FIBA World Cup is an international basketball competition contested by men’s national teams. The cup’s structure is similar to the FIFA World Cup, but it is not the same. 1967 was the first year when a team was awarded the winning Naismith Trophy. As of right now, the reigning champions are the United States of America, they beat Serbia in the final of the 2014 FIBA World Cup.
There have been a lot of exciting games and tournaments throughout the years, but as far as recent history goes, the USA has been dominating this tournament, as well as many others. There are some pretty fierce teams, but none of them have come even close when it goes to taking the American national team off the throne. But, this year’s FIBA World Cup has been a bit problematic for the USA.
FIBA World Cup History
2019 FIBA World Cup Favorites
Even though the US team went into the tournament weakened due to numerous reasons (more information as to why players are declining the invites), they were still the favorites to win it.
With that being said, the USA’s odds of winning the FIBA World Cup were -900. They were the obvious favorites. At the time, Serbia was in second place, and their odds were -500. It is interesting to mention that before the start of the tournament, Serbia’s odds were close to +1000. The top three list is concluded with Greece. Greece’s odds were +100.
All of the odds varied, depending on which online bookie you visited. Some of the bookies had some decent odds for group winners and top scorers. They also had some pretty decent bonuses and promotions. All of the information that you need is located at Online bookmakers. The site has a lot of details connected to various online bookie odds, predictions, and even live streaming availability.
As mentioned before, the top three favorites to win the FIBA World Cup were USA, Serbia, and Greece. One of those three teams was the most likely to be the winner. But, when we take a look at the teams that are most likely to have a top 3 finish, Spain, Lithuania, and Australia were right behind the top favorites. Spain’s odds were +200, and Lithuania and Australia had equal odds, they were at +400.
A lot of favorites, a lot of underdogs, excellent odds. One thing is certain, the 2019 FIBA World Cup was interesting to watch. Since we saw the odds for some of the teams, let’s have a look at their history, and check out some interesting facts.
Most Decorated Teams
Serbia, the United States of America, and the Soviet Union are the most decorated national teams. Serbia and the USA are sharing the number one spot with five gold medals. The Soviet Union has three. Serbia is also leading the pack for most silver medals won. They have four, and the USA and the Soviet Union have three. But, when it comes to total medals won (gold, silver, and bronze), The USA are first, they have 12. Serbia has 11, and the Soviet Union has eight. As you know by now, the Soviet Union has not participated in a long time, since they do not exist anymore.
Top Scorers in a Single Tournament
Nikos Galis is the top scorer when you look at the total points scored in a single tournament, that record sits at 337 points. Oscar Schmidt is in second with 277. Shin Dong-pa, Luis Scola, and Dirk Nowitzki are rounding out the top five. Shin Dong-pa has 261 points, Luis Scola has 244, and Dirk Nowitzki 216. He is also listed on in the sixth spot, with 209 points. There is a chance that the scoreboards will change with this year’s tournament.
Most Decorated Players
Wladimir Marques, Krešimir Ćosić, Amaury Pasos, and Sergei Belov are the most decorated players in FIBA World Cup History. All of these players have won four medals. There are five other players that have won 3thre medals in their careers. Those players are Carmo De Souza, Jatyr Eduardo Schall, Modestas Paulauskas, Priit Tomson, and Vlade Divac.
Team Records
If we look at the total games played in the FIBA World CUP, USA (149), Brazil (133), Argentina (103), Canada (98), and Spain (90) are the top five. Out of these teams, the USA has the highest winning percentage (.819) after the dominant win with the Czech Republic at the FIBA opening. Spain is second with .678, Brazil’s winning percentage is .609, Argentina’s percentage is .563, and lastly, Canada is at the fifth spot with .337.
Main Photo
Embed from Getty Images
