The United States will face Greece, New Zealand and Jordan in group play of the FIBA World Cup this summer time as Team USA seeks to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The draw, held Saturday, was favorable for the U.S., which can keep away from the world’s prime groups within the opening spherical of the 32-nation match.
Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokoumpo has but to substantiate whether or not he’ll play for Greece, although he has expressed his want to take action.
The World Cup runs from Aug. 25 to Sept. 10, with video games performed in a trio of host nations: the Philippines, Indonesia and Japan.
The United States, in Group C, opens play Aug. 26 towards New Zealand, adopted by video games with Greece on Aug. 28 and Jordan on Aug. 30. Those contests will probably be held in Manilla, Philippines.
Spain is the defending champion and is predicted to problem once more for the match title. France and Canada, each robust contenders, are two of 4 groups in Group H.
The match marks the match debut of Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr as the pinnacle coach of Team USA. He replaces the retired Gregg Popovich, who led the U.S. to a gold medal within the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. USA Basketball named NBA head coaches Monty Williams (Phoenix Suns) and Erik Spoelstra (Miami Heat) and Gonzaga coach Mark Few as Kerr’s assistants.
The roster make-up is being led by Grant Hill, the nationwide crew’s managing director. Training camp will probably be held in August earlier than the beginning of the match.
“We’ll have some players who are seasoned in international play but also some players new to it,” Hill instructed ESPN. “Now that we know what our opposition looks like, we can put our head down and try to put together a roster that gives us a chance to win.”
Groups for the FIBA World Cup:
Group A: Italy, Dominican Republic, Philippines, Angola
Group B: South Sudan, Serbia, China, Puerto Rico
Group C: United States, Jordan, Greece, New Zealand
Group D: Egypt, Mexico, Montenegro, Lithuania
Group E: Germany, Finland, Australia, Japan
Group F: Slovenia, Cape Verde, Georgia, Venezuela
Group G: Iran, Spain, Ivory Coast, Brazil
Group H: Canada, Latvia, Lebanon, France
–Field Level Media