The tiny country of Georgia, sitting on the border of Europe and Asia is not known much for its sporting prowess. But this time, the Georgia men’s basketball team has qualified for the FIBA World Cup in 2023, their first appearance ever. The FIBA World Cup will be tipping off on August 25th, held in Japan, the Philippines, and Indonesia. Players from Georgia have appeared in the FIBA World Cup as part of the Soviet Union. Some notable players to do the same are Nodar Dzhordzhikiya, Otar Korkia, Guram Minashvili, Vladimer Ugrekhelidze, Levan Moseshvili, Zurab Sankandelidze, Mikeil Korkia, and Nikolay Deryugin.
Since 2011, Georgia has appeared in EuroBasket five times. Their first two appearances in 2011 and 2013 ended bitterly as they won a grand total of one game in 10 tries. Their appearances in international tournaments since then have gone well, as in EuroBasket 2015, and moved out to the knockout stages for the first time in the nation’s history. It is here, however, that the season for Georgia would end as they would lose a close game to the eventual silver medalists, Lithuania. 2017 brought more disappointment to Georgia as they couldn’t get past the group stages again in EuroBasket.
Georgia is a nation that has been through a lot. Struggles, partitions, players in and out of their rotation, they have seen it all. But throughout all of it, they have shown resilience and a never-say-die attitude. Even if they enter the FIBA World Cup as massive underdogs, not expected to win even a single game, we can be positive in the fact that the Georgian players will do everything in their power to prove us wrong. Let’s take a look at the roster for Georgia which will be playing in the FIBA World Cup.
Georgia roster
The complete roster for Georgia is given below:
| Name | Position | Height |
| Rati Andronikashvili | Guard | 1.96m |
| Kakhaber Jintcharadze | Guard/Forward | 1.95m |
| Beka Burjanadze | Forward | 2.03m |
| Giorgi Tsintsadze | Guard | 1.92m |
| Giorgi Shermadini | Center | 2.17m |
| Duda Sanadze | Guard | 1.96m |
| Mikheil Berishvili | Forward | 2.03m |
| Merab Bokolishvili | Guard | 1.94m |
| Toko Shengelia | Forward | 2.07m |
| Thaddus McFadden | Guard | 1.88m |
| Beka Bekauri | Forward/Center | 2.07m |
| Givi Bakradze | Guard | 1.80m |
| Ilia Londaridze | Forward/Center | 2.05m |
Georgia will tip off its FIBA World Cup campaign against Cape Verde, another team making its first World Cup appearance.
FAQs
A. Yes, this is the first time that Georgia has qualified to play in the FIBA World Cup.
A. Georgia is in Group F, along with Slovenia, Cape Verde, and Venezuela.
A. Georgia has been ranked 32 according to the latest FIBA rankings.
A. No, LeBron James won’t be representing Team USA in the FIBA World Cup.
