Paolo Banchero and Team USA will face Germany in a FIBA World Cup semifinal matchup on Friday.
Set those alarms, Indiana. You too, Orlando.
There’s going to be a Pacers player in the gold medal game of the Basketball World Cup on Sunday (8:40 a.m. ET). And there’s going to be at least one Magic player there, too.
Friday’s U.S.-Germany semifinal has a total of five players from the Pacers and Magic — Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton and Orlando’s Paolo Banchero for the U.S., and Indiana’s Daniel Theis along with Orlando’s Franz Wagner and Moritz Wagner for Germany.
Hawks swingman Bogdan Bogdanovic will lead Serbia against Canada in the FIBA semifinals on Friday.
There’s a total of 26 current players (12 from the U.S., seven from Canada, four from Germany, three from Serbia) from 17 different NBA teams in the semifinals, with the Magic and New York leading the way with three apiece.
Also in the semifinals: Canada center Zach Edey, the reigning AP college basketball player of the year who’ll be returning to Purdue when the tournament ends.
• Friday: Semifinals: Serbia vs. Canada, 4:45 a.m. EDT; USA vs. Germany, 8:40 a.m. EDT.
• Saturday: Fifth- and seventh-place games.
• Sunday: Bronze medal game, 4:40 a.m. EDT; Gold medal game, 8:40 a.m. EDT.
• In the U.S.: The U.S. semifinal matchup against Germany will be aired on ESPN2, with the broadcast beginning at 8:30 a.m. EDT on Friday.
• There are streaming options for all games.
Batum’s vow
Still stinging from France’s frustrating 18th-place finish at the World Cup, team captain Nicolas Batum posted some telling remarks on social media days after the team’s run in the tournament ended.
“We had known for several years how difficult the path is to reach the summit. This defeat reminds us how much harder it is to stay there,” Batum wrote, and then told fans that he understands their disappointment — but urged them to remain supportive, especially with France set to play host to the 2024 Olympics.
“We will rise again, together,” Batum wrote.
Reflective visit
Team USA’s players, coaches and staff paid their respects at the Manila American Cemetery on Wednesday.
USA Basketball’s players, coaches and staff visited the Manila American Cemetery on Wednesday to pay respects to the thousands of soldiers buried there after being killed in World War II.
Players and coaches toured the cemetery, gazed at the names of the soldiers who were lost, saw the white-cross headstones that are meticulously lined up alongside one another. They stood for The Star-Spangled Banner, followed by a rendition of Taps, then gathered around a wreath that USA Basketball ordered for the occasion.
“It puts things in perspective that we play a game,” U.S. point guard and captain Jalen Brunson said. “While this is what we do, a lot of people have given their lives for us. The fact that I get to wear USA across my chest is an honor and I don’t really take it lightly.”
Stat of the day
Canada’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 25 points per game in the World Cup. If he continues at that pace, and Canada wins at least one of its last two games, he’ll be the first player to average 25 and leave the World Cup with a medal since Drazen Petrovic in 1986 for the former Yugoslavia.
Quote of the day
“Everything that we’ve done in preparation for the last five and a half weeks has been to get to this point. It’s not like we’re all of a sudden going to give them a Knute Rockne speech, even though none of them know who Knute Rockne was.” — U.S. coach Steve Kerr, on the eve of a World Cup semifinal matchup against unbeaten Germany.
