US about to face bigger challenges at Basketball World Cup

AP photo by Michael Conroy / The United States' Anthony Edwards celebrates after dunking over Jordan center Ahmad Dwairi during a Group C match Wednesday in Manila at the FIBA Basketball World Cup. AP photo by Michael Conroy / The United States' Anthony Edwards celebrates after dunking over Jordan center Ahmad Dwairi during a Group C match Wednesday in Manila at the FIBA Basketball World Cup.

By TIM REYNOLDS / The Associated Press August 31, 2023 5 min read

MANILA, Philippines — The names of opposing players are about to become more recognizable for the U.S. team at the FIBA Basketball World Cup.

Nikola Vucevic awaits on Friday, Jonas Valanciunas awaits on Sunday, and if the Americans keep progressing through the championship bracket, the challenges will only get tougher.

They say that’s fine with them.

Second-round play starts Friday with a 32-team field to start the tournament now down to 16 contenders for the Naismith Trophy. The United States is one of eight nations with 3-0 records, and those are the teams that have the easiest path to the quarterfinals.

“There’s an immediate respect level from guys going against them in the NBA,” U.S. coach Steve Kerr said. “The familiarity really helps as well.