AMMAN — The 19th edition of the
FIBA World Cup kicked off on Friday, hosted by the Philippines,
Japan, and Indonesia. The
Falcons, participating for the second consecutive time, will face Greece on Saturday at
11:45 AM local time, aiming for a second victory in their third participation.
The match takes place within Group 3, alongside the
United States and New Zealand.
اضافة اعلان
On Thursday morning, the
national team conducted its first training session at the "Mall of Asia
Arena," which will host their initial round matches, accommodating around
16,500 spectators, Khaberni reported.
The team intensified preparations
with technical and physical training during the evening on Thursday. This was
followed by a tactical meeting with the players to analyze the performance and
strategy of the Greek national team before the anticipated match on Saturday,
according to the Jordan Basketball Federation.
On Friday, the World Cup championship began with eight matches. Australia triumphed over Finland 98-72,
and Italy secured a victory against Angola 81-67. Other matches included Mexico
against Montenegro, Latvia against Lebanon, the Dominican Republic against the
Philippines, Germany against Japan, Egypt against Lithuania, and Canada against
France.
Notable absence of top players
The absence of heavyweight stars
from the NBA casts a shadow over the World Cup. Figures like Giannis
Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic, and Stephen Curry have opted to focus on the
upcoming NBA season and preparation for the 2024 Olympics.
Meanwhile, Slovenian Luka Doncic
and Canadian Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, both top 10 scorers in the 2022-2023 NBA
season, are among the few participating.
Some NBA stars like Stephen Curry,
Jayson Tatum, Damian Lillard, and James Harden have declined the invitation to
join their national teams. Several foreign players, who play in the NBA, have
also chosen not to represent their countries.
In an unusual move, Kevin Durant (34) and LeBron James (38) declined participation after winning multiple
Olympic and world titles.
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