The FIBA World Cup is going on right now, and players around the world are showcasing their talents on the world stage. The news usually revolves around Team USA and what’s happening around them. However, a new team has been taking down some big names in the World Cup so far, and their star player is putting on a show. Their recent win against Brazil is a testament to how good they are.

For Team USA, players like Austin Reeves and Anthony Edwards are headlining this FIBA run. People mostly expect them to win, but their recent loss to Lithuania has people thinking that the hierarchy of the basketball world has shifted. Will this new team prove to be the dark horse after their win against Brazil, especially with their star player in red-hot form?

Embodying the Kobe Bryant mentality

Latvia has been making waves in this tournament. They have beaten Spain and France along the way. They made it to the quarterfinals for the first time in the country’s history in FIBA, following their win against Brazil. The star player who is leading their team is Arturs Zagars.

After their win against Brazil, Arturs was asked about his emotions, and he could simply say, “I think I have to go to the locker room and understand what the hell just happened“.

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Arturs said it was a huge accomplishment for a small country like his to make it to the top-8. He said he would only celebrate his victory until midnight. After that, once it’s the next day, he will fully focus on the next opponent. He said it with a smile. “As Kobe said, the job’s not finished“. The Mamba mentality runs strongly through this 22-year-old.

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Team Latvia took care of France, which had Evan Fournier, Rudy Gobert, and Nicholas Batum. Arturs Zagars scored 22 points and had five assists. Against Brazil, Arturs Zagars scored 17 points. The main point guard for the team is out with an injury. So Arthur had a lot of doubters.

He proved to everyone with this win what he and his team can do. Arthur was born in 2000 and declared for the NBA draft in 2022. He went undrafted, and he spent the last year playing in Lithuania.

Has the rest of the world caught up with the USA

Speaking of Lithuania, Team USA just got handed their first loss of this World Cup by them. It was a surprising loss. Even though the match ended with a close score, it didn’t seem like the USA ever had any control. Even with top talent like Brandon Ingram and Jalen Brunson on the team, the USA team struggled heavily. The USA had no answer against Lithuania when it came to rebounding the ball.

Kobe Bryant was the brand ambassador for the FIBA World Cup in 2019. The Los Angeles Lakers legend has always been high on players who came from other countries, as he is also someone who grew up in Italy. When Team USA was eliminated in 2019, Kobe Bryant was asked if the rest of the world had caught up with the USA. Kobe replied that it had been the case for a few years now. He said there wasn’t much of a difference anymore.

With Team USA’s shocking loss to Lithuania, the words of the late Kobe Bryant stand true: the rest of the world is now a threat to the USA. And a win is not guaranteed for any team.

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