The NBA schedule is typically less busy in August than nearly any other month, but fans of the Minnesota Timberwolves can still see many of their favorite players in action when the FIBA World Cup tips off later this month. The event is the second-largest international basketball competition, behind only the Olympics.
Officially tipping off on August 25, the World Cup will feature 32 different teams and will conclude on September 10. Many NBA players will be competing for their country, including a surprisingly large number of Minnesota Timberwolves.
Every Timberwolves player participating in the FIBA World Cup:
Anthony Edwards — United States
One of the top players participating with the US, Anthony Edwards joins a team of other young standouts like Mikal Bridges and Paolo Banchero. With many of the bigger names like Kevin Durant sitting out until the Olympics, it will be up to the next generation of NBA greats to get it done for the United States.
The US will be looking to avenge their seventh-place finish at the 2019 World Cup. To do so, they will have some formidable competition in teams like Canada, Australia and Slovenia. Anthony Edwards will have a great opportunity to showcase his talent and help lead the stars and stripes to victory.
Naz Reid — United States
While he is not on the active roster as of this writing, Naz Reid is part of the United States’ select team that helps the World Cup roster train and prepare for the tournament. The recognition Reid is getting for his talents is encouraging, and competing against the best will only help him improve going forward.
And it appears he has already made his impact felt with the select team. On Friday, it was reported that the select team defeated the United States’ World Cup team in consecutive scrimmages during practice.
Karl-Anthony Towns — Dominican Republic
Karl-Anthony Towns will be joining the Dominican Republic on the international stage for the first time since 2013 when he competed at the FIBA AmeriCup. The multi-skilled big man will be teaming up with Al Horford and Chris Duarte on the Dominican team.
Rudy Gobert — France
After competing with his home country of France at Eurobasket in 2022, Rudy Gobert is returning to the international stage at the World Cup as well. He already made headlines last week when he made the first three-pointer of his professional career in an exhibition match against Montenegro.
Kyle Anderson — China
Gaining Chinese nationality through his great-grandfather, Kyle Anderson will be joining the Chinese national team for the first time in international competition. Anderson should prove to be a huge boost to China’s roster.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker — Canada
After being acquired by the Timberwolves at the trade deadline in February, Nickeil Alexander-Walker is set to compete with his home country of Canada at the World Cup. NAW will join fellow NBA players Jamal Murray and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with Canada.
Luka Garza — Bosnia
Training extensively since the end of the Wolves’ season and even visiting his NBA teammates at Summer League and abroad this offseason, Luka Garza is 100% prepared to make his international debut with Bosnia and Herzegovina. He picked the opportunity with Bosnia over an opportunity with Team USA in honor of his family’s heritage.