FIBA World Cup 2019 primer

When Angola tips off against Serbia in Foshan, China, on Saturday, it will mark the commencement of the 16-day 2019 FIBA World Cup. It's the first such tournament since 2014, with FIBA adopting a new four-year cycle starting this year to avoid conflicting with the granddaddy of them all - the FIFA World Cup. Indonesia, Japan, and the Philippines are scheduled to co-host the next edition in 2023.

With or without the full participation of its NBA superstars, the United States has dominated recent World Cups (formerly the FIBA World Championship) and will aim to secure its third straight gold medal in China. The U.S. and the former Yugoslavia have won the most championships in the history of the event:

Groups

The Americans sit poised to top Group E over Turkey, the Czech Republic, and Japan. Spain, France, and Serbia - the next three global hoops powers based on current FIBA rankings - headline Group C, Group G, and Group D, respectively.

If there's a "Group of Death" at this World Cup, it's probably Group H, which includes Lithuania, Australia, Canada, and Senegal. Those four countries combine for the highest average FIBA ranking (19) of any quartet.

Previews
Group A | Group B | Group C | Group D | Group E | Group F | Group G | Group H | Top 5 group stage games | 5 countries that could surprise

Players

More than 50 NBA players will hit the floor in China, including Giannis Antetokounmpo of Greece, Rudy Gobert of France, Nikola Jokic of Serbia, and Marc Gasol of Spain. Though the U.S. roster is comprised entirely of NBAers, the Americans lack one of the consensus top-three players in the tournament for the first time in recent memory.

Thirteen countries at the World Cup are without a single player who suited up in the NBA last season. Some of those teams, however, such as Argentina (Luis Scola), Russia (Sergey Karasev), and the Philippines (Andray Blatche) feature former NBAers.

Top 5 non-NBA players heading to the World Cup