With Summer League now done and dusted, fans have now begun the wait for NBA action to recommence in October. But fear not, the FIBA World Cup will help suppress the appetite when it kicks off on August 25 in the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia.
Unfortunately there won’t be too much to follow from a Golden State Warriors perspective. Only one Warrior will take part in the tournament, at least from a playing standpoint.
Veteran point-guard Cory Joseph will be the Golden State Warriors’ lone playing representative at the upcoming FIBA World Cup.
The Warriors signed Cory Joseph to a one-year, minimum contract in free agency earlier this month, with the 31-year-old recently announced as a part of Canada’s squad for the upcoming campaign.
The parallels between Team Canada and Golden State are certainly there for the veteran point-guard. He’s expected to play behind future hall-of-famers Stephen Curry and Chris Paul with the Warriors next season, but will start by supporting Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and recently crowned NBA champion Jamal Murray. His new Warrior teammate, Andrew Wiggins, will not suit up for the Canadians.
Of course, the Warriors will have representation in another form with head coach Steve Kerr taking charge of the US National Team. However, he won’t have any of his established Golden State stars at his disposal, though that may change by the time the Olympics comes around next year.
Speaking to ESPN recently, Curry revealed his potential interest in returning to the national team to add an Olympic gold medal to his near-flawless résumé.
“I have no idea what next summer looks like, it’s obviously an extra bonus that Coach Kerr is leading the charge. I’d love to play for him any day of the week, so let’s see how things are going in Summer 24.”
Another recently signed Warrior, Dario Saric, is usually a staple of the Croatian National Team. They’ve failed to get through qualifying though to compete in the 32-team tournament.