National Wiretap

Chicago Bulls forward Matas Buzelis is set to make his long-awaited debut for Lithuania's national team. Buzelis confirmed that he'll play in qualifiers this summer for the 2027 FIBA World Cup.

"We had a good conversation. I will play for the national team this summer. It will be a lot of fun," Buzelis said of his talks with the Lithuanian Basketball Federation.

Lithuania currently sits in second place behind Italy in their four-team qualifying group. This summer, they are set to face Great Britain and Italy. The top three teams from the group, which also includes Iceland, will advance to the next round of qualifying.

Buzelis has yet to play for Lithuania on the national team level. Kasparas Jakucionis from the Miami Heat is also expected to play in this summer's qualifiers.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander committed to Team Canada for the 2027 FIBA World Cup and 2028 Olympics cycle.

According to new rules established by coach Gordie Herbert and general manager Rowan Barrett, players must commit for the three-year cycle or they will not be on the roster for those tournaments.

"To a certain extent, in the past, we used to say with the national team, get our best players to play. It's not enough," said Herbert, according to the CBC. "It's not enough. You need your best group of players to come in to the national team, commit to the program, commit to the time date."

Gilgeous-Alexander will be joined by Lu Dort, RJ Barrett, and Dillon Brooks, among others.

Jamal Murray and Andrew Wiggins are notable names who will not be on the roster for the upcoming tournaments. 

Miami Heat point guard Kasparas Jakucionis is set to have a busy summer of basketball. Jakucionis has been called up to play for Lithuania in FIBA World Cup qualifiers in the first week of July. Jakucionis is then expected to join the Miami Heat for Las Vegas Summer League, which starts on July 9.

Miami drafted the 6-foot-5 point guard out of Illinois with the 20th pick at the 2025 NBA Draft. In his rookie season for the Heat, Jakucionis averaged 6.2 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 17.8 minutes per game.

This summer will be Jakucionis' debut for the Lithuanian senior team. He's represented his home country at youth level for years, including winning gold for Lithuania at the U-16 EuroBasket in 2022.

Bryce Cotton has spent years playing professionally in Australia. Now, Cotton will suit up for Australia's national team for FIBA World Cup qualifiers this summer.

Cotten became a naturalized citizen of Australia last fall. That allowed him to earn a spot to suit up for Australia on the national team level.

"Representing the Australian men's national basketball team for the first time is something I don't take lightly," Cotton said.

"Coming from where I come from, this opportunity means a lot to me and my family. Australia has embraced me from day one, and I'm grateful for the chance to wear the green and gold alongside a great group of guys. I'm excited, motivated, and ready to give everything I have for the country."

In major events, each country is allowed to roster only one naturalized player. Australia will have to choose between Cotton and veteran NBA wing Matisse Thybulle for the World Cup and future Olympics. Both Cotton and Thybulle are Americans who were naturalized by Australia.

Luka Doncic announced Monday via Instagram that he will not play for the Slovenian national team this summer, citing an ongoing custody battle over his two daughters with ex-fiancee Anamaria Goltes. The announcement came shortly after the Lakers were eliminated by the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Doncic, 27, posted the message in both Slovenian and English. His oldest daughter, Gabriela, is 3 years old. His youngest, Olivia, was born this past December.

"I love my daughters more than anything, and they will always come first in my life. As I continue working toward joint custody of my daughters, I have been forced to make a difficult decision between traveling and playing for the Slovenian national team and being with my daughters this summer.

"Unfortunately, it has been made extremely difficult for me to see them over the past eight months."

Doncic and Goltes announced the end of their engagement in March. At the time, Doncic said he had been working to bring his daughters to the United States. Goltes subsequently filed a petition for child support and attorney's fees, according to TMZ.

Doncic has not played since suffering a Grade 2 left hamstring strain on April 2, missing the entire postseason. Despite the absence, he finished the regular season as the NBA's scoring champion at 33.5 points per game. Los Angeles defeated Houston in six games in the first round before being swept by defending champion Oklahoma City in the second round.

"If I could be out there, I would be out there 100 percent," Doncic told reporters after Game 4, adding that he expects to be cleared for contact practice next week.

David Fizdale was hired as the head coach of Nigeria's men's basketball team on Friday.

"It will be fun and exciting calling timeouts and drawing plays up again as a head coach," Fizdale told ESPN Andscape in a phone interview. "It will be good to get back in that mindset of preparation and motivation. That is going to be fun and exciting as well. But the biggest fact is the nostalgia and what is driving me to get to L.A. What is driving me the most is helping Nigeria not only qualify and medal, but to do that in front of my family. That would be the most special thing."

Fizdale, who is currently serving as an analyst for NBA TV, has a regular season coaching record of 71-134 with the Grizzlies and Knicks.

The 51-year-old was most recently an assistant with the Suns from 2023-2025.

Nigeria has made three appearances in the Olympics in 2012, 2016, and 2020 but has never medaled.

The Olympic qualification journey for Nigeria begins with the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup African Qualifiers from July 2-5.

Veteran French guard Nando De Colo announced that he plans to retire at the end of this season. De Colo is wrapping up his season and career by playing for Fenerbahce in Turkey.

De Colo played for two seasons in the NBA for the San Antonio Spurs and Toronto Raptors. He then returned to Europe and spent the next five seasons with CSKA Moscow. De Colo led CSKA to the 2016 EuroLeague title.

In 2019, De Colo left for his first run with Fenerbahce. After three seasons with the Turkish powerhouse, the veteran guard spent three years with ASVEL in his native France, before returning to Fenerbahce this season.

De Colo has also been a fixture for the French National team. He helped France to win silver medals in 2020 and 2024, gold at the 2013 EuroBasket and bronze at the 2019 FIBA World Cup.

Kevin Durant intends to represent Team USA at the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles, the four-time gold medalist told ESPN, directly contradicting the widely held assumption that Paris marked his final Olympic appearance. Durant will be approaching 40 years old when the Games arrive in his home country.

Durant said he has already informed managing director Grant Hill of his intentions, though he attached a clear condition to his availability.

"Hell yeah, I want to play," Durant said. "I would love to, but I've got to stay on top of my game. I want to still prove I can help the team win — not just for seniority."

Durant pushed back on the media narrative that Paris represented a farewell for him, Stephen Curry and LeBron James. James has confirmed he will not participate in 2028. Curry appears unlikely to play.

"That narrative, where did the last dance thing come from?" Durant said. "I didn't say I wasn't playing. LeBron said he wasn't. You didn't hear that from me or Steph."

Durant also addressed criticism of American grassroots basketball development, rejecting comparisons that favor European player development over the AAU system.

"I just don't like the talk around the USA versus European style of how you approach the game," Durant told ESPN. "All I hear is, 'AAU is destroying the game; the Euros do it right while the Americans do it wrong.'

"It's a lot of bulls--- with that. I can read between the lines on that. It's a shot at Black Americans. We're controlling the sport. They're tired of us controlling the sport.

"'France is coming for you.' Really? We smacked them boys," he said.

Durant is the United States men's all-time leading scorer in Olympic competition.

USA Basketball has named their 12-man roster for upcoming 2027 FIBA World Cup Qualifiers. The roster is a mix of G League players and veteran NBA free agents. Here are the 12 players who will suit up for Stephen Silas:

• Marjon Beauchamp
• Pedro Bradshaw
• Garrison Brooks
• Torrey Craig
• Kessler Edwards
• Kyle Guy
• Nate Hinton
• Brandon Knight
• Jaden Shackelford
• Javonte Smart
• Jeremiah Tilmon
• Ryan Woolridge

Team USA will play a pair of games against Nicaragua. The first game will be played in Nicaragua on November 28, before a second game in College Park, Georgia on December 1.

The 2027 FIBA World Cup will be hosted by Qatar. The Tournament will take place from August 27 through September 12.

LeBron James has fully ruled himself out of the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles when he will be 43 years old, while Stephen Curry is keeping the possibility open when he is 40. James and Curry discussed the Olympics during their recent podcast conversation.

"You already know my answer," James said. "I will be watching it."

James has competed in four Olympics with gold medals in 2008, 2012 and 2024. Curry made his Olympic debut in 2024 and helped the United States win gold with Steve Kerr as head coach.

"God willing, I still have the choice and physical option where I could impact the team," Curry said. "Never say never, but I highly doubt it. Highly doubt it."

Erik Spoelstra has replaced Kerr as head coach of the United States for the upcoming cycle including the 2028 Olympics.