The NBA offseason has been full of watching the FIBA Basketball World Cup.
This was an opportunity for all basketball fans to watch their favorite players represent their country.
The one team that entered the tournament under the most scrutiny is Team USA.
America has always been seen as the basketball powerhouse.
But in recent years other countries around the world have gotten much stronger.
Some of the best players in the NBA today are from other parts of the world.
The reigning NBA Finals MVP Nikola Jokic is from Serbia and the two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo is from Greece.
The world has caught up to Team USA.
That was at least the case in the World Cup when Team USA lost in the semifinals to Germany.
According to SiriusXM NBA Radio, former NBA coach Sam Mitchell said, “Twenty years ago we could send anybody…and we could win by 20. Those days are gone.”
Team USA fell to Germany and will face Canada for the Bronze medal tomorrow at the FIBA World Cup.@SamMitchellNBA tells @BGeltzNBA Team USA needs to take international competition more seriously. pic.twitter.com/it8qAxJomu
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) September 9, 2023
Team USA did not have any of the best American players on it but it was a team full of NBA players that should have had more success.
Hopefully, this loss will be a wake-up call for all of the best American players.
The Summer Olympics are coming up in 2024.
They will take place in Paris and Basketball has always been a key part of the Summer games.
It will be interesting to see if we get the best American players to come out for the Olympic team.
That means Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, and LeBron James to name a few.
