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The FIBA World Cup begins on August 25 in The Philippines, Japan, and Indonesia. The teams have announced their rosters for the 32-team field. Iran is the latest nation to drop its roster. Iran will bring a veteran-laden team.
There are no current NBA players on the roster. However, Iran has plenty of players with international experience. This will be Iran's fourth straight World Cup appearance. Many familiar faces with World Cup experience are on the Iran roster.
38-year-old Hamed Haddadi is still on the team. He will lead the veteran bunch. He led Iran to gold in the FIBA Asian Cup three different times. He also helped Iran win silver in 2017 and bronze in 2015.
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He led Iran to two silver medals at the Asian Games as well. He has played for Iran in more than four different international events.
Haddadi and other players on the roster have Olympics experience as well. Haddadi and many of the players on the World Cup roster played for Iran at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. They went 0-3, but Haddadi scored in double figures against silver medalist France. He also led Iran way back at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Iran went 0-5 in pool play in the tournament.
Haddadi brings NBA experience to the Iranian team. He played five seasons as a role player in the NBA. He played for the Memphis Grizzlies before finishing his final season with the Phoenix Suns.
Haddadi played in about 35 games per season. He averaged 4.1 points per game in his final 17 games after being traded to the Phoenix Suns in the 2012–13 season.
How will Iran do at the World Cup?
Iran was drawn into a tough group. They do have a chance to make it to the knockout group, though. They are in Group G with Spain, the Ivory Coast, and Brazil.
Spain will be the favorite. They have three NBA players on the roster and plenty of players with EuroLeague and Olympic experience. Ricky Rubio, Santi Aldama, and Usman Garuba are NBA players in Spain.
Ivory Coast recruited Mo Bamba to anchor their squad. Brazil will be a tough matchup for Iran as well. They have less talent than usual but are still led by NBA player Raul Neto and other experienced players.
