When You Don’t Take the FIBA World Cup Seriously: Why This Will Never Happen Again

Discussing team USA’s 4th place finish in the FIBA World Cup and how the rest of the world has caught up to the American’s dominance in international play
#NBA #FIBAWorldCup #TeamUSA #Germany #Canada #FIBABasketball #AnthonyEdwards #TyreseHalliburton #AustinReaves #FranzWagner #DillonBrooks #NBAVideos #NBANews #NBARumors
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[@And.One.Hoops1]

To all the people in the comments trying to tell me basketball was founded in Canada: James Naismith, the founder of basketball, was Canadian, but he invented the game in the US, and the first games of basketball, it's rules, and history began in the US.

[@shodannadohs4045]

A Canadian invented Basketball. What's so hard to understand?

[@81giorikas]

First of all good for you that you acknowledge that they almost didn't win (well it's not like that but it wasn't a cakewalk) against Spain. IF not Kobe was there it would be the fuck team instead of redeem. Secondly, I have got to say that Bobby Portis, Austin Reeves and Jalen Brunson have stats that should allow them to be better than most international counterparts and thus allow the USA team to dominate. But basketball is a team sport. The USA lost fair and square because Steve Kerr chose based on how it wanted the team to be shaped and it was at a disadvantage vs other bigger teams. And they lost 3 times. They also lost because they did not have maybe time and chemistry? Germany showed the way to that. BUT and it is hypothetical but here is my oppinion. The USA right now is NOT at its best for this type of contest. FUCK the superstars in the NBA right now which are american. Who are the top americans that would dominate? Lebron? Not in his age easily, not to sustain perforfmance up to the last minute to the last game. Anthony Davis? Again, not dependable. Watch that I am not mentioning talent. Kevin Durant? Edging his efficiency to endurance limit more or less, and then there is Stephen Curry. Yeah but what about defense? What about getting hurt? All of them are old or prone to injury ok? All of them have super skills and some of them iq but those alone are not enough. Not vs different style of play, more defensively oriented, less minutes, different pace and younger harder edged teams. Jimmy Butler is one that should play, he doesn't care. He also has knee issues to not ignore. Jayson Tatum is on the rise. He should play for the experience. Jalen Brown? Not a complete super star in my oppinion. Who's your superstar big? Deandre Ayton? He's a bitch. Julius Randle maybe. As good as other big men? Maybe. Who's your point guard playmaker that is complete, young and plays great defense? Trey Young? Kyrie? Iso not anymore Harden? Hell, only Russel Westbrook is dependable! Would you take Kahwi? He wouldn't come!!! Paul George maybe. Damian Lillard and Demar Derosan. Those may get it done with no injuries. LaVine no with his knee. Ball brothers no, Ja Morant is a certified nothing to base your team on anymore. Really, I don't know if the USA have a superstar roster that will fuck everybody in their path and are willing and able to sacrifice their bodies and rest before the next season, after the idiotic schedule and playoff that the league follows. Look how even Jokic and Giannis denied one way or another. And even if the next olympic team is comprised of all of the above which on paper is like cheating, the injuries alone would be a factor to consider. Don't get me wrong the USA is the favorite for the next olympic. But for now, they are lucky that the best international players are not all in the same team, obviously. That is it. Nothing more nothing less.

[@guessundheit6494]

Yanks lie and pretend the first flight happened there, so no one can take their word on anything involving history.

[@ZCrimsonIX]

It's still from Canada. Invented by Canadian.

[@chazu-land]

basketball was invented when the first trash can was put in an office. lol

[@Jeff_2x]

People need to realize NBA players outside the USA like Luka would LITERALLY do everything for their country and take pride in that but since America is so rich with talent in basketball they see it more as an option then as a duty.

[@user-yn7no7bn1v]

And how did Luka learned all of those skills? From the NBA and USA. FIBA is trash with a bunch of out of shape guys that can't dribble, unless they're trained NBA players. Stop believing everything on the internet. USA is the leader of the world not China.

[@MaikSpike]

Jokic and Gianni's didn't even play fam.

[@patrickm5822]

@@MaikSpikeain’t worth risking injury or losing rest . Winning gold for your country ain’t what it’s worth anymore , winning gold for your bank account on the other hand…

[@hazziqadam7547]

​@@patrickm5822Typical american mindset .😂😂😂😂

[@jonz23m]

Lol calm down with the dramatics. The US got beat and was badly coached with a Hall of fame coaching staff. Even the redemption team barely won with all the superstars on their roaster. It's a team sport not NBA 2k

[@DynamicUnreal]

We tend to overlook European players who are role players in the NBA and categorize them as having reached their maximum potential. We don’t take into consideration that they are in a foreign country usually with their family far from them, playing with teammates of a different culture. Once those boys play on their national team, with their people, they turn into absolute studs and the world gets surprised.

[@Drkbardockssj]

And they are playing by rules they grew up with and with teammates they have played with since they were young. It just makes sense for them to play well. If we send our best it erases those advantages

[@mirak63]

@@Drkbardockssj US players do not grow up with NBA rules, they grow up with high school and college rules.

[@EastCoastTroop]

@@mirak63 So there is no excuse in reality lmao everyone has to learn how to adapt USA is the best country doesn't matter what any small fiba game says

[@Bi6M4C]

keep saying that but they'll get humbled aswell@@Drkbardockssj

[@usersdksdfg]

have you traveled outside of America ever?@@mirak63

[@ForceOfWill100]

Fully agree. I too love that the international scene is blowing up, but so sick of the U.S. treating international play like a joke. Winning the NBA title is not an "American" accomplishment, just look at the Nuggets (Jokic is Serbian, Murray is Canadian). We brag about being the best at basketball, but refuse to actually prove it. We field these weak teams, and then play off our losses as "oh we weren't trying", it's just a loser mentality. People get so mad about kneeling being unpatriotic, but no one seems to give a damn that the majority of our stars feel that representing their country is beneath them.

[@dennistang5935]

The US is the best at basketball. Germany won this year but how did they do last time? or the time before that? Hold any other country to the same standard as the US and it's obvious that the US is WAYYYY ahead.

[@jameszaccardo1520]

Yes, an NBA title is an American accomplishment. They are literally playing for American cities. It doesn't matter where the players come from, they are on American teams.

[@dennistang5935]

@@jameszaccardo1520 You literally said "We brag about being the best at basketball, but refuse to actually prove it." -> Tell me who is the best at basketabll than? Name 1 specific country that has REPEATEDLY beat the US.

[@mariacielosoberano3294]

don't expect to win a gold when you send your B or C team

[@ivanott7196]

​@@dennistang5935Are you saying the effort Germany put to build a winning team don't matter to you because as long as American never send their best team, other countries still consider losers? Wow, that's different level of ignorant. I must say American really proud of you.

[@lukerichardson8097]

The american attitude towards internetional sport is so foreign to me as a Brit. I cant imagine our best football/cricket/rugby players refusing to play for their country to avoid injury.

[@And.One.Hoops1]

It’s all about making sure they don’t risk their big contracts, which is sad

[@Digital_Dude2000]

It’s selfishness at the end of the day

[@kennedy8926]

​@@Digital_Dude2000weirdo take. I'll prioritize my health over some bs tournament.

[@Balleehuuu]

@@And.One.Hoops1 that is a weak answer - Lionel Messi had a 75 million dollar per year contract and Christiano Ronaldo a 70 million dollar contract, when last years world cup in Qatar started and you would have to beat them half dead to stop them from participating. Lionel Messi made it crystal clear that the world cup win for Argentina meant more to him than any other title. In soccer we don't have an "all star" addition to someone statline, but an import fact for a soccer player is - is he a player for his national team and how often has he played for them? I really think this is like @lukerichardson8097 said, because of the concentration on US leagues and not really caring about what happens outside of it.

[@Monotony619]

I think that for basketball players in the nba, their legacy is primarily built in the US (nba championships) so outside of that it's just not as important to them. Like I care more about the nba chips than an Olympic medal. And I ain't even from the United States of A

[@ThePenitentSquirrel]

The U.S. lost not because they weren't good enough. We lost because neither the coaches nor the players were committed to a single vision. As a result, we were playing pickup basketball against teams that played as teams.

[@rossejera1661]

Exactly. Its been done before that even with an amateur team they can win it all.

[@iambarryallen]

Bro they werent good enough period.

[@reckon7457]

​@@iambarryallenThey were playing against starter at best NBA players while they have franchise players in team USA.

[@rogerpirates2948]

@@rossejera1661 Redeem team had it tough against spain in the beijing olympics. Do you still think that an amateur team can win it all?

[@rossejera1661]

@@rogerpirates2948 if the amateur team played like an actual team and no egos then yeah. Its been done before. Perfect example is the 84 team. A bunch of superstars although high in chance isnt a guarantee win just like what we saw in 04 and 06.

[@maartenvz]

This is a classic example of the saying: hard work beats talent if talent doesnt work hard

[@Raymart6543]

Straight CAP. Both teams were mad talented, telling a classic quote like this feels like coping on your part lol

[@paulnguyen2227]

No talent on this USA team they all soft

[@syncmonism]

Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't even show up XD To be fair, the US team was good, and they had a definite chance to win it all. They were hard working, they just came up a little short. Every one of their losses was a very close game, that's actually a sign that they're a very good team who may have had the advantage if there were 7 game series instead of single games at each stage of the tournament.

[@andrewtataj497]

it's not just a talent thing, it's also a chemistry thing. Chemistry takes time and reps playing together. For a nation with only 5-7 NBA calibre players, those same 5-7 guys will be on every international roster playing in every international competition. The USA has for too long been able to compete simply by throwing more talent than the other team can handle, not by out playing the other teams 5 vs 5. But international basketball is reaching a tipping point where the rest of the world is slowly but surely catching up in terms of talent, but their cohesiveness as a single unit playing together is even more rapidly making up for the remaining talent disparity. The best in the US seem reluctant to suit up not only because of injury concerns. Maybe it's because they know if all the other top tier talent doesn't go with them, then showing up to FIBA playing all-star-weekend level effort just won't cut it. Or maybe it's too much of a bruising to the ego to try to turn a 25+ppg guy into a 6th man defensive stopper off the bench. Whatever it is, the USA has to find the willingness to compete or these international results will continue to get worse until it hits them in their pride.

[@mhqqiqin_]

It's sad to see many NBA stars refuse to play FIBA games for the NT because they're afraid of injury while in football/soccer, some player even risk themselves by taking some pain killer injection to play FIFA world cup for their country. For example Fernando Torres in 2010 world cup. Paul Pogba also forcing himself trough injury to play the last 2022 world cup which he eventually missed because what he did by forcing himself made his injury worse to the point that he needs surgery and eventually cost him an entire season. Messi and Ronaldo even still regards a title with their country is more valuable than any other title in the world. Even Messi said he would even give every single of his world best player award just to win a title for his country.

[@Marco-uh5zn]

@andrew tatataj497 Great analysis!

[@JuliusDotCo]

Beautifully well said dude

[@payeeang7838]

Usab got all the talent but lacking fundamentals. Doesn't even know how to properlyboxout. Lithuanian team are slow, lack athletism, no fancy dribbles just fundamentally sound. Nba is just entertainment where zero defense happens. Fiba show this guys can't defend even jjj cant guard anyone.

[@S1LVAW0LF]

​@@mhqqiqin_umtiti is another example of this. Was never the same after playing through injury for france 2018 wc win.

[@surfbobo]

While NBA is the strongest basketball league in the world, team USA does not have the best players in the world anymore. They had 1 player in NBA first team this year. One! The last 5 NBA MVPs were not USA players. The only thing USA has going for them is the fact that they are the largest country participating. Yet still they got beaten by Lithuania with a population of less than 3mil. Imagine if Team USA would face Team Europe in one game instead of fighting through each small country separately.

[@antanasrapkevicius3897]

or even better - each state in the US is separate with their own national team playing Europe teams..

[@randygram9310]

Good points! Americans still think it is 1992 .... 😂

[@nickklavdianos5136]

@@antanasrapkevicius3897 I think we should start a petition for that to happen. It would be way more interesting to be honest.

[@KOSMOinfinite]

Thank you. USA has been stalled now for a few years, people don't notice as the top tier still has older players like Steph and KD. The new crop of NBA elite is majority international and this will only increase. The NBA welcomes this as it helps push the game abroad as they need to grow markets outside of the USA. USA isn't developing elite players as much as they used to, due to the terrible AAU system and now the completely broken college system. NBA with ignite and the slow move towards an academy model will help fix this, but it will take some time.

[@mhqqiqin_]

It's sad to see a lot of NBA stars don't want to play in FIBA games because they want to avoid the risks of being injured. Meanwhile in football/soccer, at 2010 Fernando Torres risking himself to take pain killer injection for his injury because he wanted to play and win the 2010 world cup with his nation, and that injection shots is initially cost him his performance for the rest of his careers. That just for one tournament with to represent their country. And on the last 2022 world cup, Paul Pogba is also forcing himself trough injury because he wanted to play the world cup so bad even though at the end he missed it because what he did eventually worsen his injury to the point that he needs surgery on his legs.

[@toxicmelody6228]

But that's the thing, why would your country even want you out there injured?! No one is going to care at the end of the day because it's not them who got injured, win or lose. Players are human as well, not everybody is willing to lose it all over a game of basketball that everyone will forget within the next few months(unless your team does some unimaginable things and win i.e. Dream Team or Redeem Team)...as a fellow country man you should want your players at their best, not fighting for their livelihood the rest of their days.

[@Turk_2023]

After Paul George broke his leg, things changed for the US.

[@wn37]

⁠@@toxicmelody6228because for them world cup is a dream, a duty, an honor and not just Torres theres a lot of football athlete risk their life for the world cup. World cup is really big for us so no we wont forget it. I still remember what happened to the world cup 2006 2010 2012 2014 2018 and we still talk about it amongst friends even my dad still talk about the 2002 world cup

[@Mr_Jish]

Like the person above me said, the unfortunate reality about this analogy is it's not even remotely similar. I can't name one international sporting competition that is more storied, more ubiquitous, and more important than the World Cup. There's just not. The similarities die at "Look at what this athlete went through for his country"

[@DreChampProductions]

From a basketball standpoint I noticed bad fundamentals or lack there of, like when it came to rebounding there were too many times they watched the ball instead of finding a body and boxing out. When you don’t have a lot of size that’s one thing every player has to do. I think there’s a bigger issue on how the US is teaching or not teaching the next generation.

[@maartenvz]

This is a great point and i would love to see an honest reply from the players on why they dont box out

[@JDTheKobe24]

i agree look at what's happening on the NBA. the European players are now dominating the American players. In terms of MVP, the last 5 come from internationally. No american on the Top 3 MVP candidates.

[@randygram9310]

In the NBA all the 3 point shooting leads to long rebounds ... guys get lazy and used to standing around instead of boxing out. They expect to outjump or outrun the opponent to the ball. @@maartenvz

[@justinsalzl1517]

Very good points. Someone pointed out to me that international players are playing a hard nosed style that the US players don’t have an interest in. In the US, we are so focused on AAU and the like. I heard an AAU coach tell a player with a chance at making a D1 college roster, “we’re just going to run and shoot 3’s, you better be able to do both”. The US players are missing out on fundamentals and simply going for the sexy plays. I think we have to focus on putting a team together. But there’s still an overall problem with the lack of fundamentals in America today. All the carrying and traveling and stretching of the rules in the nba doesn’t translate to international ball.

[@Mr.Sax.]

Lack of fully developed fundamentals has been a major issue, especially for the last 10 years or so. Even the youngest superstars formed in the AAU/NCAA system have those issues. A player can be amazing individually, but they lack something, it can be their dribbling being "iffy", they won't/can't pass, they won't box out, they get lost on off-ball defense or they don't put effort on on-ball defense. Sometimes it's a combination of a pair of these but yeah, the most flagrant one is the rebounding as you said. Someplace, somewhere, someone has not told these players that everyone has to rebound the ball, it's not just up to the designated rebounder (usually a big man).

[@HeyYouSA]

Even if its just FIBA, anytime you are representing your country maybe care a little more.

[@And.One.Hoops1]

Agreed

[@MG-im8ku]

Thats how it should be. Representing your country should be an honour. It should be something a player is proud to do. I'm Italian, so soccer is a huge thing for us. League play is important, but to soccer players, nothing is more important than putting on their country's jersey to play in international tournaments. For many, that's their dream. To play in a world cup match.

[@unwokeneuropean3590]

All basketball in the world is under FIBA umbrella. The continental associations and national ones are just under FIBA. FIBA is not just the world cup. FIFA is not just FIFA world cup, every football match in the world is under FIFA umbrella. Also world cup is more important than Olympic games. Have you noticed that in football matches in Olympics there are only younger players but in the football world cup there are the best and most expensive players in the world.

[@mihazbukvic1453]

@@unwokeneuropean3590 you are wrong nba is not under fiba and uefa is not under fifa. And olympic soccer has rules that forbids best players to play that doesn't mean they would not care if they are allowed to play.

[@tattoos-me5fi]

Fiba world cup=world champiom

[@RobertLewis85]

This 4th place was a lot better than we finished in 2019, and we still didn't change anything or take a different approach. How can you say it'll be the last time?

[@rogoznicafc9672]

this team was far better than the 2019 one

[@olovnivojnik2821]

​@@rogoznicafc967232-7 first 1/4 against Serbia at 2019.

[@javigar133]

Best US players are +30, that is a short-term fix. US needs NBA tougher rules, and a Solid regular team rather with continuity, not new guys every tournament. It aint easy no more

[@unwokeneuropean3590]

They need to have the better mix of superstars and medium players. Olympics have too many superstars and World cup has not enough. The idea should be that at least 2 -3 superstars are in the team in every tournament.

[@rogoznicafc9672]

No rule changes. Adam Silver wants 130pt games with meaningless shot chucking which he values over actually good playing basketball

[@randygram9310]

U.S. has lots of excuses for losing ... then develops amnesia when the alleged 'A' team still lost against international teams. 😂

[@pol610]

"Father time" etc

[@MF-mg6yk]

Canada never had the “best of the best” either. Case in point. No Murray, Wiggins etc.

[@MG-im8ku]

They choose to ignore that fact. Canada could've easily gone for gold if they had their top caliber players. But at least they showed the world they mean business, unlike the Americans who couldn't even be bothered to bring at least 1 or 2 of their all stars and ended up embarrassed.

[@nickklavdianos5136]

Serbia was missing: Jokic, reigning FMVP and NBA Champion, arguably the greatest player in the World right now. Micic, their overall third best player, their main playmaker. Also Lucic, Nedovic, Kalinic, Pokusevski who are also very solid players and could help a lot. This is just an example. Almost all other teams were missing key players.

[@edwardpogi1422]

Excuses... NBA winners now can't claim they are world champions. They are only NBA Champions

[@darrellbarnes2096]

04' USA team with all their stars still lost to Scola, Ginobili and Nocioni

[@unwokeneuropean3590]

I like that late Yugoslavian team that destroyed americans in Indianapolis. Sacramento dudes like Stojaković and Divac, legendary european only player Bodiroga played with americans like they were kids.

[@corneliusaladeniyi]

they did had some not all, for instance no t-mac, no kobe

[@darrellbarnes2096]

@@corneliusaladeniyi excuses, still was an A team regardless

[@clarkwayne2414]

To be fair, the best teams also did not send in their best e.g. Serbia with Jokic, Canada with Murray, France with Embiid , Antetokounpo with Greece, or Latvia with Porzingis, etc.. These teams lost but we never heard them make excuses. And wasn't the USA fielding a team that they think is the best in the competition? Aren't they expecting a medal finish regardless? Isn't that textbook hubris? Also, since the rest of the top teams got just 1 or 2 NBA role players at most, this version of the USA World Cup team should've still came up on top just by talent alone. You lost to Dillon Brooks & Shroeder for pete's sake. By default, the Americans are always assumed the best team in the sport they 'invented' & also love calling themselves "World Champs", so it's only logical to let the rest of the world have a chance to try to knock you out of the podium - in a true worldwide competition. Tbh I've had enough of people making tired excuses such as "we did not send our best team".. Yeah, like who asked you to do such thing? If Denver did not play Jokic or Murray intentionally for say "load management" & then lost the NBA Finals, are we gonna give them a pass?

[@NiqquanEganare]

Both Stef & Lebron have already committed to the Olympic team! We did send our best in 2004, including Lebron, Wade, Carmello Anthony, Allen Iverson, Tim Duncan, Stephon Marbury & we got the bronze medal. Some countries did not send all their best players. Serbia made the finals without Jokic & others. It will be much more competitive with our best players but there's no guarantee that we'll win gold, it happened before!

[@maartenvz]

2004 was definitely not the best, LeBron, wade and melo were very young and did you see Kobe, shaq, garnett, kidd or tmac on the roster?

[@atlien1988]

@@maartenvz Are you gonna disregard the 2006 team too or does that not count?

[@atlien1988]

You're speaking facts! NOTHING is guaranteed except death and taxes. These guys are thinking again that just showing up will GUARATNEE gold for Team USA when history has shown us time again that it's not the case. These guys have to not only WANT to be there and compete, but they must play fundamental basketball on both ends of the court. Interntional teams have exposed a lot these players for disrespecting the game and their competition.

[@mhqqiqin_]

With a better player, USA is still top favourite to win the gold next year. But the game is not played on paper. Even with the like of Bron, Steph, KD, Tatum, etc there is still possibility of them to lose because at the court you will never now what happen, there are too much factor. Maybe that game one of your player is injured or maybe the ref decision is against you most of the time, and so on. Those factor can change a game so much that even the most stacked team can lose a game.

[@jefftc14]

Kobe had to step in and show them how to actually train and play.... that's why they started winning.... Kobe.

[@joaopedrooliveira590]

I believe that Team USA will have way better players in the Olympics, but I think the point is different. Every competition, team USA presents a completely new roster, while teams, specially in Europe, always draw from the same smaller pool of players for their national teams, and they tend to keep stable through many years. If you look at the Spain national team, you always had the Gasol brother, Rudy Fernandez, Llull, Rubio, Sergio Rodriguez... After playing that much time together, they become a team. Team USA is always a different assembly of players as you pointed out, "Superstars" don't want to play on it. To add to all of this, the last time a USA player was MVP in the NBA was 2018. And you have players like Luka or Victor Wembanyama that people fully expect to win some over the next few years. Team USA will win the gold medal in the next Olympics probably, but I seriously think that what happened this World Cup will actually repeat again, and even worse in the near future, unless american players start taking team USA seriously.

[@maartenvz]

While this is certainly true, Serbia was missing a lot of their regular players and still reached the finals. I think if you give up 110+ points in 3 different games its clear that this is an effort thing. Either that, or Kerr really messed up

[@skua1698]

​@@maartenvz Kerr is not a Coach for a FIBA championship and don't understand defense neither is an offense Coach. You see everytime USA with Kerr score high points but take more.

[@atlien1988]

This is yet another excuse. While this statement is mostly true, most of the teams featured first time or second year players as well. Quit making excuses for Team USA and current state of the NBA in general. These guys are not as good or as competitive as they think they are. The fact that we're even contemplating LeBron and Durant returning, with Curry playing in his first Olympics perfectly sums up today's players.

[@BosmanB]

​@@atlien1988❤

[@ochomunna270]

⁠@@skua1698the issue is not Kerr alone, as the post stated the U.S has to be sending it’s best because International basketball has grown. Euroleague and other lesser known leagues now got certified ballers who’re not known to the US basketball public, these dudes would make an NBA squad if the number of roster spots wasn’t finite and pegged below 500 total players. Dudes in my city ball at the stadium courts and are unbelievably good from me been an NBA/Warriors fan, global basketball has grown and y’all need to understand and accept this simple fact. No half-assing sh*t and expecting to trounce the opposition. No sir!

[@Al3x0325]

The problem is even if we sent our best and did take it seriously. We're not guaranteed to win anymore. The world is catching up in a hurry and these guys are used to playing as a team. Not individual stars

[@MG-im8ku]

That is why even if the US brings their all star players, it's not a guaranteed win. Some of these other countries have had a group of really talented players playing together as a team for years now. They didn't just throw together a team last minute. Mix that with the different rules in FIBA, it's not gonna be a for sure thing. Alot of countries have been making alot of ground in basketball. It's gonna be interesting to watch to say the least.

[@LordoftheTHOTs]

The world is not catching up. The team that won the tournament had all of there best talent(from NBA to euroleague). When USA stops getting gold conservatively in the Olympics then you can make this whole “the world is catching up” argument.

[@Al3x0325]

@kobefanforever2938 the 3 best players in the entire league and the last 3 mvps aren't from the US my guy. 15 years ago even our C team could win fiba. Now our b team got their asses WHOOPED. Thats catching up. If you had a team Europe vs team usa the euro team would kick the shit out of us

[@LordoftheTHOTs]

@@Al3x0325 my guy you know 15 years ago they had a Olympic team called the “redeem team”. You know why ? It’s because they lost in the Previous Olympics, so this BS you saying about team USA not losing back then is 🧢.

[@Al3x0325]

@kobefanforever2938 a fluke loss to GREECE once 20 years ago is irrelevant to the point. If anything it strengthens my argument. That's like saying just because we beat the Russians in hockey one year they weren't as dominant. Anything can happen in a one and done but we did not lose as consistently as we do now and the games weren't as close as they are now. It's clear that the world is catching up and in some ways surpassed us. The overseas allstars like jokic Luka embiid and giannis. Possibly Wemby. They're all mvp caliber players. Their best is better than our best

[@KOSMOinfinite]

Also... You fail to understand that other countries have been building their programs with many players playing together from before NBA days. The USA is attempting to mimic this with a younger roster, so they can move forward and grow together. Team Canada for example, many of the players have played since under-19 together.

[@jlaw3255]

I think the best thing that could happen for international basketball, that would convince American players to take all FIBA competitions more seriously, would be for a country to beat USA in the Olympics with their "A team".

[@samb123078]

Americans just take their rule over basketball as granted. I personally think the USA losing is a great thing for basketball as a whole. Let’s be honest, USA style of basketball has devolved into over reliance on talent rather than teamwork, smarts and effort. This will hopefully light a fire under American players and coaches.

[@awesomereviews1561]

It happened before, it happens now and it will happen again.

[@onlyfacts3178]

LAST TIME USA finished 7th and they said it wouldnt happen again... From 1950 to 2009 USA only won 3 times....while Countries like JUGOSLAVIA that are extint in less years won 5 times...the same as USA has now in 30 more years...

[@itisnottaken4444]

@@onlyfacts3178US up until 1992 didn’t use NBA players so everything year 1950-1992 really doesn’t count

[@onlyfacts3178]

@@itisnottaken4444 and yet you have ONLY won 3 Times from 1992 to 2023 🤡🤡 before that you won 2 Times ...Jugoslávia a country That doesnt exist anymore won 2 Times from 1998 to 2002 and Spain won 2 Times from 2006 to 2014...

[@onlyfacts3178]

@@itisnottaken4444 yes and in the 50s 60s the State of New york and Illinois had more oficial basketball players (HS/College and NBA) then the entire Europe together... Dont forget that most countries didnt CARE about basketball and just a few played in small countries..

[@Balleehuuu]

Okay I liked the video as always. But it was very typical for US-basketball, to just caring for not being the greatest without acknowledge the strength of the opponents or just simply say which teams have beaten the US or who won the competition... and it will happen again, because not only weren't the best player often not participating, but they are also not really playing as a team. Other nations have a core of player that will show up every time and the star players are edited to that group, but the core will be a stable team ...

[@unwokeneuropean3590]

I wonder do they even make the video analytics of the next opponent.

[@JulioLeonFandinho]

FIBA basketball hasn't changed as much as NBA changed. I'm perplexed lately, since I was an 80s kid from Spain and loving basketball, and the name USA inspired admiration and fear at the same time. Even college players, check the 84 olympics team for instance. And I must say that, probably after the 2006 Fiba World Cup the name USA changed its value completely. Which makes it sad in a way, but on the other hand it opens perspectives and ways to win to others. It's just that it doesn't feel correct that the country that made the sport what it is today, and made us loving it and TAUGHT us how to play it, doesn't care anymore. If I was an american I won't be very optimistic for the next olympics. Most of the guys named in the video, like Tatum, Booker, Donovan Mitchell... failed in the 2019 World Cup. And I don't think they improved very much their game since 2019, they were already superstars. Whatever squad is going to be in Paris, either they took it seriously or they going to lose. I mean, It happened already! Argentina beat Team USA in Athens 2004 Olympics in the semi-finals. That US squad wasn't a joke, It had Tim Duncan in his prime.

[@daquanwalker451]

I’m honestly glad that we sent our up and coming players to fiba they need the experience they are the future lebron and company are on the way out

[@1Apep1]

For players in other leagues than the NBA these kinds of competitions are an important stage to get noticed or increase their market value. Those leagues usually get much less attention in their countries than the NBA gets in America (in most cases because of soccer). Most international NBA players still have that mindset, because they grew up with it. For American NBA players, success in the NBA is by far more important, because that is what is most important to other Americans. It is rather a matter of national basketball culture, than a matter of individual attitude. That is why I think that bad results only cause a change for a few years. The current players get some shit for bad results and that stings, so they try to make up for it. But after a while everyone goes back to not really caring, because it is only the NBA where you make a name for yourself.

[@arpaddanos9416]

It's true the rest of the world notices FIBA WC. But many American sports shows seem to still just be glossing over it. The usual story of Americans not bothering to be aware of what happens outside their border. But that will damage the brand of US Basketball and even the NBA.

[@MugiOverall]

Funnily enough, as you uploaded this, Shams released a statement saying the LeBron aims to commit to the Olympics and is trying to get KD, Steph and other stars to commit as well.

[@And.One.Hoops1]

I saw that! I sure hope so, they need to redeem themselves

[@mygirlfriendismean]

Oh that will be so cool.

[@javigar133]

That won't fix anything, old guys hace a expiry date and internationals players own the game

[@Joefdgtr]

I dont think Stars mind ever coming to Olympics. Its just that they dont care too much on FIBA (And thats not exclusive to the US)

[@mikmaks7393]

@@javigar133 First fix your english. 2nd, time and time again, that has proven positive for the US. So think again before commenting non sense.

[@thebigfreakingcat4292]

I was kind of glad that Canada (not 100% though as I live in Ohio, USA and I root for my country) won their first ever medal in international basketball competition. Canada is a sleeping giant in FIBA play. As I recall, they didn't send their best similar to the Americans. The USA obviously has a wider pool of talent to select from, but several stars were still missing from the Canadian lineup. And the game of hoops is becoming more and more wildly popular up North than ever before. The Raptors winning an NBA Title recently is one reason, but kids in Toronto and other big cities are falling in love with the game and are taking it to new heights. Hockey is, but not always, their most popular sport.

[@jamesdavis8731]

The U.S. team was poorly constructed and many of us said this at the time the team was announced. They were small with no elite, or close to it, inside scorer and no consistently really good three point shooters. In the end they lost three games, two by a total of six points and one on OT. With a team that could barely be called a B team, and were only together for five weeks or so, they did pretty good. And against Canada they were without three players.

[@thebigfreakingcat4292]

@@jamesdavis8731 James: I think they did about as good as to be expected with what they brought to Asia. Who knows, the Americans might've done better with the 3 players that were missing due to illness. The last two games were close and they lacked defense in both of those contests. I agree with you on your view of how this team was constructed. Another thing, how many players on this squad were ever on an NBA All-Star team? I thought I heard that only two players had all-star game experience. I must have heard wrong. In any event, this team was barely the USA's C team, average at best, and nothing resembling a B team. I'm not saying our nation has to send the best of the best to the FIBA World Cup, but they need to bring a much, much better squad than the last two World Cup teams to compete for the gold medal. Now, for the '24 Olympics, I expect the best to play, nothing else!

[@gregpost3320]

More kids play soccer in Canada than hockey.

[@toddstevens13]

@@gregpost3320 More kids play basketball then hockey in Canada too.

[@thebigfreakingcat4292]

@@toddstevens13 Greg and Todd, I simply did not know that soccer and basketball were played more than hockey by the Canadian youth. I'm sure that hockey is still Canada's national pastime. If kids are leaning toward bball and soccer, I understand that because they are much safer games than the super dangerous game of hockey.

[@jessiedomingo4157]

Tbh people here in the US don’t care much about FIBA. Olympics is a different story though. But yeah, considering that FIBA is the world cup of basketball it makes sense to have our best players play.

[@user-vw1vf5cw7d]

The world cup is the biggest event in basketball, everyone knows that, except for the Americans because they don't own FIBA, so the money are not coming to the US.

[@multiplier6526]

theres also a lot of teams that didnt have their best players especially Serbia they didnt have vasilije micic the best player in europe 2x mvp and 2x champion and jokic wasnt playing if those two play for the olympics it wont be a cake walk for team usa

[@CashMacGregor]

this year, canada was missing soo many of their best players. they could have gone for the gold if there weren't so many no shows.

[@onlyfacts3178]

the same to all the other countries...SERBIA didnt play with their 3 best players and still got to the finals... LITUANIA didnt play with his 2 best players and still beat USA:.. LITUANIA has 2,5 million people not 340 million people...

[@CashMacGregor]

unlike the other participants in this tournament, the canadian government doesn't give money to their basketball program. or any sports program for that matter. these guys do this on their own through private organizations that are run on extremely tight budgets and personal contributions from the players. how would your country do under the same circumstances?@@onlyfacts3178

[@LuDux]

@@onlyfacts3178 JV and Sabonis are comfortably 2 best Lithuanian players right now. We did miss roughly half of top 12

[@trellwhitehurst6670]

​@@onlyfacts3178 unless Lithuania has another NBA player that I don't know about, I think they were only missing one and that was Sabonis.

[@ShatterTheSkiesAbove]

Bruh, when you got Dillon Brooks dropping 40 on you, you might as well pack it up and go home. That’s where you belong 😂 😅

[@23ofSeptember]

Basketball is a global sport. Why do Americans think that they should always dominate and win Gold? Its not like the 80s and 90s when Team USA could just show up and play pick-up basketball and dominate. Lets also acknowledge that Steve Kerr isn't exactly an "international coach". He has always had at least 3 of the best players in the world on his NBA teams (Warriors). When they aren't all healthy, his teams lose. Lets also consider that USA only lost to Germany (the tourny winners) by one point.

[@dtsec]

How about "they were just not as good as the other team"

[@MG-im8ku]

I doubt they would admit to that. The excuse will always be "but our best guys weren't there" when they lose.

[@usecode___7453]

​@@MG-im8kuwich i always find so weird because it dismisses all the actually good players on the national team. Also its always framed as a and b team where I would say its more like aaa vs a team and you just want to keep the opponents down at b tier lvl by saying it.

[@davidflores0227]

If Dillon plays this way in the NBA, maybe he wasn't so overpaid after all...??

[@And.One.Hoops1]

Lol I guess not

[@anthonynguyen2920]

This is the ugly side of a “one game” playoff format. Lesser teams can get hot for one game and beat a much better team (I am not saying USA is much better but they do have more balanced talents; so in a 7 games series, it would wear down these less balance teams easier). Anyways, this one game playoff style also tends to “produce” the one game heroic performance like Brooks that can easily misleads the prisoner of the moment to put him on the pedestal!

[@adamiafrate3434]

@@anthonynguyen2920I mean, he shot like 60% from 3 for the entire tournament. He was just fantastic all tourney long

[@toddstevens13]

@@adamiafrate3434 They will never admit he was outstanding, it goes against all the ESPN talking points, so it never happened.

[@thebigfreakingcat4292]

I believe I heard that LeBron James is playing in the 2024 Olympics and is recruiting the best players in the NBA to play for Team USA. I am not sure that guarantees a gold medal for the Americans. The rest of the world is stacked with some of the best players in the NBA and these players play in most of the international competitions for their countries. The more these players play together for their homeland, the better their chemistry is compared to how the USA just puts an all-star team together on a whim in hopes of winning on pure talent.

[@dalton7726]

this has to be the redeem team part 2, similar circumstances where it looks like the US is slipping internationally because they think they're too good to send their best. Bring em all in 2024, Bron, kd, steph, jimmy, AD, Kawhi, PG, kyrie, dame etc they need all of the best guys from the past decade, not just the young studs. need that leadership and experience, need to reassert dominance. this will be the last time they'll all be able to do it together, they would be incredibly motivated given how long they've all played against each other. otherwise it'll get ugly

[@gulinp1]

Lebron -39 Durant -36 Curry- 36 Kawhi -33 how many of those guys will be healthy or have legs to play after long season + being only 6-7 weeks away from new season? Or Lebron would just win gold and retire at that point? I highly doubt many of them will even show up for Olympics. Too much money they made, too much milage on their legs and not enough fire nor pride to care.

[@dalton7726]

@@gulinp1 this only really applies to kawhi, LeBron literally committed today and said he wants to recruit the other guys, there is way more pride than you think, all the american NBA guys want us to stay dominant, just look at how they responded to noah's comment

[@playyboii_jayy]

Team USA about to send in the avengers next summer 😂

[@anubisannunaki5967]

Remember when Charles Barkley said we don't have to send a nuclear bomb over there well it looks like they just might😅

[@jacobmorris16]

The real problem with the US squad is that they don't have size. In past years, we've had Shaq, Robinson, Ewing, Duncan, Garnett, etc. Name one elite true big man currently available for the US. Until we get a true center that can also stretch the floor like these Euro bigs, we're going to continue to see problems.

[@leslie2434]

It's not a talent issue, if you compare the US team roster to everyone else, they're still the most talented basketball team in the tournament. They definitely had the capability to win gold. As others have pointed out, along with commentators - it's more of a chemistry issue (these guys haven't played with each other enough, they don't know their roles well enough), coaching (not many plays were being run or passing compared to other teams), and being more familiar with the international rules. And for sure, more talented players will make it easier on those points above but the US teams definitely had the talent to win it all.

[@asevado]

"Driven by hunger, a fox tried to reach some grapes hanging high on the vine but was unable to, although he leaped with all his strength. As he went away, the fox remarked 'Oh, you aren't even ripe yet! I don't need any sour grapes.' People who speak disparagingly of things that they cannot attain would do well to apply this story to themselves." An old story from Europe, 3000 years ago.

[@nickklavdianos5136]

Didn't expect to see one of Aesop's fables used in basketball conversation, but yes, it applies perfectly.

[@user-rq2og7ob5l]

Oh, and FIBA World Cup is more important than the Olympics, as it is harder to win than the Olympics, where the talent pool is weaker, with teams from Asia and Africa that are far far from european team´s level.

[@shakes.dontknowwhatyergettin]

The American underrating of the World Cup is somewhat connected to its overrating of the Olympic tournament. The reason the Olympic basketball tournament became a big deal in the first place was because nobody else took the game seriously as a professional sport. The defining characteristic of a niche ball sport, is that it needs to piggy-back on the Olympics ( which probably shouldn't even have ball sports ) in order to gain a bit of exposure. It seems to me that Basketball is reaching the point where it won't need that kind of life support much longer.

[@KiraDaBeastNY]

This is...somewhat incorrect. Americans care about the Olympics more simply because of the legacy of the Olympic Dream Team in 1992.

[@wootage8434]

After 92. The world inched closer and closer each time after that in 94 and 96 and had a scare in 2000. Nba shrugged off that scare which cost them in 2004 and the Fiba/Olympics haven't been the same for the U.S. since.

[@JazzCatzs]

basketball was founded by a Canadian Dr James Naismith- who was living in the U.S. at the time

[@And.One.Hoops1]

Yep, which is why it was founded in the US

[@toddstevens13]

@@And.One.Hoops1 Yep, and as a Canadian it is embarrassing that most Canadians can not understand that both are true. A Canadian invented it while working in the US. So where is the problem?

[@sabertooth5979]

"This will never happen again" sounds an awful like the time Lebron, Allen Iverson, and Co lost to Lithuania and Argentina. Look here's what's going to happen, they're going to take the next few tournaments seriously before they sleep at the wheel again,but this time it's different. Before we had stars that the world couldn't match and now the world has stars that we can't seem to match. The real problem we need to be addressing is the development leagues teaching fundamentals instead of trying to focus on athleticism.

[@randygram9310]

They are focusing on 3-point shooting and iso basketball .... not fundamentals.

[@themorethemerrier281]

NBA should make the All-Star game NA vs Rest. Would like to see Giannis, Luka and Nikola together.

[@rightybricks1582]

You should not have placed Austin Reeves in the thumbnail because he was one of the few guys who took the world cup seriously.

[@louelastic954]

This has little to do with rostering young, unproven players and more to do with lack of size and rebounding. Bam Adebayo, DeAndre Ayton, or even Jarrett Allen would have done wonders for this team on the defensive end. The US had more than enough talent to win, but you can't hand out second chance points like its candy and expect to win. Out of all the players on this roster I'd like to see make the Olympic team, I'd have to go with Mikal Bridges. He's exactly the kind of guy you want for international play.

[@nickklavdianos5136]

I agree totally, Mikal is the best fit for FIBA style basketball. Good defense, pretty solid offense, can easily play off ball but also create his own shot.

[@adamiafrate3434]

Ayton is from the Bahamas. He represents them internationally as well, not USA

[@trellwhitehurst6670]

I would say that even Allen and Bam would struggle. Even though he's gotten a little stronger, the bigger centers still give Allen trouble. Even though Bam has size from a bulk standpoint, certain kind of bigs give him trouble as well.

[@limonator8280]

In soccer they don’t take the Olympics as serious as the World Cup. This will eventually be true for basketball. They should play these games in huge outdoor soccer stadiums.

[@unwokeneuropean3590]

Indeed. They send young players to the Olympics but for the continental national teams tournaments and world cup they send the best they can.

[@ObiWonGinobili]

True the rest of the world considers the WC more important than Olympics, however since '92 there is a 23 and under age restriction for the men in Olympic Soccer. It's because FIFA doesn't want the Olympics to gain more popularity than the World Cup. Also I think it's due to UEFA not wanting to release their players from their club teams to play in the Olympics, however MLS's Atlanta United actually did this as well in the USMNT Olympic Qualifying for Tokyo, which is one of the reasons we didn't qualify. However Basketball does not have this restriction, Olympics still seem to be more important than the World Cup, I don't see that changing anytime soon. Many nations did not bring their A team to the World Cup, Jokic, Sabonis, Wiggins to name a few were absent.

[@DonGivani]

The problem is these top pro's don't want to play for free and for the honour of the country, they rather go on holiday , knowing a gruesome 82 games season is around the corner

[@mhqqiqin_]

I genuinely think 82 games a season is really ridiculous and way more dangerous to the player. I'm surprised why there are no NBA player that against it too. Like how can you recover to your best state if you play 3 to 4 games a week which sometimes needs you to travel coast to coast. And that 82 games still not including the play off and the in season tournament that will be played starting from this year.

[@DonGivani]

@@mhqqiqin_ Exactly !!! It is heavy also with all the traveling

[@toddstevens13]

@@mhqqiqin_ Simple reason, the players would not want to lose any of their dollars, and they would have to if they shortened the season. Thus the invention of Load Management. None of the Top Players play close to 82 games...

Starting 5 and are (or were) all stars/ borderline all-stars, the rest "6th men" and or key players of their team = solid team. The squad wasn't the problem, it was team play, off ball movement and defensive commitment ~ coaching

[@ryohei9027]

Getting trashed by brooks is for sure a wake-up call. I don't even know how the us even reached 4th place with this roster and their playmaking.

[@abw1317]

I can see why players opt out of playing for team USA. No matter what people will put the team down for not being the dream team, and the US has no support domestically or internationally. If they don't beat a team by 20 then it's a loss.

[@And.One.Hoops1]

I wouldn't necessarily go that far. I think they mainly opt out because a lot of them don't want to risk getting injured for something they deem isn't legacy defining

[@abw1317]

​@@And.One.Hoops1Yeah that's also a major factor. I'm thinking more along the lines of the attractiveness of representing the US. Damned if you do, damned if you don't so why risk injuring yourself for something that isn't the Olympics seems to be the prevailing mindset.

[@atlien1988]

The US has no support Internationally? And even with everything that's going on in America, people will still rally around sports & champions. America has seen significantly worse than whatever is going on today. The Redeem Team didn't beat every team by 20 and EVERYONE cared and constantly compared them to the original Dream Team (completely ignoring the 1996 team). Quit making excuses for these players and the NBA. IT's why the product is mediocre today.

[@atlien1988]

​@@And.One.Hoops1 which is incredibly ironic because the Olympics always played a role in defining their legacy. Practically EVERY All-time great basketball player built a legacy in INTL play going all the way back to Bill Russell. The Olympics also grows their brand globally. Look at how much larger than life Jordan became AFTER the Olympics!! I don't even chastise players who decide not to participate, but the excuses I'm seeing about Team USA is just ridiculous. If these foreign countries can field teams with NBA journeymen with INTL players and EARN a medal, then there's absolutely no excuse for Team USA - regardless of who they send! Serbia didn't have Jokic, and they still played in the Gold medal game!

[@abw1317]

@@atlien1988 Not an excuse, you literally just said it yourself. Even the redeem team was compared to the dream team. Why would I want to risk injury to play in an environment where everyone puts the team down for having a close game or losing a game that isn't a final, but you seem to have a strong opinion on this so an internet comment section isn't going to change anything.

[@genxtasy9914]

SGA was the only all star on Canada. Brooks was suprise and Barrett played decent. USA should of won since their team was all NBA players

[@MG-im8ku]

Well they didn't win, did they? lol They went into the tournament thinking they could dominate with a subpar team, and it didn't work out. Canada went into that bronze medal game wanting it more, and fought harder. Like many things in life, the harder worker will always outdo the talented person who thinks they can half ass everything.

[@S1LVAW0LF]

These other teams played like the 2014 nba champions spurs and we played like the heat in 2014. Just assuming that our star power and overall talent would see us through while the others played as well oiled unit. another pt of note is that we were lacking in the bigman department and never really adjusted. This needs to change, gotta convince AD, bam, myles turner to play next time around.

[@AfricanH3ro]

i care more about basketball as a whole then the us team being dominant. i hope the parity remains and continues to get stronger. the best thing for basketball as a whole would be for even our a team not to be guaranteed to win gold.

[@mathewomolo]

Why would anyone need to be convinced to represent their country?

[@ObiWonGinobili]

It has to do with the decline of culture in the U.S. apparently making the country great again was controversial still in 2020, we will see if thats still true in 2024. Why would you think you can hate the U.S., kneel at the national anthem, and raise your hand for black pride BLM, but then expect to bleed red, white, and blue at the the highest levels of international athletic competitions? At some point the hypocrisy of the contradiction will come true. I'm hoping for the best though as USA's Bball 2020 Gold proved me they actually do love the country and love the flag and are rejecting hate for the nation.

[@Lee0812]

It’s harder to keep a winning mindset while winning. Us has gotten most Olympic medals so they don’t care and assume they’ll just dominate. They will get upset if they don’t go full force

[@bimrebeats]

The day team USA will lose the Olympics with a “stacked” team will be glorious! Judging by the response to this WC loss, it won’t be long 😂

[@MG-im8ku]

I can't lie, I am thinking the same thing. Because even if they do bring a stacked team, that will just get international players like Giannis, Jocic, and all the other great ones to show up and mean business. It won't be the "easy path to gold" they are expecting it to be. The final 4 stage will be TOUGH for the USA....If they make it there.

[@ryenis]

Another way to think about is is that our team made it pretty far with the roster we had.

[@PapaMatt107]

I wonder what the excuse would be if the US did assemble a team made up of it's best NBA players and then still lose at the Olympics.... it could happen you know.

[@cxl2324]

"there weren't committed enough and we haven't got kobe, magic, jordan, larry and karl in the squad"

[@ronm3945]

No MJ or kobe would be their excuse

[@ivanam.1613]

Bogdan Bogdanovic, who is considered an average player by NBA standards, led the Serbian team to silver without the country's two top players. One player even lost a rib during a game. The US simply doesn't want their NBA players suffering injuries because of players' contract obligations and because NBA has a higher viewership than FIBA in the US and thus makes them more money.

[@nickolasgaspar9660]

"other teams send their best of the best". That is false. Serbia missed 8 key players Jokic included, Greece missed at least four Giannis included. The same was true with Lithuania. So some of the best teams came without their starting line up so people shouldn't use the US roster as an excuse for failing in this tournament.

[@javierburgos7]

When USA loses in international competitions it's usually (or maybe even always) due to two factors: 1) (most of) the best players on the NBA don't care about that tournament and don't bother joining the national team, and 2) other countries are getting better at basketball and each year there are more foreign players on the NBA. Despite that, at least in the Olympics, it's incredible that despite 19 tournaments having taken place as of 2023 only 4 countries have ever won the gold medal, and 2 of those no longer exist: USA, USSR, Yugoslavia and Argentina, with the USSR winning twice and Yugoslavia and Argentina winning just once.

[@atlien1988]

There's always an excuse if you have a loser's mentality.

[@javierburgos7]

I'm not American, bro. I'm not giving excuses for anything. It looks like the real loser is you here by being so defensive over nothing.@@atlien1988

[@user-hf8zv7qw4l]

Olympics is an international competition for many sports while FIBA World Cup is the one and only World Championship for Basketball. If your country wins the Naismith trophy in FIBA World Cup, you are called world champions in basketball. Its like FIFA World Cup for football. I dont know why Americans keep on saying Basketball World Cuo doesn't matter but they are pissed off they did not get any medal this 2023 FIBA World Cup. 😅

[@niarlatotepbasset]

USSR winning gold in 1972 and 1988, that's not ''once'' 🙄.

[@ObiWonGinobili]

IF the NBA cares to maintain its world dominance as the best league in the world they will eventually need to implement promotion & relegation, and also shorter seasons or earlier start to the season to not give excuses to teams and players for skipping the World Cup. These things would in turn improve USA basketball, and have international friendly matches against other nations to prepare for world cup and Olympics this is what Soccer does as eventually we will see a repeat of 2004 Athens games a team with no chemistry/architecture or playing together as one unit.

[@KOSMOinfinite]

Team USA will continue to struggle in international comp. unless it stacks the deck with top-tier All-NBA/All-star talent. Why? Because USA basketball development is fundamentally flawed, where basics and role-play are not taught, and it takes far too long for pros to pick-up on it. USA won't win another gold/1st with a non-all/NBA type team for at least 5-10 years. The rest of the world has caught up and many countries can produce a competent team with proper roles, defense, and shooting that can counter patch-work USA rosters.

[@ObiWonGinobili]

Yes sadly the NBA is played very differently they no longer play any defense during regular season. I think NBA needs to do promotion/relegation like they do in German Bundesliga and other European nations, and lessen the number of games by 20 games or so. Typically after the all-star break a lot of teams shut it down and just try to lose to get a damn draft ping pong ball. Also NBA should consider moving season start 2-3 weeks earlier every 4 years so there is more time to recover for World Cup.

[@user-vi8uv8nc5u]

I am very surprised, that they are american Basketball Players dont want to play for their country in the FIBA World Cup. Because USA is a very patriotic Country. In other Countries for many Players it is a honor to play in their national Teams. So i am surprised that the best players from the nba dont want to play in a basketball world cup.

[@k4yser]

Winners don't make excuses, even in defeat. What I've read from so many US fans is a never ending stream of excuses. Nobody on the World is questioning that America has without a doubt the biggest pool of basketball talent, it's so deeply entwined in your culture. But in the end it's a team sport. And if you don't understand how your own NBA is hurting the team aspect of the game, then you'll be in for a rude awakening in the upcoming decades.

[@rnuke_rocket]

I'm not American, but I hope AR gets to be retained for the 2024 Olympics. His hustle and basketball IQ make him a great fit for the team. Plus, he won't be commanding touches or complaining about minutes cause he knows his role when he's surrounded by the likes of LeBron, KD, and Steph, among others.

[@muttyvisuals577]

Yeah but his defense was ABYSMAL and he's was getting targeted every single game

[@rnuke_rocket]

@@muttyvisuals577 but that can be improved with better coaching and he just needs go bulk up to be able to guard bigger opponents. Remember, Steph isn't a good defender but during their title run in 2022 he bulked up to keep up with bigger guards and has decent awereness on the defensive end.

[@randygram9310]

Who the hell is AR? Does he have a name? 😂

[@rnuke_rocket]

@@randygram9310 AR-15 is Reaves' nickname bro 😂

[@bnb6868]

It's the same in ice hockey as well. Canada and US only care about the Olympics just like the Olympics are the only international basketball competition the US cares about. Europe and Asia highly value world or continental competitions not just the Olympics because it's a way to prove yourself to the world and own the others. Yet the insular north American sports culture with the NBA and NHL has led to Americans not caring about it because Americans don't care about the rest of the world. Only reason they put effort into the Olympics is the national propaganda aspect of being the best country in the world in sports

[@illDefine1]

Basketball is different. Every nba champ from the last 40 years would absolutely dominate Fiba. While in other sports, international teams is the highest level of competition. Also, 1-game eliminations doesn't reveal anything about which team is better. Americans rarely have their best teams in Olympics either.

[@bnb6868]

@@illDefine1 they do. The best team wins the game not the most talented or highest paid etc. And considering the amount of international players that the past 40 nba champs have had I doubt it

[@gregpost3320]

You're off base on the hockey thing for Canada a wee bit. Canadians still want to win the world's every year, even though we can rarely send our best. That's the real problem for the US and Canada, in that their best players are still participating in the NHL playoffs when the world's are happening. And Canada still wins enough to make it worthwhile. We've won with our C team at times, but all 23 players are prepared to do what it takes. That's the attitude the US BBall organization needs to have.

[@gregpost3320]

@@illDefine1 Not for a minute would that happen. The world game is a totally different game. in FIBA, bigs matter. Not so in the NBA. Denver. Loses Murray to Canada and the Joker to Serbia. Could that Denver team win without those two? Lots of championships are decided in a one-game final. Super Bowl. MSL Final. World Cup Soccer. Memorial Cup Final. World Hockey Championships. Etc. Usually the better team wins, so that does in fact refute your statement.

[@bnb6868]

@@gregpost3320 talking to Canadians during the hockey World Cup earlier this year and they didn't really care some didn't even know it was happening. They really only care for the Olympics and the U20 world cup. And not sending your best is proof of not caring. The problem is that this north American mindset is rubbing off on the European players with a lot of European nba and nhl stars not participating in their respective world cups

[@39533]

Truth is a lot of people in america, players included, dont really care about FIBA. You walk up and ask most americans what it is and they wont even know what you are talking about. However,for other countries like those in Europe it has more weight

[@karstenbursak8083]

What some Americans forget, when saying they only care about the Olympics is, that Tournaments like the AmeriCup and the FIBA WC also serve as a qualifier for the Olympics. And with the competition getting closer they might someday not qualify for the Olympics if they don’t take these tournaments more seriously !

[@Beau838]

Haha keep dreaming. US would never let that happen. Stop being such a prisoner of the moment

[@karstenbursak8083]

@@Beau838 oh, someones ego got triggered 😂 If your statement means that some of these US "top players" start to take FIBA serious ... I am all in with you !

[@Beau838]

@@karstenbursak8083 they’re never not qualified and they know it would be an embarrassment if they didnt. So I say again, it will not happen. It’s a cute thought to fantasize about for you I bet though

[@karstenbursak8083]

@@Beau838 I hope so and that they learned the lesson of the last 2 FIBA WC ... But what would you do if they don't qualify ? Invade Switzerland and force the IOC by gunpoint to let them compete ?

[@Beau838]

@@karstenbursak8083 no point of a what if game if it won’t happen. Have a nice day kid. US has learned from its mistakes multiple times since 2004. They’ll do the same.

[@jayr1404]

While you downplay the Team USA's line up, my question to you is how many NBA stars Germany and Serbia have?

[@randygram9310]

Serbia with one decent NBA player. Germany does have 4 NBA players .... but not stars.

[@MG-im8ku]

Doesn't matter at this point because USA thought they could win without bringing anywhere near the same level team as the rest of the countries. If they choose to not change that, they won't be winning much of anything internationally.

[@yutaito198]

I think the results of the tournament can be interpreted in many ways. For example, is Dennis Shroder really the best player in the world right now? And did the young core really reflect the entirety of USA’s talent? But regardless, not being able to win a medal really is embarrassing. And at face value, it just gives more credibility to what Noah Lyles was saying.

[@obi3924]

Schroder can’t be considered the best player in the world because the best players in the world didn’t even compete in the tournament, and fiba isn’t even the most competitive basketball tournament, that’s the nba playoffs.

[@mhqqiqin_]

Dennis Schroder got the FIBA World Cup MVP doesn't mean he is the best in the world. He is just the best player in the tournament. Just like NBA MVP doesn't mean they are the best player in the world, they're just the best player in the NBA as a league.

[@yutaito198]

@@mhqqiqin_ I agree, what I mean is, I think the results make it easy to portray such a narrative to those who aren’t interested in basketball.

[@yutaito198]

@@obi3924 right, so I am saying, what is the main takeaway from this tournament? But at face value, people who aren’t interested in basketball not going to know any better

[@dirkgoldman1155]

Well, as much as excited I am with watching the next Olympics with the best NBA players, we all know too well how things can turn around when forming a super team. So pressure will be on the US even more next year to get the gold medal. In the meantime the rest of the world can do business as usual. Having their top talents compete long term to build chemistry.

[@forzer456]

Guess the nba has to learn German next year 😂

[@leovrivera]

Canada made basketball.

[@And.One.Hoops1]

No, a Canadian invented it in Kansas

[@gregpost3320]

@@And.One.Hoops1 Patently False. Dorothy might have clicked her heels in Kansas. But Naismith invented BBALL at the Y in Springfield, Mass.

[@And.One.Hoops1]

@@gregpost3320 Which is still NOT Canada

[@Goxilla]

Basketball was "founded" in Canada, not the U.S.

[@And.One.Hoops1]

Naismith was Canadian, but he founded basketball in the US

[@mydogsnameislucy768]

Last time I checked Kansas was a U.S. State. 🤫

[@Goxilla]

enough @@And.One.Hoops1

[@mikmaks7393]

Its invented in the US dummy. Use google first before commenting non sense.

[@And.One.Hoops1]

Enough what? You can just admit you were wrong

[@francescocortellessa9214]

I think what USA as to understand that yes for the single player reaching the NBA is the best feeling, winnin it is even better, but, for the players who don't reach the NBA, I think the most important trophy is not the Eurobasket, is not the domestic championship, is the Olympics and the World Cup. It's like football, yes the players enjoy winning a champions league, but they want to win a World Cup, every players wants it. For USA people NBA is more important then the WC, no is not, it's a domestic league, the league of north America, yes you have the best players, but you have to understand winning one world cup for European basketball is much better then winning 5 NBA rings

[@outliersoutside9043]

FIBA should make Olympics basketball for under 23 only so that US will be obligated to send their best at the World Cup

[@coachshawnkent397]

Lamelo Ball should have been selected to play on this team. Happy to see Canada 🇨🇦 defeat America . I mean it's only right a Canadian invented Basketball 🏀. Truthfully Canada has been winning a lot of American AAU Basketball Tournaments as well .

[@luurchify]

The problem is that team USA always shows its dominance at the Olympics. They need to show that at the next world cup.

[@martins4879]

Some people still not understand the difference between team sport and sports of individuals. You can have the best player, that sill not make you having the best team.

[@wigsy99]

Canada Medalled in 1936 Olympic Basketball and have finished 4th a couple of times so we aren’t exactly novices at this sport. Get you facts right

[@serbonkers4130]

Please note that other countries do not send their "best of the best"

[@iranmatias-quinones6247]

Totally agree, effort, chemestry, and poor defense will not win any tournament. Now coaching, Kerr, needs to learn from this, and play his bigs. Small ball is good but has its limits.😮

[@karstenbursak8083]

Boy, I bet that Austin Reaves now bites his ass that he rejected the invitation to play for Germany …

[@randygram9310]

Kind of funny that ....

[@karstenbursak8083]

@@randygram9310 Yeah, soecially when you hear so many US "top player" that only the Olympics matter ... I don't think he will play in Paris next year ... With the Germans he would be definetly be in the roster set to play

[@gulinp1]

Who, younger than 33-34 USA could actually use to make difference? Adebayo and Tatum? Days of Lebron, Kobe, Melo , Wade and massive gap in terms of talent over international players are long gone. Last Olympic team had Durant ; Lillard, Middelton, Jrue Holiday and still only won gold by winning France roster by just 5 points. At world cup, USA basically lost each and every game against more serious competition. When you make list of top 10 players today, outside of old as dirt guys ( Durant, Lebron, Curry) there isn't single USA player but Tatum. Matter of fact best players in a world are Serbian, Slovenian, Greek . Does it even matter who is 4th? Probably Embiid anyway.

[@vlax12]

It should be noted that Serbian and German team have not sent their best players also. Serbia actually sent their second team and they've won silver....

[@taofeeksaka17]

"World champions of what, the United States?" That rings a bell.

[@MG-im8ku]

I bet they still believe they are the world champions too. lol

[@taofeeksaka17]

@@MG-im8ku sadly they're not when you focus on representation has nothing to do with talent if you listen to the entire argument

[@gregpost3320]

Noah Lyles had a valid point.

[@sheldondunnjr]

How much do they get paid in international play?

[@Smido83]

look... since the 1990 World Cup the US won only 3 of the last 9 FIBA World Cups... overall 5 of 19! NOTHING will change if it comes to the world cup... nothing! The USA allways takes the Olympics somewhat seriously, but thats it. The US media has already forgotten the WC happened. Of course they will sent the A Team next summer. But I dont think Lebron will play (he will be near 40 for gods sake). But Durant, Curry, Butler... why not? Here is what the US should do overall... send the best you can offer to the 2024 Olympics, and then change the system COMPLETELY! 1st Get a group of younger US players (under 28) to commit for 4 years to the US national team in the Summer of 2025. I mean it... at least 18 guys who are willing to work each summer for 4 years. 2nd Those guys go to training camp together and you choose 12 guys to play the AmeriCup in 2025 to get international Experience under FIBA rules from this group. 3rd the same 18 men roster will have a training camp in 2026, and maybe some scrimmage games against other FIBA teams. probably not from Europe, cause of the EuroBasket, but South America, Africa, Asia... 4th The same 18 guys are invited in 2027 to prepare for the 2027 World Cup and baring a lot of Injuries, the 12 men roster is again chosen from those 18 guys. Lets say you have 6 Bigs in the 18 men Roster and 4 are injured. Or 4 Point Guards and 3 are injured... Thats the only situation how you bring a replacement in. 5th repeat 4 for the 2028 Olympics 6th: Start over at Point 1 in 2029. BUT give every player who was comitted for the last 4 years the chance to do the same. And for every open roster spot, bring in new younger talent under 28 and start over! That would mean, if Superstars want to play at the Olympics, they HAVE TO commit to play 4 years in a row. This would also mean the Media would be way more interested. Can you Imagine Tatum/Booker playing in the AmeriCup in 2025? This would elevate the Sport of Basketball overall AND would increase the chances to get a real team to the big tournaments. A US team that played and trained together for 3 years when it plays in the World Cup, and 4 years at the Olympics... Problem is... will the "pampered since childhood" US Stars do that? Commit to 4 Summers of hard work while representing the country that allowed them to become Multi-Multi-Multi Millionaires? Specially if some of them might be cut and wont participate?

[@vinvince8747]

fun fact. Soviet Union had 4 Lithuanians in starting 5

[@nighthawk244]

I would like to see team USA do multi year committments

[@TimWong49152]

How is it rubbing salt in the wombs when the best player Shae Gilgeous-Alexander plays for Canada? The United States didn't send its best players but don't forget Canada was missing Jamal Murray. The Canadian players also wanted it more even though it wasn't for gold.

[@And.One.Hoops1]

Wiggins also didn’t play for Canada either

[@basketballmaven1454]

even if usa brings their best it's not guaranteed because it only takes one loss or two losses and you're eliminated. no matter how good you are, if the other team can play smart, shoot, play with heart then you can lose