It is undecided at this time whether Japan will fight Slovenia or become a separate group.
The International Basketball Federation (FIBA) has announced that NBA superstar Luka Doncic’s Slovenia will play the group phase at the Okinawa venue at the World Cup 2023 next summer. In addition, it is also clear that the United States will compete in the Philippines, which is the host country other than Japan, and Canada will compete in Indonesia.
At the end of April next year, a grouping draw will be held to divide all 32 teams into eight group phases.According to a release from FIBA, the host country will choose one country to compete in their own country before the draw from a commercial point of view. You have the right to choose.
In addition, it has already been confirmed that the Philippines will be assigned to Pod 1 in the lottery that will be classified into Pod 1 to Pod 4. The top FIBA rankings have also been confirmed to be in Pod 1, and Pod 1 is virtually decided for the United States as well. Therefore, the Philippines and the United States are not in the same group.
On the other hand, it is not yet clear which pod Japan will enter. Since two group phases will be held at the Okinawa venue, there is still the possibility that Japan and Slovenia will be in the same group. If that happens, Japan will face Slovenia following their 81-116 defeat at the Tokyo Olympics.
Needless to say, Slovenia’s main pillar is Doncic, who is now playing in the NBA as a cornerstone of the Mavericks. If he wins in the playoffs, there are many players who give priority to recovering their overworked bodies and forego participating in off-season international competitions, but Doncic, who has continued to show his deep loyalty to his home country, is a big deal. As long as you don’t get hurt, I wouldn’t worry. As the president of the Slovenian Basketball Association revealed that when Doncic was unable to participate during the NBA season and decided to participate in the World Cup at Window 5 at the end of November, Doncic contacted him one minute later to confirm his participation in the finals. , Doncic is full of motivation. There were no spectators at the Tokyo Olympics, but I can’t wait to watch Doncic live in Okinawa this time.
