(Photo by Ezra Acayan/Getty Images)
The FIBA World Cup is nearing its completion, as the final round will take place early Sunday morning, where Germany will face Serbia with the gold medal at stake.
Slovenia, led by Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic, lost to Canada on Friday, 100-89, ending its bid for a medal of some sort in the tournament.
But it didn’t stop Doncic from receiving lots of love from basketball fans from the Philippines.
Luka Doncic continues to receive the love in Manila as he is being swarmed by the Filipino fans
(via @johnnywest69)pic.twitter.com/DZAWfxQMQ9
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) September 8, 2023
Over the past few decades, basketball has become a truly global sport, and it has especially become popular in the Philippines.
However, it has come with a downside for Team USA, as the squad has found it tougher to claim the gold medals it has felt entitled to during international play.
Team USA was favored by many to capture the gold medal in this year’s World Cup, and when it took on Germany on Friday, not too many people were concerned about its chances.
But Germany, led by Dennis Schroder, upended the Americans, 113-111, which means the best they can do is to earn a bronze medal by defeating Canada on Sunday.
Doncic is one of the best players in the world, and there has been some talk that he could be a frontrunner for the NBA regular season MVP award this coming season.
Last year, he averaged 32.4 points, 8.6 rebounds and 8.0 assists a game, but he couldn’t rescue the Mavs from disaster.
Even after trading for Kyrie Irving, they found themselves reeling down the stretch after looking like a lock for a playoff spot, and they didn’t even qualify for the play-in tournament.
The hope is that a full training camp for Doncic and Irving together will result in a better outcome this coming season.
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