The 2023 FIBA World Cup is right around the corner. Here's a brief history of the tournament, dating back to its inception with winners, top scorers, and more.
The 2023 FIBA World Cup will begin on Friday, Aug. 25 with two games: Lauri Markannen and Finland will take on Josh Giddey and Australia. Italy and Angola will be the other game. They tip off at 4 a.m. ET and the next few days on the schedule will be loaded with group play.
Spain are the returning champions, they won their second title in 2019 defeating Argentina. The United States did not even reach the semifinals of the 2019 tournament, the first time this had happened since 2002.
FIBA World Cup winners
The United States and former Yugoslavia are tied for the most FIBA World Cup titles with five each. The United States did win the tournament in 2014 and 2010, beating Serbia and Turkey respectively.
The other teams who have won the tournament besides the United States, Spain, and Yugoslavia are — the former Soviet Union (3), Brazil (2), and Argentina (1).
Argentina won the first ever FIBA World Cup — then known as the FIBA World Championship — in 1950, defeating the United States. The Argentinians capitalized on the event being on home soil.
The 2023 tournament will be hosted in the Philippines, the third time it's been hosted on Asian soil with all three of those times occurring since 2006.
Legendary FIBA World Cup players
Steph Curry, Rudy Gay, and Derrick Rose have won the most medals for the United States with two each from the 2010 and 2014 Gold Medal teams.
No player has more than two gold medals in the tournament's history however, if Spain were to repeat, former Portland Trail Blazer Rudy Fernandez would win his third gold medal.
Four players have accumulated four medals in their history — all before 1980. Kresimir Cosic of Yugoslavia, Wlaumir Marques and "Amaury" Pasos and Sergei Belov of the Soviet Union.
Former Sacramento Kings star and general manager Vlade Divac accumulated three medals in his career. Anderson Varejao, Leandro Barbosa, and Luis Scola are three of 11 players who appeared in five tournaments.
FIBA World Cup all-time leading scorers
Brazilian legend Oscar Schmidt is the all-time leading scorer with 906 career points in four tournaments. Greek legend Nikos Galis set the record for most points in a single tournament, averaging 33.7 points per game at the 1986 FIBA World Championship.
Current Partizan Belgrade coach — and Serbian legend as both a player and a coach — Zeljko Obradovic, won the tournament as a player on the 1990 Yugoslavia team and as a coach of the 1998 Yugoslavia team. He is the only individual to accomplish this.
The tournament will conclude on Sept. 10. The United States remains the betting favorite at -105.
