Friday 30 August 2019 10:44, UK
The 2019 FIBA World Cup commences on August 31 with the USA aiming for an unprecedented third successive title and 31 nations hoping to stop them. Read our team-by-team World Cup guide.
It is gold or bust for Team USA as the two-time defending World Cup champions try to become the first nation to win three straight. Serbia, Spain and Greece are among the top teams that won't make it easy for the Americans.
The tournament starts on August 31 with a group phase. Two teams will advance from each group to the round of 16, which begins on September 6.
Quarter-final play starts September 10 and the semi-finals take place on September 13 with the World Cup final set for September 15 in Beijing.
Discover more about the 32 teams competing at the FIBA World Cup.
China (FIBA ranking - 30)
NBA fans already know names like Yi Jianlian and Zhou Qi, but Guo Ailun, a 25-year-old with almost a decade of national-team experience already, might end up being the biggest key to the hosts' potential World Cup success.
Ivory Coast (FIBA ranking - 64)
Deon Thompson was part of North Carolina's 2009 NCAA championship team and has a silver medal from the 2007 FIBA U19 world championship (where he played for the US on a team with Stephen Curry, Patrick Beverley, DeAndre Jordan, Michael Beasley and more)
Poland (FIBA ranking - 25)
Poland coach Mike Taylor is a Florida resident who once served as the assistant coach for Nick Nurse - now coach of the NBA champion Toronto Raptors and Team Canada - with the G League's Rio Grande Valley Vipers.
Venezuela (FIBA ranking 20)
Gregory Vargas averaged 11.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists for Venezuela in the 12-game series of World Cup qualifiers, and is one of eight returnees from the team that played in the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Most likely to advance?
China and Poland
Argentina (FIBA ranking - 5)
The seemingly ageless 39-year-old Luis Scola is in his fifth World Cup and has been part of Argentina winning 15 medals in major international competitions over the last two decades. An early concern for the team is top guard Facundo Campazzo, who is dealing with a sprained right ankle.
Korea (FIBA ranking - 32)
Diminutive guard Heo Hoon is the youngest player on the Korean roster at 24, though he has a legacy already. His father, Hur Jae, is a Korean player and coaching legend.
Nigeria (FIBA ranking - 33)
One of the few teams in the tournament that could have five NBA players on the court at one time if they choose, with Ike Diogu, Al-Farouq Amini, Ekpe Udoh, Josh Okogie and Chimezie Metu all on the final roster.
Russia (FIBA ranking - 10)
Russia were one of the last teams to finalise a 12-man roster for the World Cup, and will likely rely on shooting guard Sergey Karasev in the group stage.
Most likely to advance?
Argentina and Nigeria
Spain (FIBA ranking - 2)
Gold-medal hopefuls with Marc Gasol, Ricky Rubio and Sergio Llull leading the way for a veteran squad. Spain should have minimal trouble getting to the second round.
Iran (FIBA ranking - 27)
Former NBA player Hamed Haddadi provides veteran presence, and the player to watch might be streak-shooting guard Mohammad Jamshidi, a real three-point threat who also has the ability to score in traffic.
Puerto Rico (FIBA ranking - 16)
The opening game against Iran is a must-win for Puerto Rico, a team that added undrafted Sacramento Kings signee Isaiah Pineiro - whose grandparents are Puerto Rican - to the national roster for the first time this summer.
Tunisia (FIBA ranking - 51)
Dallas center Salah Mejri is the leader for Tunisia, along with California-born wing Michael Roll, who was part of three Final Four teams at UCLA and became a Tunisian citizen in 2015.
Most likely to advance?
Spain and Puerto Rico
Serbia (FIBA ranking - 4)
Serbia's roster is loaded: All-NBA center Nikola Jokic, Boban Marjanovic, Nemanja Bjelica and Bogdan Bogdanovic are all on the team, which has made clear that it believes it can win the gold medal.
Angola (FIBA ranking - 39)
Angola coach Will Voigt is a native of Vermont, coached Nigeria at the 2016 Olympics and not only used to work in the San Antonio Spurs' video room, but crashed at the home of Spurs coach (and Team USA coach) Gregg Popovich for a few months when he needed a place to stay.
Italy (FIBA ranking 13)
Marco Belinelli and Danilo Gallinari lead the way for the Italians, who stumbled into the tournament with seven losses in their final eight tune-up games this summer, including a 32-point hammering at the hands of Serbia.
Philippines (FIBA ranking - 31)
The name people will best know is naturalised Filipino and nine-year NBA veteran Andray Blatche, but the name they should know is June Mar Fajardo, a 6ft 11in center with five MVP awards from his homeland's top pro league.
Most likely to advance?
Serbia and Italy
United States (FIBA ranking - 1)
It's gold or bust for the two-time defending champions, bidding to become the first nation to win three straight World Cups. Kemba Walker and Donovan Mitchell could be a dynamic backcourt, but the loss to Australia last week raised plenty of eyebrows and doubt.
Czech Republic (FIBA ranking - 24)
Tomas Satoransky's best scoring game for the Washington Wizards last season was a 21-point effort on January 27 at San Antonio. He'll lead the Czechs, who open against the US and Spurs coach Gregg Popovich.
Japan (FIBA ranking - 48)
Wizards rookie and Gonzaga alum Rui Hachimura and Memphis forward Yuta Watanabe (who went to high school in Connecticut and played college ball at George Washington) are the clear leaders of this squad.
Turkey (FIBA ranking - 17)
Turkey have plenty of talent, with NBA players Cedi Osman, Ersan Ilyasova and Furkan Korkmaz leading the way for a team that went to the quarter-finals of the last World Cup in 2014.
Most likely to advance?
USA and Turkey
Brazil (FIBA ranking - 12)
Anderson Varejao, Leandro Barbosa, Cristiano Felicio and Alex Garcia lead the way for the Brazilians, who beat Montenegro earlier this summer and might have to do it again in the group-play finale to advance.
Greece (FIBA ranking - 8)
NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks leads the Greeks and has said he would give back that trophy in exchange for World Cup gold. Florida-born point guard Nick Calathes, a former Florida Gator, will run the offense.
Montenegro (FIBA ranking - 28)
Orlando Magic star Nikola Vucevic, coming off the best season of his NBA career, gives his homeland hope of a second-round berth, but the opener against Greece will be daunting.
New Zealand (FIBA ranking - 38)
The player to watch may be guard Tai Webster, who was a big-time scorer for Nebraska as a college senior in 2016-17 and went on to get a summer league stint with the Golden State Warriors.
Most likely to advance?
Greece and Brazil
France (FIBA ranking - 5)
A very real gold-medal contender led by Rudy Gobert in the middle, returning All-World Cup team member Nicolas Batum and NBA veterans Evan Fournier and Nando De Colo. Frank Ntilikina will get minutes at point guard.
Dominican Republic (FIBA ranking - 18)
Dominican Republic coach Nestor Che Garcia has also led the national teams of Uruguay, his native Argentina and Venezuela, as well as coaching pro teams in Puerto Rico, Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, Uruguay, Mexico and Spain.
Germany (FIBA ranking- 22)
Dennis Schroder and Maxi Kleber figure to be the two leaders for the Germans, coached by former North Carolina guard Henrik Rodl. The game against the Dominican Republic could be make-or-break for Germany.
Jordan (FIBA ranking - 49)
Jordan were a very tough outfit when they debuted at the World Cup in 2010, losing by one to Australia (a game where they led by five with just over a minute remaining) and nine to Argentina.
Most likely to advance?
France and Germany
Australia (FIBA ranking - 11)
The Boomers pulled off the pre-tournament shock with a win in Melbourne over the United States, and arrive in China with plenty of momentum. Patty Mills runs the offense and Andrew Bogut patrols the paint.
Canada (FIBA ranking - 23)
Not having Miami's Kelly Olynyk (knee) will hurt the Canadians, who are still good enough for the second round but will have to survive what will likely be the best of the eight groups. Nick Nurse, coach of the NBA champion Toronto Raptors, is coaching Canada.
Lithuania (FIBA ranking - 6)
Memphis' Jonas Valanciunas and Indiana's Domantas Sabonis are the two best players for the Lithuanians, who bring back five players from the team that went to the World Cup in 2014.
Senegal (FIBA ranking - 37)
Senegal went 10-2 in the African Qualifiers for the World Cup, tying Nigeria and Tunisia for the best record. But it'll be a tall task for Senegal to break through in this group.
Most likely to advance?
Australia and Lithuania
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.
