Some of the biggest stars missing out on the 2023 Basketball World Cup

The 2023 Basketball World Cup, ongoing in Japan, Indonesia and the Philippines, looks to be one of the most open in recent times, with a number of potential candidates aiming to succeed Spain on the throne. The tournament was hit with a number of major withdrawals of the biggest stars over the last few weeks, which left the destination of the World Cup trophy even more up in the air.

When justifying their absence at the current event, there has been no one who has not said that they are doing so in order to arrive in the best possible conditions for Paris 2024.

The United States have a good team full of young players who possess a strong chance of victory. However, they are far from being a dream team.

The likes of LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, Jayson Tatum, Jimmy Butler and Devin Booker were not interested in the World Cup.

But there are more notable absences. Many that radically alter the chances of certain countries. For example, Greece are a seriously different outfit without Giannis Antetokounmpo. Nor is it the same for a Serbian team without Nikola Jokic, MVP of the NBA Finals. Or a Spain side without Ricky Rubio or Lorenzo Brown.

Let’s look at a roll call of notable absentees

Spain: Ricky Rubio, Lorenzo Brown

United States: LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, Anthony Davis, Jayson Tatum, Devin Booker, etc