International Rumors | Hoops Rumors

World Cup Second Round Set; Australia Earns Spot In 2024 Olympics

August 30th, 2023 at 10:21am CST by Luke Adams

The field for the second round of the 2023 World Cup has been set following Wednesday’s games, with 16 of the tournament’s 32 teams set to advance while the other 16 will compete in consolation (classification) games for the Nos. 17-32 spots, having been eliminated from medal contention.

The four second round groups are as follows:

Group I: Serbia (3-0), Dominican Republic (3-0), Italy (2-1), Puerto Rico (2-1)
Group J: United States (3-0), Lithuania (3-0), Montenegro (2-1), Greece (2-1)
Group K: Slovenia (3-0), Germany (3-0), Australia (2-1), Georgia (2-1)
Group L: Canada (3-0), Spain (3-0), Brazil (2-1), Latvia (2-1)

The second round will consist of two more group-play games, taking place on Friday and Sunday, with each team playing the two clubs in its group that it has yet to face. For instance, Team USA will go up against Montenegro and Lithuania, having already defeated Greece in the first round.

A team’s record and point differential from the first round will carry over to the second round, so the 3-0 clubs in each group will have a leg up and a little more room for error. After two more games (five total), the top two teams in each group will advance to the eight-team, single-elimination knockout round.

A total of seven nations will qualify for the 2024 Olympics based on the World Cup results. The tournament’s top two teams from the Americas and Europe will earn spots in the Olympics, while the top team from Africa, Asia, and Oceania, respectively, will also make the cut.

So far, just one Olympic qualifier has been determined — with New Zealand’s elimination today, Australia is the last Oceania team standing and has secured its place in the 2024 Olympics, joining France (the host nation).

Since no teams from Asia or Africa made it through to the round of 16, the classification games will determine those two Olympic qualifiers.

There are still several teams from the Americas and Europe alive in the main draw. In order to clinch an Olympic berth, the U.S. will have to finish among the top two of the five Americas teams left standing — Canada, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and Brazil are the other four.

Once the World Cup concludes, eight of the 12 teams competing in the 2024 Olympics in Paris will be set. The remaining four spots will be up for grabs in Olympic qualifying tournaments next year.

Former Lottery Pick Yi Jianlian Announces Retirement

August 30th, 2023 at 8:53am CST by Luke Adams

Chinese big man Yi Jianlian, the sixth overall pick in the 2007 NBA draft, has announced his retirement as a professional player, according to a China Global Television Network report.

“Time flies; in the blink of an eye, basketball has been by my side for 21 years,” Yi wrote as part of a larger statement on the social media site Webio. “After much contemplation, I have made the decision to officially bring my basketball career to a close.

“… Farewell is not the end, but rather a new beginning. I will cherish the memories of the past while continuing to move forward, embracing new chapters in my life. Goodbye, my beloved basketball.”

A seven-foot forward, Yi played for the Guangdong Southern Tigers in China from 2002-07 before entering the NBA draft. He was selected with the No. 6 pick by the Bucks and spent his rookie season in Milwaukee, despite a desire to play in a U.S. market with a larger Chinese community.

Following his rookie year, Yi was traded from Milwaukee to New Jersey in a deal that sent Richard Jefferson to the Bucks. He played for the Nets for two seasons from 2008-10, then spent one year in Washington and one in Dallas before returning to China, where he played for Guangdong from 2012-23.

Yi had another brief stint stateside in 2016, when he joined the Lakers for the preseason, but he was cut that fall when the regular season began. In 272 total NBA regular season appearances, the 35-year-old averaged 7.9 points and 4.9 rebounds in 22.2 minutes per game, with a shooting line of .404/.333/.780.

Although he didn’t have much success in the NBA, Yi has enjoyed a long, productive career in China, representing the national team in several international competitions and earning 12 All-Star berths in the Chinese Basketball Association. He also won six CBA titles with Guangdong, most recently in 2020, and was named the CBA Finals MVP three times.

International Notes: World Cup, France, Embiid, RHJ, More

August 29th, 2023 at 1:58pm CST by Luke Adams

Half of the 32 teams in the 2023 World Cup have completed their full slate of three first-round games. Of those clubs, the Dominican Republic, Italy, Lithuania, Montenegro, Germany, Australia, Canada, and Latvia will advance to round two.

Spain and the U.S. have also secured spots in the second round based on their groups’ results through two games. Serbia and Slovenia, who are both 2-0, are well positioned to join them in the round of 16. Assuming they both make it through, that would leave four spots up for grabs on Wednesday.

As we wait to see what the full second-round field looks like, here are a few notes from around the international basketball world:

Asked after France’s elimination from World Cup competition whether he’s hoping Joel Embiid commits to playing for the French team in next year’s Olympics, forward Nicolas Batum rhetorically replied with a smile, “Would you say no to the MVP?” (story via Antonis Stroggylakis of Eurohoops). Embiid, a citizen of both France and the U.S. in addition to Cameroon, has been cagey about who he’ll represent in the Olympics, if he suits up at all.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst takes a look at how NBA journeyman Rondae Hollis-Jefferson has reinvented himself as a left-handed version of Kobe Bryant, emulating “everything from Bryant’s footwork to his free throw routine to his poses after big shots.” As Windhorst writes, Hollis-Jefferson has modified his game since last playing in the NBA and is hoping his strong play for Jordan at the World Cup will help generate interest among NBA teams. “I’m trying to show that I can compete with the best of the best and bring energy to every game,” he said. “I always admired Kobe’s killer mindset and competitive spirit and I’m trying to learn from it.” As we noted earlier today, Hollis-Jefferson has a deal in place with Philippine team Tropang Giga for 2023/24, but it includes an NBA out.
Following his team’s loss to Karl-Anthony Towns and the Dominican Republic on Tuesday, Angola head coach Pep Claros Canals expressed his displeasure with FIBA’s eligibility rules, including one that allows each team to carry one naturalized player, per Sid Ventura of ESPN. “Each country needs to develop their own players. This is what I think,” Canals said. “There are players that don’t even speak the language of the country that they represent. There are countries which have seven, eight players that were born outside that country.” As Ventura writes, the Dominican Republic didn’t technically have a naturalized player on its roster, but six of its 12 players – including Towns – were born outside of the country.

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson To Play In Philippines

August 29th, 2023 at 9:18am CST by Luke Adams

Veteran forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, who is currently representing Jordan at the 2023 World Cup, confirmed to Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews.com (Twitter link) that he’ll re-sign with Tropang Giga of the Philippine Basketball Association for the 2023/24 season.

“The season ends in February, so I’m open to anyone who wants to call,” Hollis-Jefferson said, adding that his agreement with the Philippine team includes an NBA out clause.

Hollis-Jefferson spent six seasons in the NBA with Brooklyn, Toronto, and Portland after being drafted 23rd overall in 2015. However, has hasn’t played in the league since the 2020/21 season, having competed in Turkey, Puerto Rico, South Korea, and the Philippines since then. He initially joined Tropang Giga in February.

While an NBA return at this point may be a long shot for the 28-year-old, he has certainly been making a case with his play at the World Cup in the last few days. Although Jordan has lost its first two games and won’t advance to the second round of the tournament, Hollis-Jefferson has averaged 31.5 points on 54.3% shooting in those two losses. Only Luka Doncic of Slovenia has a higher scoring average so far at the World Cup.

Hollis-Jefferson and Jordan will face the U.S. in the final game of the group-play first round on Wednesday.

Stein’s Latest: Bahamas, Gordon, Thompson, Jones, Giannis

August 28th, 2023 at 4:00pm CST by Rory Maher

The Bahamas just had its most successful international run ever, winning a pre-qualifying tournament — and eliminating Argentina in the process — to have a shot at making next summer’s Olympics if the national team can win another six-team tournament.

FIBA drew some criticism for allowing veteran guard Eric Gordon to compete with the Bahamas, as he previously played for Team USA at the 2010 World Cup. However, as Marc Stein writes at Substack, Gordon does have a legitimate tie to the Bahamas — his mother was born and raised in the island nation, and the U.S. granted him permission to switch allegiances, likely due to his advanced age (he’s 34).

Here’s more from Stein:

Stein hears the Bahamian national team isn’t finished recruiting NBA players, with Evan Mobley, Isaiah Mobley and Naz Reid all eligible to represent the country. Stein also wonders if the team will recruit Klay Thompson, whose father, former top overall pick Mychal Thompson, is from the Bahamas.
Like Gordon, Klay Thompson would have to become a naturalized citizen in order to compete for the Bahamian team, and only one such slot is available in FIBA events. Thompson has already won a pair of gold medals with Team USA. His father neither confirmed nor denied that his son might attempt to compete for the Bahamas in the future, simply telling Stein, “We’ll see.”
Derrick Jones Jr. considered signing with the Heat in free agency, league sources tell Stein. The veteran forward, who played two-plus seasons in Miami, instead signed a one year, minimum-salary deal with the Mavericks.
The Lakers and Knicks are among the teams that may intrigue Giannis Antetokounmpo if he were to leave the Bucks in the future, according to Stein. The two-time MVP recently expressed a desire to keep winning championships, wherever that may take him. Antetokounmpo can become a free agent in 2025.

And-Ones: Larkin, Anderson, Drew League

August 27th, 2023 at 8:59pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Former NBA guard Shane Larkin said he wasn’t healthy enough to play for the Turkish national team in an Olympic pre-qualifying tournament this month, Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops.net relays.

Larkin was fined approximately 3,000 Euros and suspended five games during the upcoming Turkish Super League season for failing to report to the national team. However, Larkin claims the national team knew it would have been “risky” for him to play.

“I was in the USA working on my body and trying to recover from a season full of injuries and to train for the upcoming season. The national team still asked me to come report to camp and come get an MRI on my knees to get a proper diagnosis,” Larkin said on Instagram. “I flew from Miami to Istanbul and the national team doctor told me that I was in bad shape and that if I were to push myself, I would be at risk of severe damage to my knee for the short and long-term.

“Word for word, I was told, ‘If you push yourself and don’t give it time to heal, you will potentially need surgery that will keep you out for months.’ I was informed to stay off my knees and to stop working out anything lower body. I then started treatment with different medications in order to help myself heal and was asked to come back a week later for another MRI. I did exactly what was asked of me and when came back for the second MRI, the bone was healing but still not in a place where I would be safe to go and play in the games.’

We have more from around the basketball world:

Former NBA guard James Anderson has signed a one-year contract with Turkey’s Manisa, Sportando relays. Anderson played last season for UCAM Murcia in Spain. Anderson appeared in 247 NBA regular season games, most recently with Sacramento during the 2015/16 season.
Over the past dozen years, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and DeMar DeRozan have participated in the Drew League. The Athletic’s Law Murray takes a closer look at the summer pro-am league, which celebrated its 50th anniversary this year.
France has already been eliminated from World Cup contention. Get the details here.

Team France Notes: Elimination, Canada, Yabusele, Fournier, Batum

August 27th, 2023 at 2:57pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The 2023 FIBA World Cup has registered its first shocking upset. Team France, winners of the silver medal in the 2021 Olympics and led by three-time NBA All-Star center Rudy Gobert, who by day plays for the Timberwolves, has been eliminated from tournament contention after a scant two games, writes The Associated Press. The club will play a third group-play contest on Tuesday vs. Lebanon, but neither club will advance to the next round.

France was bested by Team Latvia, 88-86, Sunday night. Latvia and Team Canada, who defeated France on Friday, now move on to the second round. France had won bronze at the two most recent World Cups, eliminating Team USA in the knockout round in 2019.

Here are more notes on Team France:

Following Canada’s win over France on Friday, French forward Guerschon Yabusele, a former Celtics power forward, discussed some quick takeaways from the matchup, per Antonis Stroggylakis of Eurohoop. “Of course there are a lot of things to learn,” Yabusele said. “The way we came into the game. The first quarter was good and then we entered the second half with less intensity. We let them play and do their stuff. Defense, offense, we all saw what went wrong in the video.”
Team Canada’s 95-65 massacre of Team France could serve as a galvanizing moment in the long-term trajectory of the Great White North’s national program, opines Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca. Such a dominant victory, and hopefully an extended World Cup run, could well set the table for a deep, talented Canadian club to make a legitimate push for a medal in next summer’s Paris Olympics, Grange argues. Thanks to the win on Friday, Grange believes Team Canada should handily storm to a 3-0 record in Group H play.
With fifth-ranked France now out of contention, the national team will strive to reset and prep for the 2024 Olympic games, writes Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. As the host nation, France has automatically qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics. “It’s very hard,” Knicks guard Evan Fournier said of his national club’s morale after its miserable 2023 FIBA performance. “Not much to say. We didn’t think we would leave the tournament like this. We have to learn from it and come back next year. There isn’t anything else to do.” Clippers forward Nicolas Batum spoke about the task ahead of France in international competition: “We have a big thing coming up in 12 months. We have to now look back at what happened — everybody, from players to coach to staff to federation. … Today was a big reality check for us.”
The 34-year-old Batum confirmed in a live broadcast following France’s defeat that he will not play for his national club in the 2027 FIBA World Cup, according to Eurohoops. “This is my last World Cup,” Batum said. “I sacrificed many summers for this jersey and I don’t regret it… I have one more year left in France. We need them all next summer in Paris. And the best possible conditions. I messed up my last World Cup and it really hurts. That’s why I’m not interested in politics and I want the strongest possible team next summer at the Olympic Games.”

International Notes: Bjelica, Calathes, Pullen, Larkin, Wilbekin

August 26th, 2023 at 1:32pm CST by Rory Maher

Fenerbahce’s general manager says he has informed former NBA players Nemanja Bjelica and Nick Calathes that they aren’t in the Turkish club’s plans for 2023/24, despite both players being under contract, as Alessandro Maggi of Sportando relays.

Bjelica, 35, played seven NBA seasons, most recently helping the Warriors win the championship in 2021/22. He signed a two-year deal with Fenerbahce last summer, but the veteran forward was limited to seven EuroLeague games in ’22/23 due to a calf injury, Maggi writes.

Calathes appeared in 129 games with the Grizzlies from 2013-15. The 34-year-old has spent most of his professional career overseas, primarily with Greece’s Panathinaikos, though he has also played for teams in Russia, Spain and Turkey. The veteran guard averaged 8.2 PPG, 5.1 APG, 4.2 RPG and 1.1 SPG in 34 EuroLeague contests with Fenerbahce in ’22/23.

Here’s more from around the basketball world:

Former Sixers two-way guard Jacob Pullen, who played three games with Philadelphia in the ’17/18 season, has signed a one-year contract with Italy’s Napoli Basket, the team announced in a press release. The 33-year-old is a well-traveled veteran, having played in Kuwait last season after spending most of his career in Europe.
Shane Larkin and Scottie Wilbekin failed to report to the Turkish national team during the 2024 Olympic pre-qualifying tournament earlier this month, which saw Turkey lose to Croatia in the final. As such, the Turkish Basketball Federation has fined both guards approximately 3,000 Euros and suspended them for five games apiece during the upcoming Turkish Super League season, per Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops. Both players are eligible to represent Turkey in international tournaments because they’re naturalized citizens, though each team only has one naturalized slot in FIBA events. Larkin, who currently plays for Anadolu Efes, appeared in 256 NBA regular season games from 2013-18. Wilbekin, meanwhile, plays for Fenerbahce. He signed a partially guaranteed deal with the Sixers in 2015, but never appeared for Philadelphia, having been waived before ’15/16 started.
In case you missed it, we passed along several World Cup notes this afternoon.

International Notes: Serbia, Bahamas, Gordon, Croatia

August 22nd, 2023 at 3:59pm CST by Luke Adams

The Serbian national team has officially announced its 12-man roster for the 2023 World Cup, which tips off on Friday (Twitter link). The Serbians are missing star center Nikola Jokic, along with accomplished veteran guard Vasilije Micic, who made the move from the EuroLeague to the NBA this offseason.

However, the squad still features multiple current and former NBA players, starting with Hawks guard Bogdan Bogdanovic. Heat forward Nikola Jovic, Sixers big man Filip Petrusev, and former Grizzlies guard Marko Guduric are among the notable players representing Serbia at this year’s World Cup.

Here are a few more notes from around the international basketball world:

The Bahmas defeated Argentina on Sunday in the final of an Olympic pre-qualifying tournament, with Suns guard Eric Gordon scoring a game-high 27 points, writes Tim Bontemps of ESPN. Following the Bahamian victory, former NBA forward Andres Nocioni – who won an Olympic gold medal with Argentina in 2004 – questioned whether it was fair for FIBA to allow Gordon to suit up for the Bahamas despite representing Team USA earlier in his international career (Twitter link). “Let’s not lose the essence of international competitions,” Nocioni added in a follow-up tweet.
A Croatian team led by Warriors forward Dario Saric and Clippers center Ivica Zubac scored an upset victory over Alperen Sengun and Turkey in the final of another Olympic pre-qualifying tournament on Sunday, as Eurohoops details. Croatia, the Bahamas, Cameroon, Poland, and Bahrain won this month’s pre-qualifying tournament to secure spots in next year’s Olympic qualifiers.
Vangelis Papadimitriou of Eurohoops highlights a handful of non-U.S. NBA players who could be difference-makers in this year’s World Cup, including Canadian forward RJ Barrett and Dominican big man Karl-Anthony Towns.

International Notes: Evans, Montero, Babkov, History

August 21st, 2023 at 4:28pm CST by Rory Maher

Former NBA guard Tyreke Evans is mulling a move to Europe in order to continue his professional career, according to Tomer Givati of Israel Hayom (Twitter link).

Evans, 33, was dismissed and disqualified from the NBA in May 2019 for violating the league’s anti-drug program. He was reinstated in February 2022 and subsequently tried out for several teams — and briefly played for the Bucks’ G League affiliate — but has been unable to find another NBA opportunity.

The fourth overall pick of the 2009 draft, Evans was named the NBA’s Rookie of the Year in 2009/10 after averaging 20.1 points, 5.8 assists, 5.3 rebounds and 1.5 steals in 72 games with the Kings. Unfortunately, he was never quite able to match that debut, but he still played 594 regular season games over 10 seasons with Sacramento, New Orleans, Memphis and Indiana.

We’ll have to wait and see whether Evans catches on with a European team for the 2023/24 season.

Here are a few more international notes:

Guard Jean Montero, who hails from the Dominican Republic and is representing his country in the upcoming World Cup, is reportedly nearing a deal with Turkey’s Anadolu Efes, reports David Rodriguez of Spanish outlet La Provincia (hat tip to Eurohoops). Montero was one of the top undrafted players in 2022, and part of the reason his Exhibit 10 contract with the Knicks never materialized is because he had a significant buyout clause with Spain’s Gran Carania. According to Rodriguez, Efes is willing to pay Montero’s buyout – worth 500K Euros – in order to sign the 20-year-old.
Sergei Babkov, who won two World Cup silver medals with Russia in the 1990s and had a lengthy international career, has passed away at age 56, as Eurohoops relays.
In an interesting story for HoopsHype, Jake Uitti details how the NBA became such a popular game around the globe, with top international players dominating the league in recent years and the percentage of international players continuing to grow over time.