EuroBasket 2022 Preview: FAQ on schedule, teams and Cavs players

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Cedi Osman, Turkey. Photo by Elif Ozturk Ozgoncu/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images /

EuroBasket 2022 Preview: Frequently Asked Questions

What is EuroBasket? EuroBasket, or the “European Basketball Championship,” is a tournament of the senior men’s basketball teams governed by FIBA Europe.

Ok, what is FIBA? FIBA stands for the “International Basketball Federation” (in French, the Fédération internationale de basket-ball) and governs the sport of basketball worldwide. They are the counterpart to “FIFA” in football/soccer, and they put on the World Cup every four years and organizes the basketball component of the Summer Olympics.

Got it. Back to EuroBasket. Is it new? It’s not! The first EuroBasket tournament was in 1935, 87 years ago, and the 2022 edition of the competition will be the 41st such tournament. The tournament used to take place every two years, in between the Summer Olympics and the World Cup, but just a few years ago FIBA decided to space them out to every four years and to use them as World Cup qualifiers. Because the pandemic delayed this a year, it has been five years since the last EuroBasket.

Who gets to play in EuroBasket? Any team governed by FIBA Europe, which is basically European countries, including Russia and Turkey, with Israel added in for good measure. Those teams qualified for the tournament by various means, and 24 of them will compete in this year’s version.

When does it start? EuroBasket 2022 kicks off on September 1st, with eight days of qualifying as the four groups face off. The top 16 teams then move to a knockout stage beginning September 10th, and on September 18th the champion will be crowned.

Who are the tournament favorites? All-NBA player Luka Doncic won the EuroBasket 2017 MVP award as he and Goran Dragic led Slovenia to the title. Nikola Jokic and a newly-cultivated Serbia team are another favorite, as are Giannis Antetokounmpo and Greece. The French group with Rudy Gobert manning the middle beat Team USA at the Olympics and won the silver medal.

Anything else I should know? Check out the schedule here Every single EuroBasket game will be streamed on ESPN+, and games begin as early as 7 a.m. ET. .