Germany has won the 2023 FIBA World Cup after beating Serbia 83-77 in the Finals game on Sunday. On the other hand, Team USA suffered 127-118 overtime loss to Canada in the third-place match and is returning home without a medal.
Germany takes home the gold in a dominant fashion, being undefeated throughout the entire tournament.
Winning their first basketball World Cup gold is an amazing achievement for Germany, considering that they finished 18th in 2018 and didn’t even qualify the year prior. But in recent years, Germans have emerged as a basketball force, winning a bronze medal at the 2022 EuroBasket and now going all the way at the 2023 FIBA World Cup.
They have their captain and Dennis Schroeder to thank for that, as the Toronto Raptors point guard has consistently been the team’s best player. Schroeder was named the MVP of the tournament after scoring 28 points in the finals and averaging 19.1 points and 6.1 assists throughout the tournament.
Before Germany and Serbia squared off in the Finals, Team USA and Canada faced each other to determine who would take home the bronze medal. It was a thrilling game that reminded us of the stuff we regularly watch in the NBA.
Canada controlled the game for the first three quarters, but the U.S. found a way to erase the nine-point deficit in the fourth quarter and force overtime thanks to a miraculous shot by Mikail Bridges.
The overtime, however, didn’t see Americans bring out the same kind of energy, with Canada’s stars Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Dillon Brooks taking over to propel the country to its first medal at World Cups. Gilgeous-Alexander scored his team’s first seven points while Brooks successfully dealt with the U.S. star players on the other side of the floor to end the period 16-7 in favor of Canada.
