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- FIBA World
Championship 2010 Turkey
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FIBA World Championship 2010
Turkey
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The
2010 FIBA World Championship will be hosted by Turkey from August 28 to
September 12, 2010. It is co-organized by the International Basketball
Federation (FIBA), Turkish Basketball
Federation and the 2010 Organizing Committee. It is considered as
prestigious a competition as the Olympic Basketball Tournament.
FIBA World 2010 on Wikipedia check here.
Official FIBA World 2010 website check here.
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September 17, 2010
- FIBA
launches new nations ranking  |
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 Following
the 2010 FIBA World Championship for Men which concluded last Sunday in
Istanbul, Turkey, FIBA have launched a completely new ranking system,
the International Basketball Federation announced on Friday. The United
States of America (USA) currently rank supreme in all categories,
including the new youth rankings for Boys and Girls which have been
added in the new system. In the Men's Ranking, Turkey made a huge leap
from 18th to sixth after their runners-up finish at the 2010 FIBA World
Championship. For the first time ever, the U19 and U17 FIBA World
Championships for Boys and Girls as well as all U16 and U18 continental
championships weigh in to determine the new FIBA categories for Boys
and Girls. Read more here.
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| September 12, 2010 - USA cruise past
Turkey to end 16-year wait for World Championship crown |
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 The
United States of America beat Turkey 81-64 to win the 2010 FIBA World
Championship. The result ended a 16-year wait for the USA, who had not
won this tournament since 1994. In the first official game ever between
the two teams, Mike Kryzewski’s team gradually pulled away as Turkey
looked to be suffering the after effects of their hard-fought win over
Lithuania in Saturday’s semi-final. Down 17-14, the Americans reeled
off 11 unanswered points in a stretch spanning the late part of the
first quarter and early second for a 25-17 advantage and they stayed in
front the rest of the way. Read more here.
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| September 12, 2010 - FIBA World
Championship All Star Five announced |
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 Stars
from Argentina, Lithuania, Serbia, Turkey and the USA have been
recognised for their outstanding tournaments with the All Star Five for
the 2010 FIBA World Championship announced following Sunday's final
between Turkey and the USA. The All Star Five is made up of Luis Scola
at centre, Linas Kleiza and Kevin Durant as forwards, and Hedo Turkoglu
and Milos Teodosic in the guard positions. The five players, each voted
best player in his position by a selection of top basketball media
representatives, received their awards on-court during the FIBA World
Championship medal ceremony. Read more here.
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| September 12, 2010 - Durant named
tournament MVP |
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 Team
USA's Kevin Durant claimed the Most Valuable Player award at the 2010
FIBA World Championship. Durant had a game-high 28 points in his team's
81-64 triumph over Turkey in the final on Sunday. The 21-year-old power
forward won the honour - voted by international media representatives
at Istanbul's Sinan Erdem Dome - having averaged 22.1 points and 6.2
rebounds as his team went undefeated in Turkey. Read more here.
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| September 12, 2010 - Lithuania speed
past Serbia to collect bronze |
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 The
speed and shooting of Lithuania has powered it to the bronze medal at
the 2010 FIBA World Championship, defeating Serbia 99-88 with an
unstoppable performance. While Lithuania were far from favourites at
the start of the tournament, they finished with an 8-1 record including
victories over Spain, France, New Zealand, Argentina and Serbia. In the
bronze medal game, Linas Kleiza rebounded in fine fashion from his 1/11
shooting performance against the USA to collect 33 points, 7 rebounds
and 4 assists. He was well supported by Mantas Kalnietis (14 points)
Simas Jasaitis (14 points), Paulius Jankunas (15 points) and Martynas
Pocius. Lithuania shot 12/22 from three point range and outrebounded
Serbia 30-24. For Serbia, Novica Velickovic performed strongly with
limited opportunities to finish with 18 points. Read more here.
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September 12, 2010 - FIBA announces
most successful Championship ever
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 At
the closing press conference of the FIBA World Championship FIBA
Secretary General and IOC Member Patrick Baumann told media that this
edition had been the most successful in the Championship’s 60 year
history. “We are on the point of closing the most successful FIBA World
Championship ever,” he said. “I believe that it has been the most
competitive tournament ever. The Turkey v Serbia game last night was an
incredible show of spirit and performance.” TV figures show that an
expected 1 billion people in nearly 200 countries watched the games.
Overall TV exceeded both those of the 2006 FIBA World Championship in
Japan and 2009 EuroBasket in Poland. Read more here. Back to the top.
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| September 12, 2010 - Class of 2010
enshrined in FIBA Hall of Fame |
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 Sixteen
legendary basketball personalities hailing from 12 different countries
were inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame in Istanbul on Sunday. The
2010 Class includes seven players and three coaches who combined for 14
Olympic medals and 15 FIBA World Championship medals. National icons
Oscar Schmidt, Vlade Divac, Arvydas Sabonis and Cheryl Miller headline
the group of players, which also includes Dragan Kicanovic, Dino
Meneghin and Natalia Zassoulskaya. Lindsay Gaze, Mirko Novosel and
Evgeny Gomelsky are enshrined as coaches. Read more here.
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September 12, 2010 - Last day preview
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 When
Turkey was awarded the 2010 FIBA World Championship several years ago,
every fan from Istanbul to Ankara to Kayseri to Istanbul and everywhere
else in this beautiful country hoped for one thing and one thing only.
They wanted a Final between Turkey and the United States. Well, they’ve
got that wanted. After the United States' 89-74 win over Lithuania on
Saturday night, and Turkey's heart-stopping 83-82 victory over Serbia,
the World Championship has a title game to savor. It will be a battle
of unbeatens and it promises to be exciting. Turkey coach Bogdan
Tanjevic, despite coaching the home team, says the United States are
favorites. Read more here. Back to the top.
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| September 12, 2010 - Team of friends
closes on title |
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 The
thrilling end to the Turkey v Serbia game amazingly saw two lay-ups as
the final pair of baskets despite the intense defence that had lasted
for all 40 minutes. Many would think getting such relatively easy
baskets at the end of the game must be a result of ingenious coaching,
but Turkey head man Bogdan Tanjevic disagrees. “Plan? You think there
was a plan?” he joked at the post game press conference. “There was
nothing. There was luck. We were planning to score!” he continued.
Point guard and match-winner Kerem Tunceri confirmed his boss’ words.
“There was definitely no plan. We had two players we wanted to get the
ball.” It is now a matter of Turkish legend that they got the ball to
Hedo Turkoglu, who fumbled possession before Tunceri pounced and scored
the winning lay-up unopposed with 0.5 seconds remaining. Read more here.
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| September 11, 2010
- Semi-Finals Saturday |
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| It's
been four, long years since United States coach Mike Krzyzewski and his
star-studded squad lost to Greece in the Semi-Finals of the FIBA World
Championship in Japan, a result that sparked celebrations in the
streets of Athens. It was also the day that Argentina almost beat Spain
but an Andres Nocioni three-pointer from the corner hit the rim and
stayed out. You know the rest of the story. Pau Gasol, hurt late in the
Argentina game, missed the Final but his Spain teammates, wearing
t-shirts that read 'Pau tambien juega', thrashed Greece in the
gold-medal game and the USA overcame Argentina to capture bronze. Read
more here. Back to the top.
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| September
11, 2010 - What’s The Point? |
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Neither
Slovenia, nor Russia had a chance to win a medal on Saturday. There was
only pride to play for in what could best be described as a near-empty
Sinan Erdem Dome. It was the battle for seventh place. It certainly
didn’t bring the best out of either side. After a long, hard summer and
tough games at the FIBA World Championship, the Slovenians and Russians
had to play a Classification Round game. In the first quarter, when
Slovenia’s Bostjan Nachbar slammed a water bottle to the court after
being pulled out of the game by his coach Memi Becirovic, and the
liquid spread all over the court to force a delay while ball-boys
mopped up the mess, the player looked as if he’d had enough. Read more here.
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September 11, 2010 - FIBA and Spain
National Tourism Board team up for 2014 FIBA World Championship
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 FIBA
and Spain’s National Tourism Board on Saturday announced a major new
sponsorship deal to ensure that the Iberian nation becomes the focus of
the world in the lead-up to its hosting of the 2014 FIBA World
Championship. The 2010 edition of FIBA’s flagship event is drawing to a
very successful close in Turkey, having attracted basketball
enthusiasts from all around the world, with an estimated 30 percent of
tickets purchased outside the host country. With that in mind, FIBA is
setting the bar higher for 2014, expecting more than 300,000 spectators
to attend the games in the six cities – Barcelona, Bilbao, Granada,
Gran Canaria, Madrid and Seville – with some 30 million visitors to the
websites and 1 billion following all the action on television. Read
more here. Back to the top. |
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| September
10, 2010 - Bang the drums – Lithuania are back! |
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 There
is nothing so dangerous as a wounded lion. You’ve heard that one
before. Lithuania were a wounded lion in the build-up to the 2010 FIBA
World Championship. Remember last year when they won just once at
EuroBasket 2009 in Poland? Remember the injuries and international
retirements that kept others out of this year’s squad? None of it
mattered in the end, not when you watched Lithuania utterly annihilate
Argentina – the number one team in the FIBA World Rankings – on
Thursday night. Going up against a side that had Luis Scola, a strong
candidate for MVP honors at the event, Lithuania turned in one of the
best efforts in their long and famous history, winning 104-85. Read
more here.
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September 9, 2010 - It’s Americas v
Europe on Quarter-Final Day 2
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 Europe
already has two sides in the Semi-Finals of the FIBA World Championship
in Serbia and hosts Turkey. Now two teams that needed wild cards to
play at the event - Russia and Lithuania – will try to join them by
upsetting Team USA and Argentina. Russia, one of the best and most
physical defensive teams in the competition, are on court first against
Team USA, available live on FIBATV.com.
The last time these two countries met in a FIBA World Championship was
1998, the year the NBA lockout prevented America's first-choice squad
from travelling to Greece. Read more here. Back to the top. |
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| September 8, 2010 - Now the hunt for
Final Four places begins |
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 If
you’re still trying to digest the 40 minutes of dazzling, gritty,
out-of-this-world basketball served up by Argentina and Brazil on
Tuesday night in Turkey, we’ve got news for you. Argentina’s 93-89 win
over their South American rivals was merely an hors d'oeuvre. It’s now
time to begin the main course. On Wednesday, it’s Spain v Serbia and
then Turkey v Slovenia. First up is a rematch of last year’s EuroBasket
Final. Spain, led by EuroBasket 2009 MVP Pau Gasol and Rudy Fernandez,
destroyed the Serbians in Katowice 85-63 on September 20 but that was
then, and this is now. At the FIBA World Championship this year, Pau’s
contributions are being made not in the paint but in the broadcast
booth. Read more here.
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September 7, 2010 - Turkey’s zone
can be beaten: Vucinic
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 Giving
up just a fraction over 60ppg, Turkey have been the defensive standouts
of the 2010 FIBA World Championship. Their zone in particular has given
opposition headaches, but New Zealand coach Nenad Vucinic thinks teams
have been attacking it the wrong way. Vucinic has been lauded by
coaches around the FIBA World Championship as a mastermind, David Blatt
describing the New Zealand offence as “far more sophisticated” than
others at the tournament. Read more here. Back to the top.
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September
6, 2010 - Mainini unanimously elected 11th FIBA President;
World Congress ratifies 2010-2014 Central Board
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 Yvan
Mainini, the President of the French Basketball Federation (FFBB) since
1992, has been unanimously elected as the 11th FIBA President at the
FIBA World Congress in Istanbul, Turkey. “I am flattered by the
overwhelming confidence the Congress has shown me in today’s election,”
he said. “I will do everything to justify this confidence and move the
sport forward at the same pace as my predecessor.” “Looking ahead, I am
determined to work on a harmonised basketball calendar that gives clubs
and national teams the exposure they both deserve. “I will also further
enhance FIBA’s mission to find new ways of growing the game. FIBA33 is
certainly one way but by no means the only one.” Mainini succeeds Bob
Elphinston of Australia, who was elected at the 18th FIBA World
Congress in Tokyo, Japan in 2006. Read more here.
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September 6, 2010 - Turkey wins in
front soccer national team compatriots
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 The
row of turquoise seated in the first row during this evening’s Turkey
vs France game was not a line of ball boys, nor were they volunteers or
security guards. They were in fact Turkey’s national soccer team who
turned up to cheer on their compatriots, who overcame their opponents
95-77. The team, which includes a number of big stars and which is
currently preparing for its European Championship qualifier against
Belgium on Wednesday, was given courtside seats to watch Ilyasova and
co triumph over their Eighth-Final opponents, bringing their record to
12 wins from 16. Read more here.
Back
to the top.
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September 5, 2010 - Diamantidis
announces international retirement
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 Greece
basketball icon Dimitris Diamantidis announced after his country’s
defeat to Spain at the FIBA World Championship in Turkey that he is
retiring from the national team. Diamantidis, widely acknowledged to be
the best defensive player in Europe for the past several years, will
concentrate on his club career at Panathinaikos. “It’s the end of a
long journey that had many beautiful moments, like Belgrade and Japan,”
he said on Greek television. “Now the time is for young players to come
into the team.” Diamantidis, 30, has been a vital part of the Greek
national side since the 2004 Athens Olympics. Read more here.
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| September 4,
2010 - Fair play is the order of the day in Turkey |
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 The 2010 FIBA World
Championship is on course to be the cleanest in history with the least
number of fouls ever.
So far, the average number of fouls by teams per game – 19.7 - is the
lowest out of all the tournaments since the first competition in
Argentina in 1950 when there was an average of 20.6 committed by teams
per game. The host nation Turkey is leading the way in fair play with
the least number of fouls per game with an average of 15.6. The FIBA
World Championship with most fouls was the 1970 tournament in the then
Yugoslavia when there was an average of 29.3 fouls per game. Read more here. Back
to the top.
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September 3,
2010 - Thrills and spills expected - It's time for the
Eight-Finals!
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 Preliminary
Round play at the FIBA World Championship is over. If many of those
games had buzzer-beaters and unexpected twists and turns, you ain’t
seen nothing yet. The FIBA World Championship has said good-bye to
eight teams and what’s left are a sensational and very, very sweet 16.
Team USA, Turkey and Lithuania are undefeated while Serbia, Argentina,
Slovenia and Russia each have just one setback. However, no matter who
is playing who, expect the unexpected. Anything can happen in the
Eight-Finals. Read more here.
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September 2,
2010 - Bourousis and Tanjevic have a heated tete-a-tete
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 After
the end of Greece-Russia game and Russia's win which was "questionable"
to say the least, Greek center Bourousis exchanged some heated words
with Turkey's coach Bogdan Tanjevic. There was much speculation as to
whether Greece and Russia would want to win today's game (loser would
probably avoid Spain and USA in the next rounds) and that sparked some
tension between many sides. But let's get more specific. Everything
started after the final whistle of the game which found Russians as the
winners. Read more here. Back
to the top.
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September 2,
2010 - All business for father and son
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 There
are the Lorbek brothers, the Dragic brothers and the Udrih brothers.
Over the years, it hasn’t been uncommon to see brothers wearing the
Slovenia shirt in the same team. There are no brother combinations in
this year's squad at the FIBA World Championship in Istanbul, but there
is a father-son combo. When Jure Zdovc stepped down as coach before the
end of last year, Slovenia turned to veteran coach Memi Becirovic. He
is the father of long-time Slovenia international guard Sani Becirovic.
Sani, 29, had to take a break from national team duty last year to rest
a long-standing knee injury but he's back and now hearing orders from
his dad. Read more here.
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September 2,
2010 - Foreign journalists impressed by Turkish spectators
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Members
of the media from around the world have been in Ankara for the past
week to cover Group C of the 2010 FIBA World Championship and will
leave with great memories of their time here.
Here is a selection of opinions the journalists shared on the level of
play, Turkey’s performance on the court and as hosts. Read more here. Back
to the top.
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| September 1,
2010 - FIBA and UNECE Launch Road Safety Campaign |
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 The
International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and the United Nations
Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and have launched a new
information campaign on road safety to coincide with the 2010 FIBA
World Championship.
The campaign carries the motto “We play and drive by the rules” and has
been developed to inform people around the world – especially the young
people who are basketball fans or play basketball themselves – and to
encourage respect for the rules, on the road as well as on the court.
Every year some 1.3 million people die as a result of road traffic
crashes worldwide – amounting to more than 3,500 deaths each day. More
than half of the casualties are pedestrians, cyclists or other road
users not traveling in a car. Read more here.
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August 31,
2010 - Blatt to call it a day with Russia after Turkey
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 Russia
coach David Blatt made the surprise announcement after leading his side
to victory over Ivory Coast on Tuesday that this summer will be his
last with the national team. Following Russia’s 72-66 win over the
African country, Blatt said: “I have been coaching the same national
team for six years, now. I gave it all my heart. “Unfortunately, now I
feel that the politics of Russian basketball is very bad and I am tired
of it.
“I have had enough. “I just don’t want to coach the national team
anymore.” Blatt, despite the absence of Utah Jazz forward Andrei
Kirilenko and point guard JR Holden, and an injury to Viktor Khryapa,
has led the national side to two wins in three games in Group C of the
FIBA World Championship. The American-born Israeli was in June
appointed as coach of European giants Maccabi Tel Aviv for the second
time. Read more here. Back
to the top.
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| August 31,
2010 - Team USA puts sport before politics on eve of Iran clash
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 Team
USA has extended a hand of friendship to its Iranian rivals before
tomorrow’s 2010 FIBA World Championship game despite the political
tensions between the two countries.
The Group B leaders insist the diplomatic rivalry between the nations
will have no bearing on the match at Istanbul’s Abdi Ipekci Arena.
Forward-Guard Kevin Durant said: “We are just here to play basketball.
The political situation is something we cannot control. We have to go
and just play the game of basketball.”
His sentiments were backed by coach Mike Krzyzewski who said: “It is a
sporting event. We have respect for Iran.
“I actually played them in the 1970s when I was in the armed forces. I
have great feelings for the country. They are sportsmen and so are we
and we will have a great game.” Read more here.
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August 31,
2010 - All eyes on Turkey-Greece derby
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 The
game everyone has been eagerly anticipating in Group C will be a
must-see as Turkey take on rivals and neighbours Greece on Tuesday
night.
The two teams enter the contest with perfect records (2-0) and neither
side will settle for anything less than a win. The result of this game
is likely to have a huge bearing on the pool’s final standings.
Greece head coach Jonas Kazlauskas tried to downplay the rivalry and
the importance of the derby to put the focus back where he felt it
belongs – on the fixture being just one of five in his team’s march to
the next round.
“I understand the importance of the games between Greece and Turkey. It
is like the games we had between Lithuania and Russia,” he said. “But
at the same time it’s one game.”
Kazlauskas’s words though will fall on deaf ears among the Turkish
supporters. Read more here.
Watch this game LIVE on FIBA TV. Back
to the top.
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August 30,
2010 - Not up for debate – World Championship the toughest
competition of all
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 Just two day into the FIBA World Championship and one
thing is crystal clear.
The 24-team FIBA World Championship is the hardest, most competitive
international event around.
The numbers don’t lie.
With twice as many national sides as an Olympic Games and some
heart-stopping games already that haven't been decided until the final
seconds, including double overtime in some cases, this year's
tournament in Turkey is already on the way to becoming the greatest
basketball competition of all time. Consider the play in Group A so far.
This is not the venue for those who are trying to quit the habit of
nail-biting.
Australia, Germany and Argentina are at the head of the queue of teams
involving close games.
On opening night, the Aussies were in danger of being upset by Jordan
but snatched victory from the jaws of defeat and won by a single point.
Read more here.
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August 30,
2010 - FIBA announces largest-ever drugs-testing programme
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FIBA,
the world governing body of basketball, today announced the
largest-ever doping programme of players in its history.
The organisation has carried out 48 random tests in the first two days
of the 2010 FIBA World Championship, testing two players from each of
the competing 24 teams. It is planning to carry out at least another
60, meaning more than 100 will be carried out across the 80 games of
the tournament.
Patrick Baumann, Secretary-General of FIBA, said: "This is a record in
FIBA history and it shows our commitment to fight drug-taking and keep
this game as clean as it always has been and hopefully always will be.
"We hope that we can banish the myth that some teams are not tested.
Everybody is treated exactly the same and there are no exceptions."
Read more here. Back
to the top.
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August 30,
2010 - Towers of Power
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 If
the 2010 FIBA World Championship is going to be remembered introducing
a new generation of international stars in the game, then everyone
should pay attention to Monday's first Group B clash at the Abdi Ipekci.
Two true giants will meet when Croatia's 7ft 2in Ante Tomic goes up
against Slovenia's 6ft 10in Gasper Vidmar.
While Tomic has already established himself as number one center in the
Croatia line-up and is their ‘go-to guy’, Vidmar is still a back-up to
Primoz Brezec.
But in the very near future, the muscular dunking machine from
Ljubljana is going to be one of the main men in the Slovenia team.
He slammed and jammed his way to 10 points against the United States on
Sunday in the 99-77 defeat to the Americans.
Vidmar had done the same on Saturday against Tunisia when he had 15
points in Slovenia’s 80-56 victory. Read more here. Read daily news here.
Watch this game LIVE on FIBA TV.
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August 29,
2010 - Basketball wins big on first day in Turkey
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The
opening day of the FIBA World Championship was a huge success.
That was the message from FIBA Secretary General and IOC member Patrick
Baumann, who held his daily briefing with the media in Istanbul shortly
before Sunday's game between the United States and Slovenia.
Baumann cited the competitiveness of the games and also recognized some
of the youngsters that made stunning debuts with their senior teams,
including France's electric guard Andrew Albicy and Team USA's Eric
Gordon.
"It's going to be a very open championship," Baumann said.
"We had six game within the 10-point range.
"As predicted, there are many teams with a chances to win medal." Read
more here. Back
to the top.
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August 28,
2010 - FIBA appeals commission dismissed the appeal
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 FIBA,
the world governing body of basketball, announces that an appeal by
Greek players Antonis Fotsis and Sofoklis Schortsanitis, against
suspension, has been dismissed by the FIBA Appeal Commission this
afternoon.
The players were suspended by FIBA after recent fighting between the
Greece and Serbia national teams at a friendly tournament in Greece.
The players are
suspended for two games in main official FIBA competitions. Read more here.
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August 28,
2010 - Blatt: “I Am Very Disappointed With Those Players”
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 Russia
National Team’s head coach David Blatt has given an interview to us pre
2010 FIBA World Championship about the team, his past, the recent brawl
and the championship.
David Blatt started his basketball career as a player in College
Basketball. After his college days he went to play Israel. Blatt said,
“I wanted to continue playing after college and I wasn’t good enough
for NBA. When I found the chance to play in Israel I took that chance
and I had 13 great years till I got injured”.
“After the injury I became the assistant coach of Israeli National
Team. When I left Israel I started coaching Dynamo St.Petersburg.
That’s where Russians learned my name and I became the head coach of
Russia.” Read more here. Back
to the top.
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August 28,
2010 - Seize the moment: Anderson
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 While
some people may look at the team Canada has sent to Turkey as young and
inexperienced, the truth is they have been building towards this moment
for a long time.
With Canada having not played at a major international tournament since
the 2002 FIBA World Championship, many on this team – including
Jermaine Anderson, Olu Famutini, Andy Rautins, Jermaine Bucknor and
Levon Kendall - have been a part of coach Leo Rautins’ long term plan
to get Canada basketball back to the pinnacle.
For point guard Anderson, his team’s first game against Lebanon later
today (6:00pm local time, 28 August) is a special occasion. “No one on
our team has played (at a world championship) except Leo, the coach!”
Anderson laughed.
“A lot of us have been together for four to six years, and have been
just working to get to the Olympics or the World Championships, and
this is the first time for all of us who are playing right now. So
there is excitement for Canada basketball, we haven’t been in anything
since 2002. We are a bit anxious, but we are ready to go.” Read more here.
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August 28,
2010 - Maric: Ready to roll
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 Star
Australian centre Aleks Maric says he is fit and ready to go for the
Boomers first Group A game against Jordan later today (28 August),
despite limited preparation threatening to keep him out of the
tournament.
After finishing his season with Serbian powerhouse Partizan in June,
Maric took a well earned break to rest and determine if his body was up
to the challenge of the FIBA World Championship.
And while this meant Maric came into Boomers camp very late in their
preparations, he said he is feeling more ready with every session. It
feels better and better each day, he said.
I took a two month break after the season, and when I got into the
Boomers camp I found it hard to adjust straight away, getting my touch
back and playing five on five basketball, but the last couple of days
it has felt good. Read more here. Back
to the top.
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August 27,
2010 - New-look USA face strong opposition
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 When
a country wins gold at the Olympics and then shows up at the FIBA World
Championship two years later with a completely different team, one
might think that side is in for a hiding.
After all, most successful national sides are ones that have players
who have competed together summer after summer, the ones in which the
players have grown up together in the youth teams and then graduated to
the senior sides.
Well, the United States won the title at the Beijing Games two years
ago in 2008 but have travelled to the FIBA World Championship in Turkey
with 12 new players.
“I think we’re really hungry and we’re really excited to have the
opportunity to play for the USA and we want to bring back home the
gold,” United States guard Andre Iguodala said. Read more here.
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August 27,
2010 - All eyes on Lithuania
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 All
eyes will be on Lithuania when they face New Zealand in the first game
of Group D in Izmir tomorrow (28 August), as the 2010 FIBA World
Championship in Turkey comes to life.
A long-time power of international basketball, the Lithuanians suffered
through a humiliating eleventh placed finish at the 2009 Eurobasket,
and only have a chance to redeem themselves in Turkey via a FIBA
wildcard.
While some people think this relatively inexperienced Lithuanian team
is vulnerable, New Zealand coach Nenad Vucinic is buying none of it. On
paper, they dont have as tough a players as they used to, but those
tough players in the past had to start somewhere as well. Read
more here. Back
to the top.
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August 27,
2010 - Watch Opening Ceremony Live
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 The
countdown is on at the FIBA World Championship in Turkey with 12
exciting games to be played in four different cities on Saturday, the
28th of August.
Before the 24 teams go into battle, the Opening Ceremony will take
place at the Sinan Erdem Arena in Istanbul and the entire show can be
watched on FIBATV.com.
While there will be highlights and interviews available at no cost on FIBATV.com, Friday evening’s ceremony will be the
only live event shown in full length free of charge.
If you want to catch all of the action from Turkey in Kayseri, Izmir,
Ankara and Istanbul, there is still time to subscribe and even at
reduced rates.
FIBATV.com is the place where you need to be to
watch what promises to be the greatest international basketball event
of all time.
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August 27,
2010 - Scola and Prigioni confident one day before the FIBA
World Championship
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 Despite
the loss of Nocioni, both Scola and Prigioni think that the team will
play the same way since the players in that position are playing a high
level before this tournament.
“Looking at my teammates playing at a high level, we face this loss
with guarantees,” said Pablo Prigioni who plays for Real Madrid in
Spain.
“Marcos Mata gives us a lot of variety to cover the small forward
position.”
The guard is also looking at Germany, their first opponent in the FIBA
World Championship, who comes without stars but with strong team play.
“The Germans, event without their stars, are a good team. They play
seriously by following their system. Their team basketball and
evolution of their young players has been seen over the years.” Read
more here. Back
to the top.
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August 27,
2010 - No clear favorites in Turkey
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The
last grains of sand are falling to the bottom of the hour glass. The
2010 FIBA World Championship in Turkey is about to tip off.
Twenty-four teams have come from Africa, the Americas, Asia, Oceania
and Europe to compete for the biggest prize in international basketball.
Not only will the winners take home the gold medal, but they will also
qualify for the London 2012 Olympics.
Several countries are deemed by most to be serious contenders for the
throne in 2010, but the teams causing the biggest stir are the ones
that battled it out in the 2008 Olympic final, Team USA and Spain, and
this year's hosts Turkey. Read more here.
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August 27,
2010 - FIBA announces record TV partnerships for 2010 World
Championship
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 FIBA
announced today that the upcoming basketball World Championship in
Turkey will be broadcast in 183 countries, a record number for the
tournament.
The 80-game competition, which begins this Saturday, will be shown
across the world to an audience of more than one billion on
terrestrial, satellite and subscription channels.
Major broadcasters transmitting the action include ESPN, Fox, Al
Jazeera Sport, CCTV, NTV Turkey, Canal+, Viasat, La Sexta and
Supersport, which will broadcast 38 free-to-air games in Africa for the
first time. FIBA also today announced a deal with the cable and
satellite channel Ten Sports to bring the tournament to the Indian
sub-continent for the first time.
Patrick Baumann, Secretary-General of FIBA, said:
"We are delighted that so many countries are taking coverage from the
tournament and that the action will be watched across all five
continents.
"This level of interest is testament to the global popularity of our
game and marks a new landmark in its growth and development. We have
agreed deals with a mixture of free-to-air and pay-per-view channels
and we believe the coverage will reach more than one billion people.
Read more here.
Back to the top.
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August 26,
2010 - FIBA suspends players after tournament brawl
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 FIBA,
the world governing body of basketball, today announced that four
players are to be suspended, and their national federations fined,
after recent fighting at a friendly tournament in Greece.
On 19th August, at a game between Greece and Serbia, a fight broke out
towards the end of the game involving two players - Antonis Fotsis
(GRE) and Milos Teodosic (SRB). This resulted in a wider, violent brawl
between several players of both teams.
The game was stopped immediately and never resumed.
FIBA started an official investigation after the game and has now
announced its findings.
Serbian player Nenad Krstic is suspended with
immediate effect for three games in main official FIBA competition
which include the World Championships, Olympics and Continental
Championships. The player is also fined a total of CHF 45,000.
His teammate, Milos Teodosic, is also suspended with immediate effect
for two games in main official FIBA competitions.
The Serbian Basketball federation will be fined a total of CHF 20,000.
Read more here.
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August 26,
2010 - UNECE and FIBA launch global road safety campaign during
the 2010 FIBA World Championship in Turkey
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Basketball stars recruited
to promote “play and drive by the rules” message
The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the
International Basketball Federation (FIBA) today launch a new
information campaign on road safety to coincide with the Basketball
World Championship 2010, which will be held in Turkey from 28 August to
12 September.
The campaign will carry the motto “We play and drive by the rules” and
has been developed to inform people around the world – especially the
young people who are basketball fans or play basketball themselves –
and to encourage respect for the rules, on the road as well as on the
court.
Every year some 1.3 million people die as a result of road traffic
crashes worldwide – amounting to more than 3,500 deaths each day. More
than half of the casualties are pedestrians, cyclists or other road
users not traveling in a car. Road traffic injuries are the leading
cause of death for children and young people aged between 5 and 29. In
addition, on average 20 to 50 million people sustain non-fatal injuries
from road traffic crashes each year. These injuries are a significant
cause of disabilities worldwide. Read more here. Back
to the top.
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August 26,
2010 - Glorious Opening Ceremony for 2010 FIBA World
Championship
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 The
FIBA World Championship will have a glamorous and exciting opening
ceremony on Friday night at the Sinan Erdem Arena in Istanbul, Turkey.
The world famous Cirque du Soleil will be among the star attractions at
the show, which gets underway at 9:15pm local time.
The event will be broadcast in 172 countries and will also be shown on fibatv.com.
Dervish Performance and Jannisary Band of Musicians, the great
production of the Anatolian Fire Dance Group Troya, Sezen Aksu, Fatih
Erkoç, Müslüm Gürses, Harris Alexiou as well as Italian tenor
Alessandro Safina will be part of the ceremony.
Turkey Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, state Minister Frauk Nafiz
Özak and FIBA President Bob Elphinston will give welcome speeches ahead
of the 24-team basketball extravaganza, which tips off in Istanbul,
Ankara, Kayseri and Izmir on Saturday. Read more here.
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August 26,
2010 - Euroleague Basketball players at World Championships
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As
the 2010 FIBA World Championships due to tipoff Saturday, even without
all final rosters for the 24 teams finalized, one thing is abundantly
clear: Euroleague Basketball players once again fill the international
stage more than those of any other league or competition in the world!
Nearly one-third of the 288 players players registered for the World
Championships are affiliated with the Turkish Airlines Euroleague this
coming season. A total of 68 players are among the 22 Euroleague
Regular Season teams, while 18 more are from teams competing in the
Euroleague Qualifying Rounds. Read more here.
Back to the top.
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August 25,
2010 - New Partizan man Milosavljevic released from Serbia duty
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 Serbia’s
Dragan Milosavljevic won’t play at the FIBA World Championship after
being released from national team duty by coach Dusan Ivkovic.
The Partizan Belgrade guard impressed through the country’s
preparations but has been let go.
"Dragan Milosavljevic was really active, a well-working guy,” Ivkovic
said.
“He has shown tremendous progress since we've started with training
and, as all other guys did, he gave his best during the preparations.
“From the first day, he was one of most serious
candidates for the final squad and I'm going to count on him in the
future, for sure - especially after he gains more experience with
Partizan at international level.”
Milosavljevic, who played for Radnicki Kragujevac before moving to
champions Partizan this summer, says the experience with the national
team has been terrific.
"Sincerely, I wasn't expecting a call, at all,” he said.
“Now, I'm more than happy to be the 14th player of Serbia". Read more here.
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August 25,
2010 - Rondo departure leaves USA with final squad
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 Rajon
Rondo has scaled the heights with the Boston Celtics but he won’t do
the same with Team USA this summer in Istanbul after deciding to
withdraw from the squad.
The electric point guard, an NBA champion in the 2007-08 campaign,
struggled in a win against Lithuania over the weekend and didn’t play
in his side’s 86-85 win over Spain on Sunday.
He pulled out of the squad following the Americans’ arrival in Athens,
where the side will take on Greece in a friendly on Wednesday.
“Rajon came to us and said he was going to withdraw from the team, that
he had some family matters to attend to and some things to take care of
before the NBA season,” USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo said.
Read more here. Back
to the top.
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August 25,
2010 - Ajinca, Lombahé-Kahuda axed as Collet names France Twelve
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 France
hopefuls Alexis Ajinca and Charles Lombahé-Kahuda failed to make the
final 12-man squad for the FIBA World Championship announced by
national team boss Vincent Collet.
The coach made his announcement following Tuesday's 79-66 defeat to
Brazil in the Villeurbanne International Tournament.
Collet elected to keep big man Ian Mahinmi, despite the Dallas
Mavericks youngster carrying a finger injury that is expected to
sideline him for at least the first couple of games in Izmir.
"I decided to leave for the World Championship without Alexis and
Charles, the last players left out of the group,” Collet said.
Collet stressed that both players are capable, but didn’t figure into
the rotation he had in mind. Read more here.
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August 25,
2010 - Only one Dragic in Slovenia’s final squad
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 The
Dragic brothers will have to wait before they team up together in a
Slovenia shirt after coach Memi Becirovic's decision to make Zoran one
of his final two cuts.
Dino Muric was also deemed surplus to requirements by Becirovic, who
will lead his team in Istanbul against Team USA, Croatia, Brazil, Iran
and Tunisia in Group A of the FIBA World Championship.
Goran Dragic, who is emerging as one of the finest point guards in the
NBA as the back-up to Steve Nash in Phoenix, is in the 12-man group
along with several others that reached the Semi-Finals of last year's
EuroBasket in Poland. Read more here. Back
to the top.
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August 25,
2010 - 20 Euroleague Basketball referees working World
Championships
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 Euroleague
Basketball is pleased to report that 20 of its referees have been
selected to officiate the games of the 2010 FIBA World Championships in
Turkey. In addition, the Euroleague's Director of Referees, Costas
Rigas, will serve as the Referee Supervisor for the Group B first round
games to be held in Istanbul. The group of 20 Euroleague Basketball
referees includes many of those chosen to oversee the Euroleague's most
important games, including Romualdas Brazauskas of Lithuanian and David
Chambon of France, both of whom worked the 2010 Euroleague title game
in Paris. Read more here.
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August 24,
2010 - Argentina edge Turkey in OT to win Efes World Cup
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Argentina
claimed a very important scalp ahead of the FIBA World Championship on
Monday night.
Sergio Hernandez’s team, holding the number one spot in the FIBA World
Rankings, beat Turkey in overtime, 93-89.
Carlos Delfino, whose role has grown in importance this summer with the
absence of shooting guard Manu Ginobili from the Argentina squad, had
30 points for the victors.
The Argentinians also received big games from Luis Scola, who scored 14
while hauling in six rebounds and handing out four assists, Pablo
Prigioni (9pts, 13ass) and Leo Gutierrez (12pts, 4rbs). Read more here. Back
to the top.
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August 23,
2010 - Euroleague stars look forward to world party
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After
10 years during which they won more medals in elite international
competition than any other basketball pros, Turkish Airlines Euroleague
Basketball players head into the 2010 FIBA World Championships this
week with plans to add to their legacy. That sentiment is particularly
strong for defending world champion Spain, for whom seven players from
the 2006 team that won it all are back to try to double their gold
count in Turkey. Juan Carlos Navarro of Regal FC Barcelona and Real
Madrid teammates Jorge Garbajosa and Felipe Reyes, the pillars of
Spain's final victory in Japan four years ago, will lead the way again.
Read more here.
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August 20,
2010 - Baumann: FIBA condemns violence
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FIBA
unconditionally condemns the violence that occurred during the Final of
the Acropolis tournament between Greece and Serbia that was played in
Athens, Greece last night.
Such scenes involving players on a basketball court are entirely
unacceptable, especially as players are seen as important role models
for young fans.
They are also ambassadors for basketball on the global stage and they
should always be seen to act as such.
Patrick Baumann, the Secretary General of FIBA, said: "I was appalled
to see the disgraceful scenes that occurred during the Greece v Serbia
game. They were an awful stain on the good name of world basketball.
Read more here. Back
to the top.
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August 19,
2010 - Acropolis Cup Day 3: Unbeliavable fight in Serbia-Greece
and Slovenia cruises past Canada
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In
the third and final day of the Acropolis tournament Slovenia recorded
their first win beating Canada comfortably while the game between the
Serbs and the Greeks never ended due to Ivkovic, Teodosic and Krstic.
And now to the spicy part of the day where the Serbia-Greece game was
blown up in the air after the misbehaviour of the Serbs and especially
coach Dusan Ivkovic and players Nenad Krstic and Milos Teodosic.
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After Ivkovic was
convinced to leave the court (after five minutes), the players started
their "show". First it was Fotsis with Teodosic who started slapping
(!!!) each other and then the "big guys" took over as Krstic punched
Schortsianitis and when Big Sofo tried to retaliate Bourousis (who was
not even playing as he was injured) entered the court and tried to stop
him, only to have his head opened wide open by Krstic, using a chair!!!
Read more here.
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August 16,
2010 - World Championship participation history
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Do
you know the only two nations to have taken part in all (15) the World
Championships tournaments to this day? Are you curious to see which
teams are regulars and which teams are "newbies"? Check out the full
table with all the participants of all World Championships that have
taken place so far. Read more here. Back
to the top.
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August 16,
2010 - President hands trophy to victorious Lebanon
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 With President Michel
Suleiman watching on, Lebanon beat Japan 97-59 to lift the 3rd FIBA
Asia Stankovic Cup in Beirut.
Rony Fahed scored 23 points as Lebanon won their first ever FIBA Asia
crown to continue their preparations for the FIBA World Championship in
style.
President Suleiman is known as a keen basketball fan, and arrived in
time for the start of the final to cheer on his country.
“All FIBA Asia events are organized under the patronage of the
respective governments and sport authorities, and we have had the
pleasure of having various top dignitaries with us during our events,”
said FIBA Asia Deputy Secretary General Hagop Khajirian. Read
more here.
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August 16,
2010 - United States rout China, France
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 The United States picked up a couple of wins but dropped
two players during a busy weekend in New York.
Mike Krzyzewski's team beat France 86-55 and China 98-51 in two
impressive warm-up game displays, but there was bad news for both Jeff
Green and JaVale McGee as they were cut from the team, which now stands
at 13.
The weekend began as the game against China went entirely to plan with
a one-sided rout.
Danny Granger scored 22 points as Krzyzewski's team raced past China
with an outstanding display of speed.
A string of injuries has left the United States short on size, but it
was apparent at Madison Square Garden that they will be more than
capable of outrunning plenty of teams in Turkey.
They outscored China 32-4 on fast-break points to
underline those credentials. Read more here.
Back to the top.
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August 16,
2010 - Introducing the ‘Giant Get-Together’ campaign
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 Launched
on 1st April 2010, the much talked about ‘Giant Get-Together’
promotional campaign – led by USA star Kobe Bryant – features giants of
the international game towering above some of Turkey’s most famous
landmarks.
Picture a gargantuan Bryant dribbling above the Bosphorus as wreaks
havoc on the Galata Bridge, a titanic Hedo Turkoglu shaping up for a
shot beside Ankara's famous Atakule Tower, Pau Gasol hunched over
Izmir’s clock tower or even Tony Parker standing like a colossus in a
seaside bay off the coast of Turkey. Read more here.
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August 8,
2010 - Serbia won Adidas Cup in Turkey
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 Serbia
has won Adidas Cup after beating Turkey in tonight's final game 83-70.
This was first preparation tournament for Serbia and they have managed
to win 3 straight games against New Zealand, Iran and finally Turkey.
After beating New Zealand and Iran, the game against Turkey who was
host of the Adidas Cup was good test for Serbia to acknowledge the
level of preparation they stand for the forthcoming World Championship.
Turkey
has been better team only in the first couple of minutes, led by the
Ersan Ilyasova but Serbia quickly managed to egalize and come ahead to
win first quarter by 27-20. Everything functioned good tonight for the
Serbs who was ahead 49-36 at the half-time with Marko Keselj scored 11
points to surprise home team. Read more here. Back
to the top.
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July 22, 2010
- World Championship Round-Up 9
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With the World
Championships in Turkey edging closer and closer, the big-name
countries are naming their squads and preparing for upcoming exhibition
games. But, with just over a month until tip-off. The foremost
performers are dropping out like flies.
Germany’s Dirk Nowitzki and USA’s Amar’e Stoudemire join fellow
big-name players such as China’s Yao Ming, USA’s LeBron James, Kobe
Bryant and Argentina’s Manu Ginobili on the sidelines, as they pull out
of this summer’s tournament. Read more here.
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July 22, 2010
- Kirilenko confirms absence at the WC
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 Andrei
Kirilenko admited to Russian newspaper "Sport Express", that he will
not take part in the upcoming World Championship in Turkey with Russia.
Kirilenko missed many games late last season due to injury for the Utah
Jazz and prefered to rest in order to be in shape for the next NBA
season. "We will be weak without Kirilenko" comented Sergey Bykov on
the situation.
(Talkbasket)
Back to the top.
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July 5, 2010
- World Championship Round-Up 8
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 Serbia
have high hopes going into the World Championships this summer. With
coach, Dusan Ivkovic leading his young team to a silver medal at
EuroBasket last year, he has been looking forward to showcasing his
young squad in Turkey.
But, for the second time in his career, Ivkovic has been appointed as
the new coach of Greek giants, Olympiacos.
Despite this though, the legendary coach will lead his Serbian squad
this summer, but is yet to decide if he should stay on coaching Serbia
and manage Olympiacos - or, concentrate solely on the Greek side?
"My greatest obligation is an obligation to the players that I have,
since I took over this function, training and selecting, so that the
conduct of the Serbian national team at the World Championship in
Turkey is not in question.” Said Ivkovic. Serbia are in Group A,
alongside: Argentina, Angola, Australia, Germany and Jordan.
 Staying
with Group A - and Germany most famous player, Dirk Nowitzki is
rumoured to of signed a new contract with the Dallas Mavericks. Which
could free him up to join Germany this summer.
Nowitzki didn’t feature for Germany last year and the German fans are
hoping that he will play for his side in Turkey in August.
His long-time friend and advisor Holger Geschwindner, according to
Associated Press, told the news agency that Dallas Mavericks owner Mark
Cuban and Nowitzki had agreed to “to get it done.”
Nowitzki’s new deal is reported to be for four years worth $80million.
Read more here.
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June 27, 2010
- World Championship Round Up 7
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With just under 60
days until the World Championships. Preparations and warm-up games are
starting to take shape - as coaches come closer towards making their
decisions about who to take to Turkey in late August.
Among the friendlies that were taking place, China beat Argentina in a
two-game series in the Far-East. Bob Donewald’s Chinese thumped the
number one ranked side 82-61 in Quingdao and 74-57 in Donging, as the
South Americans struggled without their big names. Read
more here.
Back to the top.
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June 13, 2010
- World Championship Round-Up 6
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 Group
C side, Puerto Rico are looking into a possibility that NBA stars,
Michael Beasley and Udonis Haslem could be eligible to play for the
national team. But they are a long way from knowing if they might
actually play in Turkey this summer.
Puerto Rico Basketball Federation president, Carlos Beltran commented:
“We received information, unofficially, that the two allegedly have a
grandparent, possibly grandmothers, who are Puerto Ricans.”
Beltran went on to say: “If this information is confirmed, we are
looking to see if they would be legally eligible to play for Puerto
Rico."
Both Beasley and Haslem play for the Miami Heat - alongside Puerto
Rico’s own, Carlos Arroyo and Beltran would love to see all three
pulling on the national vest. Read more here.
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May 30, 2010
- World Championship Round-Up 5
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With 90 days until
the ‘Giant Get Together’ in Turkey. Coaches are naming their
preliminary squads in consideration for the World Championships, which
starts on August 28th.
Brazil have named two different squads in the run-in to Turkey, with 24
players being listed - the first group will meet on June 1st to prepare
for the South American Championship. The second squad will meet on June
19th, and this group contains the more established players, such as:
Anderson Verejao, Leandro Barbosa, Nene and Marcelo Machado. The
stand-out players from the first squad will join the second squad and
travel to Turkey.
Brazil will play in Group B in Istanbul - alongside: USA, Croatia,
Slovenia, Tunisia and Iran. The full squad is listed on the FIBA World
Championship website. Read more here. Back
to the top.
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May 19, 2010
- World Championship Round-Up 4
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 France
and San Antonio Spurs guard, Tony Parker has decided not to represent
his country in Turkey this year, due to fatigue - as he joins
Argentina’s Manu Ginobili, Australia’s Andrew Bogut and possibly USA
star, LeBron James on the list of NBA players that won’t feature at the
‘Giant Get Together,’ beginning in August.
Parker, who has just turned 28 said: “I don't want to play on the
national team this year, and that's because I played the last five
summers.
“This year, I felt it a lot. I was tired all the time.
“I'd wake up in the morning, and I was tired. I had a lot of injuries,
too, and it's time I got a break.”
France though, despite losing their go-to player, have an abundance of
talent in the backcourt. Namely Dallas Mavericks‘ Rodrigue Beaubois -
one of the sensations in this year’s NBA rookie class. Who will almost
certainly feature for the French in Turkey. Read more here.
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April 24,
2010 - World Championship Round-Up Part 3
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 Argentina
and San Antonio Spurs superstar, Manu Ginobili has made the difficult
decision not to participate in this summer’s event in Turkey.
The 32 year-old, will instead stay at home in Texas, with his wife and
his newborn twin sons and cheer on his team-mates - who will play in
Kayseri against; Serbia, Australia, Germany, Angola and Jordan.
Writing for Argentine newspaper, La Nacion. Ginobili says: "After
several days debating this issue and putting in the balance my family,
head and heart, the time has come to take a decision regarding my
participation in the World Championship.
"It was not an easy decision to take because I like very much to play
with my friends of many years...
"But on this occasion, there are many things that come into play and I
had to analyze it.
"As everyone knows after several years of trying, my wife and I will be
parents of twins in May. Read more here. Back
to the top.
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April 17,
2010 - World Championship Round-Up Part 2
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 Argentina
Basketball Federation president German Vaccaro is confident that his
big name stars will be in Turkey for this year’s World Championships.
Vaccaro hopes that Washington Wizards center, Fabricio Oberto will be
ready to put on the national jersey, but must wait on the results of a
medical test on his heart before he is passed fit to play.
He said: “I saw Fabricio well. He told me he wants to play in the
national team because it's good for him. He has a medical test in May,
for the issue of his heart, but he thinks there will be no impediments.”
Oberto had to undergo a procedure to correct an irregular heartbeat,
last June.
Vaccaro has confirmed that Luis Scola, Andres Nocioni and Carlos
Delfino have made themselves available for this summer’s event, but is
still waiting for Manu Ginobili to confirm his availability. Read more here.
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April 2, 2010
- World Championship Round-Up Part 1
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 Lebron James said that he’s “probably not playing” for
Team USA this summer in Turkey.
The reigning NBA MVP has a hectic summer schedule, and on the top of
his ‘to-do list’ is sort out his future in the league, as James will be
a free agent this summer.
“I got a really, really, really, really, really busy summer,” he said.
“I would love if I had the opportunity and the time to play to
represent my country and go out there and do that. But there's a lot of
things I need to take care of first.”
USA Basketball Chairman, Jerry Colangelo though is not thinking about
the summer’s event in Turkey just yet, as the USA will not report to
training camp until July, but stressed that any player that misses the
World Championships without a valid reason, might not be selected to
play in the 2012 Olympics in London. That includes Lebron James. Read
more here. Back
to the top.
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World Basket 2010 by Joao Da Costa
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Daily news and
articles read here.
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