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NBA star Rui Hachimura has been selected for the Japanese men's national team's training camp for the second round of the 2027 Basketball World Cup Asian qualifiers later this month, the Japan Basketball Association said Monday. The selection comes as Hachimura has recently expressed his intention to return to play for Japan after distancing himself from the national team over concerns about its management following the 2024 Paris Olympics. Free agent Yuki Kawamura, who played for the Chicago Bulls in the 2025-2026 season, is also among 14 players who will join the training camp starting on Aug. 11.
Are brothers Dylan and Ron Harper eligible to play as locals for Gilas Pilipinas? The question was touched upon last Tuesday in the Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum as some online content raised the idea of NBA players Dylan Harper and Jordan Clarkson joining the national team. Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas executive director Erika Dy revealed that the Harper brothers are not eligible to play as locals for Gilas Pilipinas. “To begin with, I don’t believe Dylan has a passport already,” Dy said in a mix of English and Filipino. “Although they have reached out I think two years ago when Coach Norman and I were in Las Vegas asking about eligibility. But he was already 18, 19 [years old] at that time and they didn’t have passports yet,” she added.
Twenty-four months later, "Wemby" is back in the Paris region, ready to play again with his country , and his status has evolved: he is no longer just a 20-year-old Rookie of the Year, but a 22-year-old All-Star, Defensive Player of the Year and potential MVP. At the inauguration of a renovated basketball court in Nanterre, a moment he described as " lucky " to be able to experience, Victor Wembanyama made no secret of his enthusiasm about returning to where he trained for eight years. And in France, more broadly. " When I come back here, it does me a lot of good, " he says , before looking ahead to his return to the blue jersey, since he had to miss Euro 2025. " I don't miss the NBA at the moment, but I do miss FIBA ," he clearly tells the journalists present.
NBA star Neemias Queta will lead Portugal’s team in the upcoming FIBA WC Qualifiers window. Portugal successfully completed the first part of the qualifiers with a record of 3-3 and is awaiting the start of the second round. In the first window, they will visit Spain on August 28 and host Georgia on August 31.
The Lithuanian national team is preparing to strengthen Rimas Kurtinaitis' coaching staff with an experienced figure. According to Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews, Alvydas Pazdrazdis is expected to join Kurtinaitis' staff for the upcoming 2027 FIBA World Cup qualification window. The 55-year-old currently works as a scout for the New York Knicks and won an NBA championship with the franchise last month.
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Horacio Muratore, the former president of FIBA, is no longer with us. Per the FIBA press release: FIBA is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Horacio Muratore, who served as FIBA President from 2014 to 2019. Muratore was at the helm of the sport’s world-governing body at an exciting and pivotal time. Primarily during the introduction of a new and transformational competition system in 2017, with international windows proving to be a significant driver of growth for basketball globally.
“Because not many people know this, to join the national team, you have to pay insurance to play,” Giannis Antetokounmpo explained. “For NBA players who hold massive contracts, if I go and get injured while competing in FIBA, the insurance covers the contract I have.” “I wasn’t called up,” he added, vowing to return for the critical upcoming FIBA window. “We thought that playing against Romania and Portugal would be easy. Yes, we made a mistake. We underestimated them. We dropped both matches, and now we have two crucial games ahead. If I am selected, then I will probably be there.”
NBA star Victor Wembanyama is set to make his return to the French national team for the first time since the 2024 Olympics, the French Basketball Federation (FFBB) announced on Saturday. Wembanyama has been named in the squad for the first two matches of the main qualifying round for the 2027 World Cup, which will take place at the end of August against Slovenia and then Sweden. Wembanyama will also take part in two warm-up matches against Serbia one week before the qualifiers.
The 22-year-old had been forced to withdraw from Euro 2025, having not fully recovered from the venous thrombosis in his right shoulder that brought his 2024/25 season to a premature end. French national team coach Frederic Fauthoux called Wembanyama's return "extremely important for the future of the project we want to pursue". "Victor is the undisputed leader of this generation. We need him here so that a relationship can develop with the rest of the squad, both on and off the court," he added.
Maxine Aubin: Info @lequipe : Victor Wembanyama has already resumed physical training in France, accompanied by Guillaume Alquier, his physical trainer. Work under the banner of "experimentation," as he wants to continue developing his body and testing his limits. The Spurs' interior is then expected to join the French team as planned during the second qualifying window for the 2027 World Cup in August.
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After a dramatic endgame in the Dominican Republic, Mike James and Team USA pulled away with another nerve-racking finish, escaping Mexico with a huge 94-93 win in the FIBA World Cup Americas Qualifiers. The Americans will cap off their first round with a 5-1 record to top Group A and secure the powerhouse nation's ticket to the next round of the tournament. James delivered a major all-around performance of 19 points, eight rebounds and seven assists across 19 minutes. The EuroLeague superstar hit back-to-back big-time shots in the closing minute and sealed the United States' Monday victory by nailing his two foul shots with seven seconds to go.
Ira Winderman: today's Heat stats from World Cup qualifying: Nikola Jovic in Serbia 94-78 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina: 32 points on 11 of 16 FG, 7 of 9 on 3s, 3 blocks. Pelle Larsson in Sweden 88-79 win over Slovenia: 31 points on 10 of 21 FG, 1 of 8 on 3s, 10-15 FTs, 3 assists.
