NBA superstars, European heroes and young stars ready to make their mark in China
Wednesday 28 August 2019 10:00, UK
Team USA’s roster is lacking its traditional star power but that doesn’t mean the FIBA World Cup is bereft of superstar quality. We identify six players likely to grab the World Cup headlines.
FIBA World Cup: When is it? Who is playing? Where is it being played?
FIBA World Cup: Star power guaranteed
The FIBA World Cup will feature the NBA's current league MVP and Defensive Player of the Year - but neither of them are American.
Fresh from his maiden regular-season MVP award, Giannis Antetokounmpo will lead Greece at the World Cup. His elder brother Thanasis, now Giannis' Milwaukee Bucks team-mate, is also part of the Greece roster.
The younger Antetokounmpo demonstrated his ability to dominate NBA defenses throughout the regular season and into the playoffs. He is indisputably the best player at the World Cup and Greece will expect him to carry the team deep into the knockout stages.
Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert secured his second successive NBA Defensive Player of the Year award at the end of the 2018-19 season.
The 7ft 1in Gobert, affectionately nicknamed 'The Stifle Tower', will anchor France's defense at the World Cup and, thanks to FIBA's less strict interpretation of goal-tending, will be an even greater offensive and defensive weapon close to the basket than he is in the NBA.
Perhaps the biggest threat to Team USA's hopes of a third successive World Cup triumph comes from Serbia, led by Denver Nuggets' center Nikola Jokic.
Jokic is coming off a stellar NBA season in which he made his first All-Star appearance and was voted onto the All-NBA First Team. He also has international tournament pedigree having helped Serbia reach the Olympic final in 2016, where they were beaten by a star-studded American squad.
Arguably the best player at the 2019 World Cup never to play in the NBA, point guard Sergio Llull will hope to lead a seasoned Spain team deep into the tournament.
The 31-year-old has extensive international experience having played in an Olympic final (Spain's 2012 loss to USA) and the last two World Cups and was a key part of Spain's EuroBasket triumphs in 2009, 2011 and 2015.
Llull has never been short of NBA suitors. He was drafted in 2009 by the Denver Nuggets, who subsequently sold his rights to the Houston Rockets for a record sum of $2.25m.
Though linking up with the Rockets has long been rumoured, Llull has eschewed the opportunity to play in the NBA, spending almost all of his club career with Real Madrid.
Only a 28-point masterclass from Kevin Durant prevented Turkey from winning the 2010 World Cup final. Nine years on, with a trio of talented NBA players at their disposal, they are hoping to shine again.
Cleveland Cavaliers' forward Cedi Osman, coming off an excellent second NBA season in which he upped his scoring average by 10 points per game, will be Turkey's featured player in China. He'll be supported by forward Ersan Ilyasova and point guard Furkan Korkmaz.
In a recent exhibition game against France, Osman he racked up 19 points and repeatedly scored at the rim despite the attentions of Rudy Gobert. Cavs fans will be hoping the World Cup marks the next step in Osman's development.
"The players will give it their best shot," Osman told the Anadolu Agency. "I feel confident, l know the high expectations on me. Everything is right on track and the team spirit is high."
Turkey share their World Cup group with the USA, Czech Republic and Japan. The latter's hopes rest on the shoulders of a 21-year-old big man who recently became the first Japanese player selected in the first round of the NBA Draft.
Rui Hachimura, selected ninth overall by the Washington Wizards, will lead Japan in their fifth World Cup appearance.
The 6ft 8in forward has already produced strong performances in international basketball, racking up 25 points in a World Cup qualification win over Iran. He also averaged team-best figures of 20.6 points and 11.0 rebounds per game for Japan at 2017 U19 World Cup.
"I want to lead the team by example," Hachimura told the Japan Times. "I have accumulated various experiences that my elder team-mates haven't and I want to contribute to the team with those."
The 2019 FIBA World Cup begins on August 31 and you can stay up-to-date with all the action at skysports.com/nba and the Sky Sports mobile app.
