OKC Thunder: 2023 FIBA World Cup Preview, Schedule, Representatives and Odds

As the NBA becomes a hub for international talent, it’s no surprise that a record 55 current players across the league are featured on FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 rosters. This is an event that is set to take place starting today, with games initially split between the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia.

While 55 players is a tremendous number, what’s impressive is that there’s an argument to be made that two of the top 10 players in this event play for the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey are the headliners for Canada and Australia respectively, which are both loaded squads with a real chance to bring home a championship. In total, five Thunder players will compete in this event representing three different counties.

Players

• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Canada)
• Lu Dort (Canada)
• Josh Giddey (Australia)
• Jack White (Australia)
• Davis Bertans (Latvia)

Team Odds

In this 32-team tournament, the United States is the heavy favorite. With that in mind, there’s several teams that will have a real shot at upsetting the USA. The teams with representatives from Oklahoma City are all in the top half of the teams as it relates to championship odds.

• Canada: +600 (#2)
• Australia: +900 (#4)
• Latvia: +16000 (#14)

Schedule

This event will take place from Aug. 25 to Sep. 10, with group play taking place over the first weekend of the event. In the group stage, the 32 teams are sorted into eight groups and each team will play the other three once.

A variety of exhibition games have already taken place for each team, but at this point everything counts. Between now and Tuesday, eight different games will feature members of the Thunder.

• Aug. 25 - 3:00AM CST: Australia vs. Finland
• Aug. 25 - 4:15AM CST: Latvia vs. Lebanon
• Aug. 25 - 8:30AM CST: Canada vs. France
• Aug. 27 - 3:30AM CST: Australia vs. Germany
• Aug. 27 - 8:30AM CST: Latvia vs. France
• Aug. 27 - 4:45AM CST: Canada vs. Lebanon
• Aug. 29 - 6:10AM CST: Australia vs. Japan
• Aug. 29 - 8:30AM CST: Canada vs. Latvia

The top two teams from each group will advance to the second round, while the bottom two compete in two classification games to determine the bottom 16 rankings. In the second round, there will be four groups of four made up of the teams that advanced from the first round, again playing each other once. The top two teams from from the bottom 16 groups will also qualify for the final round.

There’s real stakes on the line, as the tournament serves as qualification for the 2024 Summer Olympics. The top two teams from each of the Americas and Europe, and the top team from each of Africa, Asia and Oceania, will qualify alongside the host country in France.

While Davis Bertans and Jack White still have much to prove if they’re going to make the 15-man Thunder roster for the 2023-24 season, Gilgeous-Alexander, Giddey and Dort are three cornerstone pieces and starters in Oklahoma City. All 25 years old or younger, this is a unique opportunity to represent the Thunder and their respective home countries.