BY MONCH PALUAY & KARL TAN

One of the most anticipated events in international basketball took place last Saturday at the Araneta Center in Manila. The FIBA World Cup draw determined the groups of the 32 qualified teams and the location where they will play for in the tournament co-hosted by the Philippines, Japan, and Indonesia scheduled on August 25 to September 10, 2023.

Several former NBA and international basketball superstars arrived to grace the event. Germany’s Dirk Nowitzki was first to reach the Philippines Thursday last week and immediately visited Tagaytay. Argentina’s Luis Scola and China’s Yao Ming’s arrived at NAIA later.

A street festival at Uptown Bonifacio started Saturday morning and gave fans opportunities to learn more about the history of FIBA and see the prestigious trophy that the tournament’s champion will earn. Named after the inventor of basketball, Dr. James Naismith, The Naismith Trophy features all the previous champions and FIBA’s original name “Fédération internationale de basket-ball amateur” written on it. There were booths, activities, and exclusive merchandise available for the fans.

The night of the event was star-studded as local and international stars were present. Sarah Geronimo, Billy Crawford, and Saweetie performed while ambassadors Catriona Gray and LA Tenorio participated in the actual draw. A large contingent of FIBA officials were there including Manny Pangilinan. Also in attendance were Senator Manny Pacquiao and Mark Tatum, the NBA’s Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating officer.

Finally, it was time for the draw. All eyes were on stage as former basketball rivals Dirk Nowitzki and Luis Scola teamed up in revealing the teams. The excitement of the crowd at the Araneta Center was tremendous as they reacted with every selection. The fans roared when Serbia and Greece were picked to play in Group B and C respectively meaning there’s a big possibility of recent NBA MVPs Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo playing in Manila together with USA’s expected all-star laden team.

Here is the result of the draw with some notable players who might play for their respective teams.

GROUP A (Araneta Coliseum)

1.      Angola – Bruno Fernando

2.      Dominican Republic – Chris Duarte, Karl-Anthony Towns

3.      Philippines – Jordan Clarkson

4.      Italy – Paolo Banchero, Simone Fontecchio, Danilo Gallinari

GROUP B (Araneta Coliseum)

1. South Sudan
2. Serbia – Bogdan Bogdanovic, Nikola Jokic, Nikola Jovic, Boban Marjanovic, Aleksej Pokusevski
3. China
4. Puerto Rico – Jose Alvarado

GROUP C (MOA Arena)

1. USA – Jaylen Brown, Devin Booker, Donovan Mitchell, Jason Tatum, Trae Young
2. Jordan
3. Greece – Giannis Antetokounmpo, Thanasis Antetokounmpo
4. New Zealand  

GROUP D (MOA Arena)

1. Egypt
2. Mexico – Juan Toscano-Anderson
3. Montenegro – Nikola Vucevic
4. Lithuania – Domantas Sabonis, Jonas Valanciunas

GROUP E (Okinawa Arena)

1. Germany – Dennis Schroder, Franz Wagner, Moe Wagner
2. Finland – Lauri Markkanen
3. Australia – Dyson Daniels, Josh Giddey, Joe Ingles, Jock Landale, Patty Mills
4. Japan – Rui Hachimura, Yuta Watanabe

GROUP F (Okinawa Arena)

1. Slovenia – Luka Doncic, Goran Dragic
2. Cape Verde
3. Georgia – Goga Bitadze, Sandro Mamukelashvili
4. Venezuela

GROUP G (Indonesia Arena)

1. Iran – Hamed Haddadi
2. Spain – Santi Aldama, Usman Garuba, Juancho Hernangomez, Willy Hernangomez, Ricky Rubio
3. Cote d’Ivoire
4. Brazil – Marcelo Huertas, Raul Neto

GROUP H (Indonesia Arena)

1. Canada – RJ Barrett, Dillon Brooks, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jamal Murray, Kelly Olynyk
2. Latvia – Davis Bertans, Kristaps Porzingis