Los Angeles Lakers fans patiently waiting to see a loaded roster kick off the 2023-24 season can scratch some of their basketball itch with the 2023 FIBA World Cup. It is the biggest international basketball tournament outside of the Olympics and can be a spotlight for the upcoming season.
The entire reason why the Lakers signed Dennis Schroder a year ago was because of his strong performance in the FIBA Eurobasket in 2022. Perhaps the Lakers could add another rotation player by scouting the World Cup.
This time around, though, there are players on the Lakers roster who will be representing their respective countries in the tournament. LeBron James nor Anthony Davis are participating but there are two notable fan favorites in the mix.
Every Lakers player participating in the FIBA World Cup:
Austin Reaves — United States
After a breakout postseason for the Lakers that earned him a new four-year deal, Austin Reaves will represent the Stars and Stripes in the FIBA World Cup as a member of the US roster.
The United States team is not as loaded as it typically is for the Olympics as it is instead filled with young talent looking to make an impression on the grand stage. Joining Reaves is two former Lakers in Brandon Ingram and Josh Hart, both of whom were traded in the AD deal in 2019.
Rui Hachimura — Japan
Rui Hachimura was acquired for pennies before the trade deadline and was a big reason why the Lakers made it as far as they did in the NBA Playoffs. Without his scoring outbursts in the first round against the Memphis Grizzlies the Lakers may not have even won a playoff series in 2023.
It was originally reported that Hachimura would not be participating for Japan in the FIBA World Cup but he was included on the team’s roster and named as a participant on FIBA’s website. We will update once it becomes clear whether or not Hachimura is actually suiting up for Japan.