FIBA World Cup: Three Teams with OKC Thunder Representation Finish Top-10

Each of the three squads in the 2023 FIBA World Cup with a member of the Thunder finished in the top 10 of the tournament.

In what was the last major event of the offseason before the start of the upcoming NBA season, the 2023 FIBA World Cup took place over the past few weeks. While the United States didn't feature any members of the Oklahoma City Thunder, three other countries did have representation.

Australia featured Josh Giddey and Jack White, while Canada was headlined by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Lu Dort and Latvia had a key piece in Davis Bertans.

Entering the tournament, the USA was the favorite to win it all. From there, both Canada and Australia were near the the top in terms of having a chance. Latvia was not given as much of a shot, but was about to shock the world. 

When it was all said and done, Canada had the best result of any of these three countries. With Gilgeous-Alexander leading the way, Canada finished third overall following a win over the United States. Latvia left the event with a fifth place nod, while Australia disappointed relative to expectations but finished tenth.

Not only did all three teams with Thunder representation finish in the top 10, but the individual Oklahoma City players also played extremely well. In fact, Gilgeous-Alexander joined Dennis Schroder, Anthony Edwards, Bogdan Bogdanovic and Luka Doncic in the tournament's All-Star Five. Furthermore, Giddey was the rising star of the event as the top player playing for Australia, earning the Wanda Rising Star award.

While the event has come to an end, it was a great opportunity for these five players to get time on the court improving ahead of training camp. Later this month, each of these players as well as the rest of the team will head back to OKC for camp, with the preseason beginning shortly after.

At this point, it appears the Thunder are primed to really make a splash in the Western Conference during the 2023-24 season.

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