Darius Garland during the first half of their game, March 23 in New York.

Paolo Banchero, Orlando Magic; Mikal Bridges, Brooklyn Nets; Jalen Brunson (New York Knicks/Villanova); Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves; Tyrese Haliburton, Indiana Pacers; Josh Hart, New York Knicks; Brandon Ingram, New Orleans Pelicans; Jaren Jackson Jr., Memphis Grizzlies; Cam Johnson, Brooklyn Nets; Walker Kessler, Utah Jazz; Bobby Portis, Milwaukee Bucks; Austin Reaves, Los Angeles Lakers.

Bridges, Brunson and Hart played for Villanova, and Banchero and Ingram played for Duke. There are two Knicks (Brunson and Hart) and two Nets (Bridges, Johnson).

What is the U.S. schedule at the FIBA World Cup?

There are two rounds of group play before the knockout round. The U.S. knows its first three opponents in group play:

Aug. 26: U.S. vs. New Zealand in Philippines

Aug. 28: U.S. vs. Greece in Philippines

Aug. 30: U.S. vs. Jordan in Philippines

The team will hold a training camp in Las Vegas on Aug. 3-6 and then play Puerto Rico on Aug. 7 at T-Mobile Arena. Then the U.S. plays Slovenia on Aug. 12 and Spain on Aug. 13 in Malaga, Spain, and completes its exhibition schedule against Greece on Aug. 18 and Germany on Aug. 20 in Abu Dhabi.

Who is coaching the U.S. FIBA World Cup team?

Golden State’s Steve Kerr is the head coach, and he will be joined by assistants Erik Spoelstra of the Miami Heat, Ty Lue of the Los Angeles Clippers and Mark Few of the Gonzaga Bulldogs.

What’s at stake?

Beyond becoming the World Cup champions and collecting gold, silver or bronze medals, seven 2024 Paris Olympic berths are at stake based on the best finishes from FIBA Africa (one team), FIBA Americas (two teams), FIBA Asia (one team), FIBA Europe (two teams) and FIBA Oceania (one team). France, the Olympic host country, gets an automatic bid for 2024, and the four remaining Olympic spots will be determined in Olympic qualifying tournaments next year.

Follow NBA reporter Jeff Zillgitt on Twitter @JeffZillgitt

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: FIBA World Cup: NBA players named to 12-man roster with Olympic hopes