The FIBA World Cup of 2023 is starting from 25 August to 10 September in Asiatic nations of the Philippines, Indonesia, and Japan. This is the first time that multiple nations, are hosting the prestigious tournament together.
Slovenia is placed in Group F alongside Cape Verde, Georgia, and Venezuela. The team will play their first match of the World Cup against Venezuela on 26 August, then on 28 August with Georgia, and finally with Cape Verde on 30th August. All the first-round matches will take place in Okinawa, Japan.
Slovenia has to finish in the top two to advance their journey to the next round of World Cup where they will be in front of Group E, made up of Finland, Germany and, the host Japan.
The team will put in the maximum effort to finish the tournament as the top two from Europe thus, booking a free berth for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Team Slovenia Roster
Slovenia has appeared in three FIBA World Cups and has been a consistent participant over the years. The team's best performance was observed in the 2014 World Cup when they finished in seventh position. Over time, Basketball has become a popular sport in Slovenia and the country has invested well in the sports infrastructure and provided a great exposure to European basketball, by holding several tournaments on a regular basis. As a result, notable players like Luka Doncic, and Valtko Cancar have emerged from the nation. Contemporary, the team finished fourth position in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and also made it to the quarter-finals of 2022 Euro Basketball.
Coach Aleksander Sukelic has disclosed the Slovenia 20-men preliminary roster that includes the name of Mavericks, young star and MVP, Luka Doncic, and the recent NBA champion with Nuggets, Valtko Cancar.
While selecting the final roster for the World Cup, the team is in a little dilemma as they have to choose either Mike Tobey or Jordan Morgan in the squad, as they both have registered as naturalized players, and the FIBA rules allow to have only one in the team. They both are the best Centers one team could ask for.
| Player | Position |
| Jaka Blazic | Guard |
| Sasa Ciani | Forward |
| Vlatko Cancar | Center/ Forward |
| Jakob Cebasek | Forward |
| Ziga Dimec | Forward |
| Luka Doncic | Guard |
| Zoran Dragic | Guard |
| Gregor Glas | Guard |
| Gregor Hrovat | Forward |
| Urban Klavzar | Guard |
| Aljaz kunc | Forward |
| Miha Lapornik | Guard |
| Jurij Macura | Forward/ Center |
| Blaz Mahkovic | Forward |
| Aleksej Nikolic | Guard |
| Bine Prepelic | Forward |
| Klemen Prepelic | Guard |
| Jordan Morgan | Forward/ Center |
| Ziga Samar | Guard |
| Mike Tobey | Center |
FAQs
A. Yes, Slovenia has qualified for the 2023 FIBA World Cup happening in Indonesia, Philippines, and Japan.
A. Both, USA and Yugoslavia have won the five FIBA Championships.
A. A total of 32 teams are competing in the 2023 FIBA World Cup, which includes teams from America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Oceania.
A. The 2023 edition of the FIBA U16 will be the seventh edition and will commence from 17 to 24 September in Doha, Qatar.
