The FIBA Basketball World Cup is an international basketball competition between the senior men’s national teams of the members of the International Basketball Federation, the sport’s global governing body. Here are FIBA’s greatest teams.
Greatest FIBA Teams of All Time
- United States of America (5 Gold / 3 Silver / 4 Bronze)
Team USA boasts the greatest number of gold medals (five, tied with Yugoslavia), as well as the greatest number of total medals (12). Some great squads have repepd the USA at the FIBA World Cup. However, it wouldn’t be controversial to say that the 1994 squad was the best team of all time. In fact, NBA stars like Shaquille O’Neal, Dominique Wilkins, Alonzo Mourning, Shawn Kemp and Reggie Miller were the nucleus of “Dream Team 2.0.” - Yugoslavia (5 Gold / 3 Silver / 2 Bronze)
Yugoslavia has certainly gained a reputation for producing top-notch basketball players. However, did you know they are essentially tied with the USA for the greatest FIBA powerhouse? The Yugoslavian national teams have featured some well-known players, such as Drazen Petrovic, Vlade Divac, Toni Kukoc, Dejan Bodiroga, and Predrag Stojakovic. - Soviet Union (3 Gold / 3 Silver / 2 Bronze)
Despite breaking up in 1991, the Soviet Union still ranks third on this list of all-time great teams. While the Soviet players’ names may not be as well known, some of the bigger names included Sergei Belov, Arvydas Sabonis, Alexander Volkov, and Sarunas Marciulionis. - Brazil (2 Gold / 2 Silver / 2 Bronze)
Brazil owns two gold medals; however, they haven’t won a medal of any sort since 1963. The up-tempo Brazilians feature some NBA players: Cristiano Felício, Anderson Varejão, Raulzinho Neto, and Didi Louzada. - Spain (2 Gold / 0 Silver / 0 Bronze)
Spain may not have been much of a factor at the FIBA World Cup at first, but the Spaniards have been coming on strong as of late. They’ve won their two gold medals within the last 20 years and feature players such as Ricky Rubio, Pau Gasol, Marc Gasol, and Serge Ibaka.
Silly Questions!
- Argentina (1 Gold / 2 Silver / 0 Bronze)
Argentina won the first FIBA World Cup in 1950, as the host nation. Unfortunately, that’s been their only gold medal. In fact, it was over half a century until Argentina won another medal (in 2002). Manu Ginóbili, Luis Scola, Fabricio Oberto, and Andrés Nocioni led Argentina’s resurgence in the 21st century. - Russia (0 Gold / 2 Silver / 0 Bronze)
The Russian national team was formed after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1992. Some of the more famous Russian players include Andrei Kirilenko, Timofey Mozgov, and Sergei Belov. - Greece (0 Gold / 1 Silver / 0 Bronze)
Greece have appeared eight times at the FIBA World Cup, with their best result coming in 2006 as runners-up, after beating the United States 101–95 in the tournament’s semi-final. - Serbia (0 Gold / 1 Silver / 0 Bronze)
While not awash in medals, the Serbs always field well-coached, disciplined teams that play hard. Opponents ignore the Serbian national teams at their own peril. - Turkey (0 Gold / 1 Silver / 0 Bronze)
When you think of the Turkish national teams, the first thing that comes to mind are its famed “12 Giant Men”. This group was known in song and story around 2001 and coincided with the rise of Turkey as a FIBA force.
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