Ricky Rubio of Spain touches the trophy as he walks off the court after the team claimed the 2019 FIBA World Cup title in Beijing, capital of China on Sept. 15, 2019. (Xinhua/He Changshan)
Powerhouses like the U.S., Spain, and France keep the 2023 FIBA World Cup title race open, while China embraces challenges with a young roster in Manila.
MANILA, Aug. 23 (Xinhua) -- The 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup will tip off on Friday in the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia, marking the first time for this event to be hosted by multiple countries.
The group phase will run from August 25 to 30, with the top two teams of each group to advance to the second round, while the bottom two play in the classification round for the 17th-32nd places.
After 92 matches, the champion will emerge on September 10. While yet, the question mark of who's going to lift the Naismith Trophy remains big.
Withdrawals of some big names, like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic, dulled up the FIBA's flagship event but would certainly lead to a larger suspense.
The United States remains the top favorite for the championship. They won all five warmup matches against competitive rivals, including defending world champion Spain and 2022 EuroBasket third-placed finisher Germany.
Anthony Edwards and Jalen Brunson appeared to be the leaders in offense for Steve Kerr's squad. Edwards led the U.S. boxscore four times out of five games, and New York star Brunson made all nine attempts to score 21 points against Spain.
Brandon Ingram, Mikal Bridges and Jaren Jackson Jr. can also provide steady outputs for the five-time World Cup champion.
However, the challenges are also significant for them. Four years ago, the U.S. failed to make it to the final four. This time they are drawn into the same group as powerhouse Greece, and in the second round, they could face Lithuania and Montenegro, meaning their path back to the summit is unlikely to be a completely smooth one.
In Spain's roster, there are veterans like Rudy Fernandez and Sergio Llull, as well as emerging talents like the Hernangomez brothers, Willy and Juancho, making them a formidable force. Spain has a history of starting slowly in major tournaments while they often produce some stunning performances when they are lowly expected.
France also boasts a strong squad with stars like Rudy Gobert, Evan Fournier, Nando de Colo and Nicolas Batum. Swallowing tough losses in the final of Tokyo Olympics and 2022 EuroBasket, Les Bleus might be tired of settling for runner-up again.
For other top-tier teams, Luka Doncic's Slovenia is a force to be reckoned with, along with Germany, led by Dennis Schroder, who stole the show lately, and perennial powerhouses Serbia and Lithuania can't be ignored either.
In the last edition four years ago, host China was automatically seeded and faced some favorable opponents, Poland, Venezuela and Cote d'Ivoire, in the group phase. But they were unexpectedly eliminated after the group stage, which in part led to their absence from the Tokyo Olympic Games.
In Manila, China faces more solid rivals in group B. Serbia is considered a championship contender, Puerto Rico is a familiar face at the World Cup, and South Sudan, despite making its debut, boasts a roster of horrifying height and arms span.
Zhou Qi (R) of China competes during the Trentino Cup basketball match against Cape Verde in Trento, Italy on Aug. 4, 2023. (Xinhua/Jin Mamengni)
China has made significant changes to its roster compared to four years ago. Zhou Qi, Wang Zhelin, Zhao Jiwei and Zhao Rui all remain in the lineup, while Yi Jianlian and Guo Ailun are notable absentees.
China has added NBA veteran Li Kaier, and entrusted young players like Zhang Zhenlin, Cui Yongxi and Zhu Junlong with essential roles.
In their warmup matches, Aleksandar Djordjevic's side suffered heavy defeats against European powerhouses Germany, Italy and Serbia, which indicated a huge gap between China and top-tier teams, while victories over New Zealand, Cape Verde and Egypt might boost the team's confidence.
China's first game will be on August 26 against Serbia, to whom they lost 87-64 in a warmup match in Shenzhen.
With a target of securing Olympic qualification through the FIBA World Cup, Djordjevic needs to energize the twin towers Zhou and Wang along with young guards. ■
