The latest in a long line of athletes to undergo Chinese naturalization, Anderson has become the first basketball player to do so.

“I’m so happy to announce that I will be representing China at the World Cup,” Anderson stated in a video that he released on his Weibo account. “Really proud and honored to wear the Team China jersey.”

Because FIBA allows teams to include one naturalized player on their roster, Anderson could be in line to represent China at the Olympic Games in Paris next year.

According to Chinese media, Anderson’s maternal grandmother was born in Jamaica to a Chinese father and a Jamaican mother. It remains unclear whether Anderson has renounced his original nationality, with China typically prohibiting dual nationality for its citizens.

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The 2023 FIBA World Cup, hosted by Indonesia, Japan, and the Philippines, will take place between August 25 and September 10. Team USA, coached by Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, is scheduled to play its first game on the second day when it will face New Zealand.

Team USA is expected to have no trouble dealing with New Zealand and Jordan, with Greece posing the biggest challenge due to Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo. However, USA Basketball executive director Grant Hill believes familiarity with the two-time NBA MVP will prove beneficial and make the job easier.

“There’s a peace of mind knowing who we’re going to play,” Hill said via ESPN. “We know Greece, and we know Giannis.”

Team USA will also have the advantage of not having to travel during the tournament. They will play all their group games in Manila, Philippines, and the later stages of the tournaments are also scheduled to take place in the same city.

The post Team USA Finds Out Its Opponents in Group Stage of 2023 FIBA World Cup appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

John Jenkins emerged as the standout player in the match, scoring 26 points, while Langston Galloway and DaQuan Jeffries contributed 14 points a piece. While team USA initially trailed after Columbia opened the scoring, they replied with 12 points, going on to hold the advantage until the end of the match.

USA Coach Jim Boylen directed praise at Jenkins, hailing his leadership. “He loves playing on the road. He loves playing in hostile places. And he’s in great shape. He came in in great condition. He believes in USA Basketball. He believes in what we’re doing. He’s elite at following a game plan and he’s a veteran player who relishes wearing that USA uniform,” Boyen commented.

Jenkins also proved influential in the build-up to the Columbia game, also scoring 24 points in the 105-71 win against Uruguay last Thursday. Currently, Team USA is top of Group F in the second round of World Cup qualifying with seven wins and one loss.

The post USA Basketball Nears World Cup Qualification Following Win Over Columbia appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Both teams were not considered for the gold medal before the tournament, but with the early elimination of the two favorites USA and Serbia, the road to the finals was clear for both nations who played an amazing tournament from day one until the end.  

Argentina was chasing the result from the very start, as Spain won the first period with 23-14, making a huge step towards the gold medal and leaving the Argentinians without a single chance to cut down the big lead. The veteran Luis Scola was perfectly guarded, while Facundo Campazzo was nowhere to be seen in the final, as Spain increased their lead as the match went by. Ricky Rubio was the MVP on the tournament, scoring 20 points in the final followed by Sergio Llull with 15. Marc Gasol scored 14 points. 

On the losing side, Gabriel Deck had 24 behind his name, Laprovvittola scored 17, while the main players Scola and Campazzo scored a combined 19 points. 

The post Spain Wins Second FIBA World Cup With a Victory Over Argentina appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

This defeat did not only snap the 58-games winning streak by Team USA on the international scene, but will also mean that the U.S. will end up without a medal at World Cups for the first time since 2002. The best that Team USA can get to in China is fifth place, while they already secured their spot in the Olympics.

While the momentum of the game shifted back and forth in the first three quarters, it was France that managed to seize the control in the final quarter. They outscored the United States 26-13 and had some amazing stops that eventually helped them close out the game.

France was led by Orlando Magic’s Evan Fournier who scored 22 points and Utah Jazz’s Rudy Gobert, who finished the game with 21 points and 16 rebounds. On the other side, Jazz’s Donovan Mitchell scored 29 points for the United States, but all of his baskets came in the third quarter.

Check out the highlights from the game below.

FIBA World Cup 2019 continues on Thursday when Team USA will face Serbia and Poland will play against the Czech Republic to determine the ranking from fifth to the eighth spot.

The semi-finals are scheduled to take place on Friday and will see Spain going against Australia on the one side of the bracket, while Argentina and France meeting on the other side.

The post Team USA Eliminated by France at 2019 FIBA World Cup appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

The Cariocas entered the match against the Americans in a must-win situation after their unexpected defeat by the Czechs, hoping that Greece would win by 12 or more points against the Czech Republic. The USA struggled in the first half, but still won both periods (21-18 and 22-21), keeping Brazilians’ hope still alive. 

In the second half, the Americans switched the tempo and strengthened their defense and the Brazillian deficit rose up as the match continued. Brazil tried their tactics and decided to force the 3-point shots. After that tactic failed, their defeat was imminent as USA went up by 16 points, ending the match with a final score of 89-73. 

Brazil and Greece are eliminated from the next round, as Greece won their match against the Czech Republic, but won’t go through as their victory was in vain and without the necessary point advantage. The Czechs are surprisingly going to the quarter-finals as they managed to lose under 12 points by Greece and remain 2^nd behind USA. 

The post USA to Face France in FIBA World Cup Quarterfinals appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

In the second half, Serbia’s main player Nikola Jokic was given his 2^nd technical foul and after an argument with the referee, he was removed from the game. Shortly after his removal, Spain reached their highest 21 points difference (63-42), but soon Serbia bounced back after a 14-4 run before the end of the 3^rd quarter. 

With the 4^th quarter underway, the Serbians tried to overcome the double-digit deficit, but the former European champions are an experienced team and they managed to hold off their opponents, maintaining a 6 to 10 points lead until the end. Thee game ended with a final score of 91-69. 

Ricky Rubio led the Red Furies with 19 points, followed by Victor Claver who scored 14. Bogdan Bogdanovic was the highest scorer for Serbia with 26 points. 

The post Serbia Suffers First Defeat at the FIBA World Cup From Spain appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

The most interesting matches are expected to be in the L group, where France will take on Australia and European rivals Lithuania on the 7^th and 9^th of September. In group J, one of the favorites for the gold medal, Serbia, will face former European and World champs Spain on 8^th of September, while the other Euro derby will be on the 7^th as Spain takes on Italy. 

In the group K, USA will face Greece on the 7^th and Brazil 2 days later. Brazil and USA have both entered with 3 wins. Turkey who almost shocked USA in the 2^nd fixture have lost and were eliminated from the tournament by the Czech Republic. 

The results: 

Canada – Senegal 82-60 

Germany – Jordan 92-62 

Greece – New Zealand 103-97 

USA – Japan 98-45 

Lithuania – Australia 82-87 

Turkey – Czech Republic 76-91 

Brazil – Montenegro 84-73 

Dominican Republic- France 56-90 

The post FIBA World Cup Second Stage Groups Are Set appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

During a FIBA exhibition game on Wednesday against Nigeria, Olynyk suffered a knee injury that could jeopardize his appearance in the World Cup. The 28-year-old slipped on a wet spot, which caused him to fall hard on his knee. He then had to be helped off the floor.

There is still no information about the extent of Olynyk’s injury, but more information should be available once he undergoes X-Ray tests.

With the likes of Denver Nuggets’s Jamal Murray and Minnesota Timberwolves’ Andrew Wiggins deciding not to participate at the World Cup, Kelly Olynyk and Cory Joseph remained the only NBA players on Canada’s roster. The duo was expected to carry the team to a successful tournament in attempts to secure a place on 2020 Summer Olympics. If Olynyk, however, ends up facing a long break, that is highly unlikely to happen.

Olynyk played 79 games in the last season with the Heat, averaging 10.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game. He was also efficient from the three-point range, making 35.4 percent of his shots.

The post Heat’s Kelly Olynyk Suffers a Knee Injury during Exhibition Game with Canada appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

The latest in a long line of athletes to undergo Chinese naturalization, Anderson has become the first basketball player to do so.

“I’m so happy to announce that I will be representing China at the World Cup,” Anderson stated in a video that he released on his Weibo account. “Really proud and honored to wear the Team China jersey.”

Because FIBA allows teams to include one naturalized player on their roster, Anderson could be in line to represent China at the Olympic Games in Paris next year.

According to Chinese media, Anderson’s maternal grandmother was born in Jamaica to a Chinese father and a Jamaican mother. It remains unclear whether Anderson has renounced his original nationality, with China typically prohibiting dual nationality for its citizens.

The post Timberwolves’ Kyle Anderson Will Represent China at the World Cup appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

The 2023 FIBA World Cup, hosted by Indonesia, Japan, and the Philippines, will take place between August 25 and September 10. Team USA, coached by Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, is scheduled to play its first game on the second day when it will face New Zealand.

Team USA is expected to have no trouble dealing with New Zealand and Jordan, with Greece posing the biggest challenge due to Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo. However, USA Basketball executive director Grant Hill believes familiarity with the two-time NBA MVP will prove beneficial and make the job easier.

“There’s a peace of mind knowing who we’re going to play,” Hill said via ESPN. “We know Greece, and we know Giannis.”

Team USA will also have the advantage of not having to travel during the tournament. They will play all their group games in Manila, Philippines, and the later stages of the tournaments are also scheduled to take place in the same city.

The post Team USA Finds Out Its Opponents in Group Stage of 2023 FIBA World Cup appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

John Jenkins emerged as the standout player in the match, scoring 26 points, while Langston Galloway and DaQuan Jeffries contributed 14 points a piece. While team USA initially trailed after Columbia opened the scoring, they replied with 12 points, going on to hold the advantage until the end of the match.

USA Coach Jim Boylen directed praise at Jenkins, hailing his leadership. “He loves playing on the road. He loves playing in hostile places. And he’s in great shape. He came in in great condition. He believes in USA Basketball. He believes in what we’re doing. He’s elite at following a game plan and he’s a veteran player who relishes wearing that USA uniform,” Boyen commented.

Jenkins also proved influential in the build-up to the Columbia game, also scoring 24 points in the 105-71 win against Uruguay last Thursday. Currently, Team USA is top of Group F in the second round of World Cup qualifying with seven wins and one loss.

The post USA Basketball Nears World Cup Qualification Following Win Over Columbia appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

Both teams were not considered for the gold medal before the tournament, but with the early elimination of the two favorites USA and Serbia, the road to the finals was clear for both nations who played an amazing tournament from day one until the end.  

Argentina was chasing the result from the very start, as Spain won the first period with 23-14, making a huge step towards the gold medal and leaving the Argentinians without a single chance to cut down the big lead. The veteran Luis Scola was perfectly guarded, while Facundo Campazzo was nowhere to be seen in the final, as Spain increased their lead as the match went by. Ricky Rubio was the MVP on the tournament, scoring 20 points in the final followed by Sergio Llull with 15. Marc Gasol scored 14 points. 

On the losing side, Gabriel Deck had 24 behind his name, Laprovvittola scored 17, while the main players Scola and Campazzo scored a combined 19 points. 

The post Spain Wins Second FIBA World Cup With a Victory Over Argentina appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

This defeat did not only snap the 58-games winning streak by Team USA on the international scene, but will also mean that the U.S. will end up without a medal at World Cups for the first time since 2002. The best that Team USA can get to in China is fifth place, while they already secured their spot in the Olympics.

While the momentum of the game shifted back and forth in the first three quarters, it was France that managed to seize the control in the final quarter. They outscored the United States 26-13 and had some amazing stops that eventually helped them close out the game.

France was led by Orlando Magic’s Evan Fournier who scored 22 points and Utah Jazz’s Rudy Gobert, who finished the game with 21 points and 16 rebounds. On the other side, Jazz’s Donovan Mitchell scored 29 points for the United States, but all of his baskets came in the third quarter.

Check out the highlights from the game below.

FIBA World Cup 2019 continues on Thursday when Team USA will face Serbia and Poland will play against the Czech Republic to determine the ranking from fifth to the eighth spot.

The semi-finals are scheduled to take place on Friday and will see Spain going against Australia on the one side of the bracket, while Argentina and France meeting on the other side.

The post Team USA Eliminated by France at 2019 FIBA World Cup appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

The Cariocas entered the match against the Americans in a must-win situation after their unexpected defeat by the Czechs, hoping that Greece would win by 12 or more points against the Czech Republic. The USA struggled in the first half, but still won both periods (21-18 and 22-21), keeping Brazilians’ hope still alive. 

In the second half, the Americans switched the tempo and strengthened their defense and the Brazillian deficit rose up as the match continued. Brazil tried their tactics and decided to force the 3-point shots. After that tactic failed, their defeat was imminent as USA went up by 16 points, ending the match with a final score of 89-73. 

Brazil and Greece are eliminated from the next round, as Greece won their match against the Czech Republic, but won’t go through as their victory was in vain and without the necessary point advantage. The Czechs are surprisingly going to the quarter-finals as they managed to lose under 12 points by Greece and remain 2^nd behind USA. 

The post USA to Face France in FIBA World Cup Quarterfinals appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

In the second half, Serbia’s main player Nikola Jokic was given his 2^nd technical foul and after an argument with the referee, he was removed from the game. Shortly after his removal, Spain reached their highest 21 points difference (63-42), but soon Serbia bounced back after a 14-4 run before the end of the 3^rd quarter. 

With the 4^th quarter underway, the Serbians tried to overcome the double-digit deficit, but the former European champions are an experienced team and they managed to hold off their opponents, maintaining a 6 to 10 points lead until the end. Thee game ended with a final score of 91-69. 

Ricky Rubio led the Red Furies with 19 points, followed by Victor Claver who scored 14. Bogdan Bogdanovic was the highest scorer for Serbia with 26 points. 

The post Serbia Suffers First Defeat at the FIBA World Cup From Spain appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

The most interesting matches are expected to be in the L group, where France will take on Australia and European rivals Lithuania on the 7^th and 9^th of September. In group J, one of the favorites for the gold medal, Serbia, will face former European and World champs Spain on 8^th of September, while the other Euro derby will be on the 7^th as Spain takes on Italy. 

In the group K, USA will face Greece on the 7^th and Brazil 2 days later. Brazil and USA have both entered with 3 wins. Turkey who almost shocked USA in the 2^nd fixture have lost and were eliminated from the tournament by the Czech Republic. 

The results: 

Canada – Senegal 82-60 

Germany – Jordan 92-62 

Greece – New Zealand 103-97 

USA – Japan 98-45 

Lithuania – Australia 82-87 

Turkey – Czech Republic 76-91 

Brazil – Montenegro 84-73 

Dominican Republic- France 56-90 

The post FIBA World Cup Second Stage Groups Are Set appeared first on yoursportspot.com.

During a FIBA exhibition game on Wednesday against Nigeria, Olynyk suffered a knee injury that could jeopardize his appearance in the World Cup. The 28-year-old slipped on a wet spot, which caused him to fall hard on his knee. He then had to be helped off the floor.

There is still no information about the extent of Olynyk’s injury, but more information should be available once he undergoes X-Ray tests.

With the likes of Denver Nuggets’s Jamal Murray and Minnesota Timberwolves’ Andrew Wiggins deciding not to participate at the World Cup, Kelly Olynyk and Cory Joseph remained the only NBA players on Canada’s roster. The duo was expected to carry the team to a successful tournament in attempts to secure a place on 2020 Summer Olympics. If Olynyk, however, ends up facing a long break, that is highly unlikely to happen.

Olynyk played 79 games in the last season with the Heat, averaging 10.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game. He was also efficient from the three-point range, making 35.4 percent of his shots.

The post Heat’s Kelly Olynyk Suffers a Knee Injury during Exhibition Game with Canada appeared first on yoursportspot.com.