The German men’s senior basketball team made history in September 2023, winning the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) World Cup for the first time following an 83-77 victory over Serbia in the final at the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila. Germany only had one prior top-three finish in the FIBA World Cup, a third-place result in 2002, while Serbia was a runner-up in 2014.
The two teams played to a 47-47 tie after the first two halves, but an injury to key Serbian defender Ognjen Dobric gave Germany an edge on offense in the third quarter, allowing them to take a nine-point lead with a little more than two minutes left in the third quarter. Serbia narrowed the gap to two points (79-77) with less than a minute left, but Germany’s Dennis Schroder made a clutch layup with 21.4 seconds left and, after a Serbian turnover, scored a pair of free throws to close out the game.
“The team is unbelievable. They enjoyed every single moment, every single game, every single practice,” said Shroder, who won FIBA World Cup 2023 MVP. “[In] every single game, we embraced it and competed on the highest level. I think that’s the reason why we did what we did in this tournament. It means a lot, we made history.”
Shroder was one of the many elite basketball players who proved themselves among the best in the world at the 2023 FIBA World Cup. Below are the five leading scorers from the tournament.
Luka Doncic (Slovenia)
A four-time National Basketball Association (NBA) All-Star and 2018-19 Rookie of the Year winner, Luka Doncic was an all-around star for Slovenia, which reached the quarter-finals before losing to Canada. Doncic scored a tournament-leading 216 points, 20 points more than any other player. He also finished tied for fourth in total assists (49), sixth in total rebounds (57), and third in steals per game (2.5).
Doncic, who averaged a career-best 32.4 points per game (PPG) in 2022-23 with the Dallas Mavericks, scored 26 points and added five assists, four rebounds, and two steals in Serbia’s quarter-final loss to Canada. He played just 29 minutes, however, as he was ejected from the game with more than six minutes remaining after earning a second technical foul.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Canada)
An All-NBA guard last season with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was one of the main catalysts for Canada winning its first-ever medal at the FIBA World Cup. He scored 31 points and contributed 12 assists and six rebounds in Canada’s overtime win over the United States in the bronze medal game. He also scored 31 points in Canada’s quarter-final victory over Slovenia. Not surprisingly, Gilgeous-Alexander was named to the 2023 FIBA World Cup All-Tournament team.
Like Doncic, Gilgeous-Alexander contributed in all areas of the game. In addition to finishing second with 196 points (24.5 per game), he ranked third in total assists (51) and eighth in total rebounds (51).
Bogdan Bogdanovic (Serbia)
Serbia was without reigning NBA Finals MVP Nikola Jokic in the 2023 FIBA World Cup, but still managed to reach the final thanks in large part to the play of fellow NBA veteran Bogdan Bogdanovic. A 31-year-old shooting guard born in Belgrade, Bogdanovic played five seasons in Serbia and Turkey before joining the Sacramento Kings in 2017-18. He averaged 14 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game with the Atlanta Hawks in 2022-23.
Bogdanovic scored 153 points in eight World Cup contests and finished sixth in steals per game at 2.1. He scored 17 points in the gold medal game.
Dennis Schroder (Germany)
Schroder, the tournament MVP, tied Bogdanovic for third in scoring with an average of 19.1 PPG. He played slightly more minutes per game at 28.6. Schroder scored 28 points, including the game-winning shots, in Germany’s 83-77 gold medal victory over Serbia. The point guard kept defenders guessing with his change of pace and direction and, when he couldn’t score himself, made great use of his teammates; he tied Doncic for fourth in total assists in the tournament with 49, or 6.1 per game.
Born in Braunschweig, Germany, Schroder was selected 17 overall by the Atlanta Hawks in the 2013 NBA Draft and has since played 687 regular season games with five teams. He signed a two-year, $25 million contract with the Toronto Raptors in July 2023.
Anthony Edwards (United States)
The US failed to medal at the FIBA World Cup for the second consecutive tournament but only the third time since 1982. The US team was without major NBA stars like LeBron James and Steph Curry, who haven’t represented the country in international competition since 2012 and 2014, respectively. Anthony Edwards, a 22-year-old guard from Atlanta, Georgia, led the offense in their absence.
Edwards, the first overall pick of the 2020 NBA Draft, averaged a career-best 24.6 points in 79 games with the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2022-23. He led the Americans with 151 points, or 26 per game.