Every time the FIBA Basketball World Cup rolls around, everyone worldwide gets excited to see their favorite NBA superstars suit up for their countries.
In that spirit, I have decided to make my own FIBA World Cup All-NBA team, a compilation of top NBA talent representing various countries set to compete in the upcoming FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023.
These are players who fans should have their eyes on during the tournament as their level of play will dictate the success of their team while putting on a show for everyone else to see (Disclaimer: No member of Team USA was added as I will write a separate article on them).
Luka Doncic (Guard, Slovenia)
He is the biggest star competing in this year’s World Cup. The perennial MVP candidate has stated multiple times that he would represent his country when able and he has kept that promise. He is leading a Slovenia squad that failed to qualify in the 2019 meet after three straight top 10 finishes in 2006, 2010, and 2014.
To show how serious Luka is, multiple videos of him working out and looking visibly slimmer circulated the internet. He also proved it in their friendlies. He had 18 points against Greece, 23-7-7 against Japan, and 34-13-14 against Montenegro. He’s putting up insane numbers and teams haven’t found ways to slow him down. Doncic will be the engine and the driver of this team so we can expect a lot of highlights and brilliant plays from him in this FIBA World Cup.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Guard, Canada)
Even with Canada loaded with NBA talent such as RJ Barrett, Dwight Powell, and Kelly Olynk, Shai is the main man for this team. With Jamal Murray out, some people probably lowered Canada’s chances of winning the gold. But Murray’s absence means that SGA will have a bigger offensive load which will allow him to put up monster stat lines. He has been stellar in the friendlies and the Canadians are looking good as ever. He dropped 25-8-6 against Germany, 26 points and six steals versus New Zealand, and 22-8-3 over Spain, all resulting in wins. Even without Murray, I believe that the Canadians are one of the scariest dark horses of the tournament to win it all.
Lauri Markkanen (Forward, Finland)
After winning the Most Improved Player Award with averages of 25.8 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 1.9 assists, we heard that Lauri was going to join the army for required military service. (Though, it is quite difficult to imagine a 7-footer in military service.) Then news came out that he was suiting up for the Finnish national team.
Finland hasn’t performed well in the international scene, only qualifying for the 2014 edition via wildcard in which they placed 22nd overall. This year, however, they are looking scary. Finland had three competitive friendlies where they beat Estonia and split two games against Lithuania. In that stretch, Lauri averaged 28 points and 10 rebounds. Currently ranked 24th in the world, that number could easily climb after this World Cup edition because of Lauri Markkanen.
Nikola Vucevic (Center, Montenegro)
After officially joining FIBA in 2006 following its independence, Montenegro is entering the World Cup for the second time. This team is bannered by NBA All-Star Nikola Vucevic, who averaged around 15 points and seven rebounds in the previous World Cup edition.
He has been solid in the team's buildup this year, posting 11-11 against France, 11-14 against Slovenia, and 15-8 against Georgia. Those were all losses but the team then picked up two victories against Iran and the Philippines with Vucevic averaging 18.5 points and 10 rebounds a game. With their main guy doing the heavy lifting, Montenegro will definitely look to improve from its previous World Cup stint where it finished 25th in the tournament with a 1-4 win-loss record.
Karl Anthony Towns (Center, Dominican Republic)
The last time KAT wore the blue and white was 10 years ago and now he’s back with a vengeance. The 27-year-old big man only played 29 games the previous NBA season averaging almost 21 points, eight rebounds, and five assists per game. But in their recent friendlies, he has looked healthy, letting everyone know that he feels great and ready.
In his first game back, he led the Dominicans to an upset victory over the Canadians, dropping 20 points on 6-of-9 field goals and six rebounds. He followed it up with another 20-piece in a loss against 2019 World Cup champions Spain. He’s just looked more and more comfortable on the court. Even with the absence of Al Horford and Chris Duarte, the Dominicans look to be one of the shockers of the tournament after finishing 16th in the previous World Cup.
Jordan Clarkson (Guard, Philippines)
As my sixth man, I had to include the hometown hero, Jordan Clarkson. An explosive scoring guard, Clarkson posted career highs in both scoring and assists last season and is expected to be the focal point of the Philippine offense. In two friendly matches, he scored 13 points against Ivory Coast then tallied 27 points with five assists against Montenegro. He is expected to put on a show for local and international fans alike with his ball-handling ability, shooting prowess, and his unique sense of flare. He will be the backbone of the hopes and dreams of millions of Filipinos worldwide.
Honorable Mentions:
Franz Wagner (Germany), Dennis Schroder (Germany), Rudy Gobert (France), Evan Fournier (France), Jonas Valancuinas (Lithuania), Josh Giddey (Australia), Patty Mills (Australia)
Players will sacrifice their time, blood, sweat, and tears just to be able to represent their country, and the NBA guys are no exemption. The brunt of their teams' expectations actually falls on them to deliver. Their performances correlate to their teams' overall success so expect them to play their best and hardest, while we fans just get to sit back and enjoy the show.
