Kobe Bryant’s got one message for U.S.A. Basketball: “Don’t [expletive] this up.”
Announced Tuesday evening, the retired NBA superstar has been named the global ambassador for the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup.
“Growing up in Italy and spending many years visiting China, I have always appreciated the global impact that basketball has had on the positive development of young people,” Bryant said in a statement. “I’m honoured FIBA has invited me to serve as an ambassador for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019.
“I hope my participation inspires and motivates the best players from the 32 participating teams to represent their respective country on the world’s biggest stage. I look forward to seeing who will lift the trophy next year.”
Scheduled to take place from Aug. 31 – Sept. 15, 2019 in China, the FIBA World World Cup will play host to 32 teams who qualify for the event.
Among the teams hoping to punch their ticket to the tournament is Canada, who currently sits atop their Group F in the second round of their Americas region qualifiers with two more windows of qualifying games still to play.
Canada will next play on Nov. 30 and Dec. 3, in Venezuela and Brazil, before closing out its qualification schedule against Chile and Venezuela, again, on Feb. 21 and 24 in St. John’s, N.L.
With the 15 points and a plus-184 point differential Canada currently boasts in its group, the team looks to be in good position to qualify for the World Cup and potentially reach its first Olympic Games since 2000 in Sydney, as Olympic qualification will feed directly out of the World Cup’s results.
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