MIES (Switzerland) - The second window of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 Qualifiers featured plenty of exciting storylines as national teams from across the globe continue their battles for a spot in the 32-team field at next year's spectacle to be staged in the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia.
Results from the Qualifiers have led to some changes in the latest FIBA World Ranking Men, presented by Nike, on all continents. In Europe, France, Greece, Iceland and Georgia are moving up; South Sudan, DR Congo and Senegal in Africa; Brazil in Americas; Kazakhstan and Lebanon in Asia.
The most recent World Cup 2023 Qualifying Window brought one movement in the top five. France swapped spots with Slovenia, going from five to No. 4 on the back of their two wins over Portugal - 94-56 at home and 69-56 in Portugal. Those two victories secured Les Bleus qualification for the Second Round of European Qualifiers. Slovenia meanwhile lost twice to Finland, 86-76 on the road and then 83-79 at home.
The other change in the top 10 saw Greece move ahead of Italy for the No. 9 spot. The Greeks came up with two wins over Turkey - 72-71 at home and 76-67 in Istanbul - while Italy suffered a double-overtime 107-105 defeat in Iceland before bouncing back for a 95-87 victory at home over the northern Europeans.
Iceland's historic win over the Italians saw them jump two spots to No. 44 - with Georgia the other larger European nation moving up two spots, jumping to No. 36 after defeating North Macedonia twice.
South America's second-best team Brazil made a one-spot jump to No. 14 after knocking off Uruguay 85-66 and Colombia 119-73 - both games at home - to lock up a spot in the Second Round as well.
In Asia meanwhile, Kazakhstan had a strong window with wins at Iran (73-69) and Bahrain (95-48) to reach the Second Round with a 4-0 mark and jump two spots in the World Ranking to 68. Lebanon rose one spot to 54 after a 74-63 defeat in Jordan and an 81-68 victory in Saudi Arabia.
The biggest mover in the men's World Ranking was South Sudan, who had a World Cup Qualifiers debut for the ages with wins over Rwanda (68-56), FIBA AfroBasket 2021 champs Tunisia (72-64) and Cameroon (74-68) in the window played in Senegal. That performance saw South Sudan jump six spots to No. 76. Congo DR also jumped multiple places, rising two spots to No. 79 after beating Kenya 66-56 and Senegal 62-57 before losing 62-51 to Egypt.
For more information about the method used in the calculation of the FIBA World Ranking Men, please refer to the "How It Works" section.
Click here to view the full FIBA World Ranking Men, presented by Nike.
NBA COMMISSIONER ADAM SILVER’S STATEMENT REGARDING SAN ANTONIO SPURS’ GREGG POPOVICH
NEW YORK, March 11, 2022 – NBA Commissioner Adam Silver issued the following statement today regarding the San Antonio Spurs’ Gregg Popovich breaking the NBA record for most regular-season wins by a head coach:
“Gregg Popovich’s success with the Spurs is unprecedented in our league so it’s only fitting that he now holds the record for most career wins. His leadership and unwavering commitment to the game are widely admired by generations of players and coaches alike. Congratulations to Coach Pop on this latest achievement in his legendary career.”
GOLDEN STATE’S GARY PAYTON II TO RECEIVE JANUARY NBA CARES COMMUNITY ASSIST AWARD
– NBA and Kaiser Permanente will Donate $10,000 to GPII Foundation –
NEW YORK, March 11, 2022 – The NBA today announced that Golden State Warriors guard Gary Payton II will receive the NBA Cares Community Assist Award presented by Kaiser Permanente for the month of January in recognition of his ongoing support of youth with learning disabilities and passion to uplift children facing other hardships. The monthly honor recognizes a player who best demonstrates the passion that the league and NBA players share for giving back to their communities.
Among the various community events Payton participated in around the holidays and new year, he hosted his first-ever Reading Rally with Decoding Dyslexia for students affected by learning disabilities. Since the Reading Rally, as part of his participation in the Warriors Community Foundation season-long Player Ticket Program, Payton has invited youth from Decoding Dyslexia and the University of California San Francisco’s (UCSF) Dyslexia Center to Warriors home games via his ticket section “Mr. Mean’s Team.” Prior to the team’s matchup on Jan. 18, Payton took the time to reconnect with youth from Decoding Dyslexia that attended the Reading Rally in December. Payton’s own personal struggle with dyslexia, and his passion and efforts to uplift young people impacted, led to the Warriors expanding their Read to Achieve program to specifically include students with learning disabilities.
“I would like to thank the Warriors for nominating me for the NBA Cares Community Assist Award,” said Payton. “I understand that this award acknowledges and shines a light on the work we, as NBA players, do off the court in the community, and I am truly humbled and honored. Community service was an integral part of my childhood; my parents believed that giving back was not only the right thing to do but it was our responsibility. That lifelong lesson helped me grow into the man that I am today and my work with youth and young people with learning disabilities. After I was diagnosed with dyslexia, it became clear that my mission is to support youth and young adults with learning disabilities thrive and succeed. The NBA is giving me a global platform to use my voice to support those who are unable to speak out. Through sharing my story, I can engage, encourage, and empower youth to tell their story and fight for what they need to be successful. As we all continue to navigate through this pandemic, we are needed more than ever to step in and help our communities in need.”
Additionally, in January, Payton was tagged in an inspiring video of a young patient, Noah, who is receiving treatment for Leukemia at UCSF Children’s Hospital in Mission Bay. Upon seeing the video, Payton became determined to meet Noah in person to help lift his spirits and surprised Noah at the hospital with a special visit and signed merchandise.
Payton will be presented with the award on Saturday, March 12 ahead of the Warriors’ matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks at 8:30 p.m. ET. The NBA and Kaiser Permanente will donate $10,000 to the GPII Foundation as Payton’s nonprofit beneficiary of choice.
The NBA Cares Community Assist Award presented by Kaiser Permanente honors the standard set by NBA legend David Robinson, who improved the community piece by piece. To learn more, please visit https://communityassist.nba.com/.
About NBA Cares
NBA Cares is the league’s global social responsibility program that brings people together through the game of basketball and helps shine a light on important social issues, including racial, gender, LGBTQ & health equity, education, physical and mental health & wellness, environmental responsibility, and youth, family & community development. NBA Cares programs and participants have provided more than 5.9 million hours of hands-on service and created more than 2,000 places where kids and families can live, learn or play in communities around the world. Internationally, NBA Cares has created more than 353 places where kids and families can live, learn or play in 40 countries and territories.
WNBA DRAFT 2022 PRESENTED BY STATE FARM®
TO BE HELD ON APRIL 11th
– League’s 26th Annual Draft to be
Exclusively Televised by ESPN from 7-9 p.m. ET –
– Draft and Iconic WNBA “Orange Carpet” Return to an In-Person Event
for First Time Since 2019 at New York’s Acclaimed Spring Studios –
– Washington Owns No.1 Overall Selection; Indiana has Two of Top Four Picks –
NEW YORK, March 10, 2022 – The WNBA Draft 2022 presented by State Farm® will be held on Monday, April 11. WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert will announce the draft picks live on ESPN with exclusive coverage beginning at 7 p.m. ET. The draft will also be available live on the ESPN App.
Top prospects will take part live as the WNBA Draft presented by State Farm returns to an in-person event for the first time since 2019, with the acclaimed Spring Studios, located in the Tribeca section of New York and the home to such iconic events as Fashion Week and The Tribeca Film Festival, serving as the venue for the evening’s events.
“With the continued support of ESPN, our draft presenting partner State Farm and associate partners, Beats by Dre, SAP, and U.S. Bank, we look forward to what will be a truly memorable evening for WNBA teams and fans and, of course, for the elite athletes for whom this night will mark the realization of a dream come true and the launch of the next phase of their basketball journey,” said WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert. “Coming off of an incredibly successful 2021 season and in the wake of our recent announcement regarding the largest-ever capital raise for a women’s sports property, the WNBA continues to build momentum for the future of the league. And what better way to ramp up the momentum for the tip-off of our 26th season, than with WNBA Draft 2022 presented by State Farm on April 11th.”
Launching later this month, “Draft Central” on wnba.com, will enable fans to access multiple offerings in the days leading up to the draft. Elements will include an interactive Draft Board; Prospect profiles with insights powered by SAP; In-depth features on the top draft prospects; Coverage of all draft events; And more. Fans will also be able to access an array of content across @WNBA channels that will include the unique stories and personalities of the prospects via Instagram and Tik Tok; a Twitter Spaces Mock Draft Debate; cross platform live coverage including the “Orange Carpet;” and more.
The formal tip off of the draft night festivities will take place when the invited draft prospects take their turn on the WNBA’s iconic “Orange Carpet” where they will showcase their personalities and their unique fashion styles while preparing for this life-changing moment.
The Washington Mystics own the top pick in the WNBA Draft 2022 presented by State Farm. The last six No. 1 overall draft picks were:
2016: Breanna Stewart, Seattle Storm
2017: Kelsey Plum, Las Vegas Aces (formerly San Antonio Stars)
2018: A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas Aces
2019: Jackie Young, Las Vegas Aces
2020: Sabrina Ionescu, New York Liberty
2021: Charli Collier, Dallas Wings
Additional information regarding the broadcast of WNBA Draft 2022 presented by State Farm will be announced in the near future. The league is conducting ongoing planning for its 26th season, including the start of training camp in April and the tip-off of the WNBA regular season on May 6.
SACRAMENTO’S SABONIS SUSPENDED
NEW YORK, March 9, 2022 – Sacramento Kings center Domantas Sabonis has been suspended one game without pay for aggressively confronting and making contact with a game official, it was announced today by Byron Spruell, President, League Operations.
The incident began with Sabonis receiving a technical foul for an unsportsmanlike reaction to a called foul. Sabonis then reacted demonstratively again in the vicinity of the game official, and approached and bumped the official in a hostile manner, resulting in a second technical foul and an ejection.
The episode occurred with 4:35 remaining in the fourth quarter of Sacramento’s 131-115 loss to the New York Knicks on March 7 at Golden 1 Center.
Sabonis will serve his suspension tonight when the Kings play host to the Denver Nuggets.
To view the incident, click on the following link: https://www.nba.com/watch/video/knicks-vs-kings-3-7-2022
MINNESOTA’S BEASLEY FINED
NEW YORK, March 7, 2022 – Minnesota Timberwolves guard Malik Beasley has been fined $35,000 for making unnecessary and inappropriate contact with Portland Trail Blazers center Drew Eubanks, it was announced today by Byron Spruell, President, League Operations.
The incident, for which Beasley was assessed a technical foul and ejected, occurred with 7:16 remaining in the third quarter of the Timberwolves’ 135-121 win over the Trail Blazers on March 5 at Target Center.
To view the incident, click on the following link: https://www.nba.com/watch/video/trail-blazers-vs-timberwolves-3-5-2022
