Are there Iranian NBA Players?

Last Modified Aug 3, 2023 15:10 GMT
Iran Roster Squad FIBA World Cup 2023
Iran FIBA Squad

Iran's national basketball team is currently ranked 22nd by FIBA as of August, 2023. Basketball in Iran is governed by the IRIBF, which was established in 1945. Iran has been part of FIBA since 1947 and is also part of FIBA Asia. The team has triumphed in three of the last five FIBA Asia Championship games.

Iran’s basketball team has had limited international success. They won the Bronze medal at the 2006 Asian Games in Doha, Qatar. They qualified for the 2008 Beijing Games for the first time in 60 years. Iran won the FIBA Asia Championship 2009 in Tianjin, China, and their second FIBA World Championship at the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup. Hamed Haddadi, who played a stellar role in Iran's triumph, became the most accomplished player in the competition.

I.R Iran Basketball Federation announced its 27-player squad for FIBA World Cup 2023 on June 9, 2023. The roster has now been trimmed down to 15 players. The 15 man squad includes Hamed Haddadi, Arsalan Kazemi, Behnam Yakhchali, Meisam Mirzaei, Mohammad Shahrian, Hasan Aliakbari, Sajjad Pazirofteh, Salar Monji, Sina Vahedi, Peter Grigorian, Matin Aghajanpour, Sajjad Mashayekhi, Navid Rezaeifar, Jalal Aghamiri and Mohammad Ahimi. The final team will be decided before the match depending upon team strategy, requirements, and fitness of the players.

Iran Roster FIBA World Cup 2023
Iran FIBA Squad

Iranian NBA player in FIBA 2023

Hamed Haddadi will be one of the most well-known international basketball players at the FIBA World Cup 2023. He played in the NBA for the Memphis Grizzlies from 2008 to 2013, the Dakota Wizards in 2008, and the Phoenix Suns in 2013.

Iran has consistently been a strong team at the FIBA World Cup and has qualified for the tournament multiple times. In the last edition of the FIBA Basketball World Cup in 2019, Iran was led by some of their most experienced players, like Samad Nikkhah Bahrami, Behnam Yakhchali, and Mohammad Jamshidi. Additionally, there are young and promising players who will get their chance to represent Iran in the 2023 World Cup.

It is hard to say which Iranian players will play in FIBA World Cup 2023 as the FIBA Iran Basketball Federation (IRIBF) will select the 12 players based on the team's strategy, form and fitness. However, Iran has a strong basketball tradition and has produced many talented players over the years.

FAQs

A. The IBSL (International Basketball Super League) is the professional basketball league for men in Iran.

A. Six teams from Asia and two from Oceania have qualified for FIBA World Cup 2023. 

A. As co-host of the FIBA Asia Cup 2022, Indonesia did not receive direct entry into the main event. Instead, they had to place among the top eight teams to qualify. However, on 18 July 2022, they lost their place after failing to qualify for the Asia Cup's quarterfinals.

A. Five countries from Africa have qualified for the FIBA World Cup 2023.

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