Gilgeous-Alexander, Towns shine early as FIBA World Cup gets underway

First-round action of the 2023 FIBA World Cup officially tipped off on Friday morning over in Asia. While Team USA — one of the favorites to win the event — won’t be featuring any former Kentucky players this time around, there are a few countries that will. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Karl-Anthony Towns are the go-to players for Canada and the Dominican Republic, respectively, while Wenyen Gabriel suits up for South Sudan. Additionally, Towns is joined by former Wildcat Eloy Vargas on the Dominican Republic.

32 teams qualified for the World Cup bracket, which officially began with group-stage play. 16 teams were in action on Friday morning to begin the event while the remaining 16 teams are set to play on Saturday morning. Each country will play in three group-stage games with the top two from each group advancing to the second round, which begins on Sept. 1. All games are available for your viewing pleasure on ESPN+.

The star of Friday’s opening day was Gilgeous-Alexander, who led Team Canada (ranked No. 15 in the world) to a historic win over France, 95-65. SGA led both sides in scoring with 27 points to go along with 13 rebounds, six assists, and two steals in just 27 minutes of action. The NBA All-Star point guard shot 9-19 overall and 8-9 from the charity stripe. Although Canada trailed early in the first half and led by just three at the half, they turned on the burners after halftime. SGA dropped 13 points in the third quarter to blow the game wide open.

It was a stunning victory for Canada, which saw France lose by 30 points at the World Cup for the first time since 1963. Keep in mind that the French rolled out current NBA players such as Rudy Gobert and Evan Fournier. The Canadians will take the floor again on Sunday morning against Lebanon in the second of two group-stage games.

Keep an eye on Gilgeous-Alexadner for the rest of this event. He might just be the best player to take the floor (although Luka Doncic will have plenty to say about that). Canada has a real chance to go deep into the tournament with plenty of NBA players surrounding SGA.

Not long before Canada wrapped up its first win, Towns, Vargas, and the No. 23-ranked Dominican Republic took down the host nation Philippines, which features NBA veteran Jordan Clarkson. In a game that was back-and-forth from start to finish, Towns took control down the stretch, finishing with 26 points and 10 rebounds on 5-16 shooting, including an excellent 15-16 mark from the free throw line, in nearly 35 minutes.

Clarkson fouling out late certainly helped the Dominicans, too. After dropping 28 points, he was disqualified with 3:32 left in regulation and the Philipines down by just three. Towns and teammate Victor Liz then hit layups to extend the lead, ultimately polishing off the DR’s win for good.

As for Vargas, he saw the floor for 16 minutes, chipping in five points and five rebounds as Towns’ backup. But this game was more about what happened around the hardwood. The arena atmosphere featured a record crowd of 38,115 fans, breaking the previous World Cup (set in 1994) record by nearly 6,000 additional spectators. The Dominican Republic spoiled the fun though. They’ll play again on Sunday morning against Italy.

Lastly, Gabriel and South Sudan won’t begin their World Cup run until early Saturday morning when they match up against Puerto Rico. Gabriel will be joined by 7-foot-2 16-year-old phenom Khaman Maluach, who is already viewed as a potential lottery pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. Maluach is the third-youngest player in World Cup history to make a roster, although it’s unclear just how much playing time he’ll receive in this event.

South Sudan, which is making its World Cup debut, is ranked No. 62 in the World Cup rankings, the second-lowest in the field behind only Cape Verde (which is also making its WC debut). Gabriel is the lone player on the roster who regularly played in the NBA this past season, so expect him to play a significant role in the team’s World Cup run.