2023 FIBA World Cup: LA Lakers star claims he prefers winning tournament over NBA championship

Gabe Vincent of the LA Lakers represents Nigeria internationally due to his father. Vincent and the D'Tigers won't be at the 2023 FIBA World Cup, but the newest Lakers star values winning the tournament over the NBA championship.

In an interview with JJ Redick on The Old Man and the Three podcast, Vincent explained why he prefers winning the World Cup over an NBA ring.

"For me personally, I've been looking forward to raising that Larry O'Brien trophy," Vincent said. "But knowing how much it would mean to the 400-plus million people in Nigeria, let along the 1-point something billion in the continent of Africa, that's a hard one to pass up. Especially in this sport where African teams really haven't had much of a footing.

"I think that'd be, not only would it be fulfilling, and great, in its own way, but I think legacy wise, I think it would stand taller, stand a little longer. So, I'm gonna reluctantly have to say the gold medal with Nigeria. I think that would just be epic."

Nigeria has not had a lot of success in basketball, but they have qualified for the last three Olympic games. However, D'Tigers failed to qualify for the 2023 FIBA World Cup in the Philippines. Africa will be represented by Angola, Cape Verde, Egypt, Ivory Coast and South Sudan.

In terms of continental success, Nigeria won its first Africa Basket Championship in 2015. They also have four runner-up finishes and three bronze medals in the tournament.

Gabe Vincent, who signed with the LA Lakers in free agency, was eligible to play for Nigeria because of his father Franklyn. He made his debut for the D'Tigers at the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup, where they finished 17th.

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Gabe Vincent joins LA Lakers after four years in Miami

Gabe Vincent signed with the LA Lakers

After four seasons with the Miami Heat, Gabe Vincent became an unrestricted free agency. Coming off a breakout campaign in both the regular season and the playoffs, Vincent cashed in and signed a three-year, $33 million contract with the LA Lakers.

While it's no guarantee that Vincent will be the starting point guard for the Lakers, he effectively replaced Dennis Schroder on the roster. Schroder left the Lakers in free agency and signed for the Toronto Raptors.

The Lakers also brought back D'Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves to complete their three-man rotation for the point guard possession. Reaves is likely a guaranteed starter after his playoff run, while Russell went cold in the postseason.