Team USA’s performance at the FIBA World Cup 2023 fell short of expectations, and the loss to Lithuania was the lowest point of a memorable tournament. However, they also had good games against strong teams like Spain in their run to the semi-finals.
Despite losing to Germany, who were the eventual winners, USA still managed to reclaim their top spot in the current FIBA Men’s ranking. However, this ranking will mean nothing to some angry fans who expected the team to do more at the FIBA World Cup.
USA reclaim top spot in FIBA ranking
At the end of the World Cup, Team USA could only manage to win a spot in the 2024 Olympics. Good news has come through from the FIBA governing body as the USA Basketball team has reclaimed the top position in the FIBA men’s global rankings. In the most recent rankings, posted on Friday, the United States moved ahead of Spain and is now ranked as the best team in the world.
With this, they have reclaimed the top-ranking spot that they lost before the end of last year. Meanwhile, the World Cup champions, Germany, have moved up eight spots to third place, which is a historic accomplishment for the team, while Spain is now placed second. Every few months, the sport’s governing organization, FIBA, updates its standings.
The men’s standings remained unchanged since February until Friday’s update. In November 2022, Spain surpassed the United States, ending the Americans’ 12-year dominance as the top-ranked team. The top 10 FIBA teams now include USA, Spain, Germany, Australia, World Cup silver medalists Serbia, Canada, Argentina, Latvia, France, and Lithuania.
USA basketball team set sight on Olympics 2024
The United States has secured gold in men’s basketball in the past four Olympic Games. However, their recent performance in the FIBA World Cup this summer exposed the fragile nature of their hold on the top spot. Despite sending a team filled with talented young NBA players to the World Cup this year, the United States finished fourth.
After the recent heartbreaking World Cup, reports emerged that LeBron James has expressed interest in joining the 2024 team for the Paris Olympics, considering it his final opportunity with the the US Team. LeBron is said to be actively recruiting top talents, such as Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis, and others.
The big question for the American team in 2024 revolves around a recruitment battle with France for Joel Embiid, the current MVP, who has the option to represent either country, being a native of Cameroon. What are your thoughts on the recent FIBA Men’s ranking? Shareyour thoughts with us in the comment section.
