A major international tournament is coming to men’s basketball this summer, as 32 teams will head to Asia to participate in the latest edition of the FIBA World Cup. It’s the first time the event has taken place since 2019, which saw Spain take home gold, Argentina finish in second place, and France come in third.
The first team to miss out on a medal was Australia, which lost to France in the bronze medal game. It was an impressive showing by the team, which went into the tournament with a number of high-profile players but did not have its most prominent Aussie in the NBA, as Ben Simmons, fresh off of a contract extension with the Philadelphia 76ers, opted to focus on the upcoming season.
A whole lot has happened with Simmons since then, as he’s now a member of the Brooklyn Nets and was limited to 42 games this year due to injuries. But apparently, Australia national team coach Brian Goorjian is optimistic that Simmons will join the national team this summer, which he expressed to SEN Radio.
Via ESPN:
“I think his (Ben’s) mindset is getting healthy, getting in shape and getting ready to play in this (World Cup),” Goorjian told SEN Radio.
“And I think he has been along that line for a while and I felt it last time.
“As we sit now, I think there is a really strong chance (that he plays at the World Cup).”
Simmons was unable to participate at the Summer Olympics in 2021, too, meaning he has never represented Australia in a high-profile senior international tournament. Despite Goorjian’s optimism, Simmons has yet to chime in on whether he’ll be able to join the team. During the 2022-23 NBA season, Simmons averaged 6.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, 6.1 assists, and 1.3 steals in 26.2 minutes per game for the Nets, and did not appear in any games after the All-Star break.
The 2023 FIBA World Cup will run from August 25 through September 10, with the Philippines, Japan, and Indonesia splitting hosting duties. Australia was drawn into a group with Finland, Germany, and Japan.