For the first time in 12 years, USA Basketball has not topped the men’s world rankings.
The International Basketball Federation (FIBA), the sport’s governing body, updated its rankings on Friday, and Spain moved into top spot, narrowly ahead of the United States.
The four-time defending American Olympic champion moved to prominence after winning the FIBA World Championship in 2010 and has been there ever since.
“It is not a completely new title and it probably cannot be preserved for very long, but it is something so unique, prestigious and historic that I feel very proud of everyone who contributed to it,” said Spain coach Sergio Scarillo. chirp Friday.
The FIBA rankings were changed in 2017 to a system that takes the results of the last eight years into account. This means that the United States will no longer reap the rewards of the 2014 World Cup title, but still see the Olympic gold medals won in Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo in the rankings. The United States finished seventh in the 2019 World Cup.
Spain won the last World Cup, as well as the EuroBasket title earlier this year. The EuroBasket win was Spain’s fourth in their past six matches at the continental championship, and all of those victories came under Scariolo’s leadership.
Spain is just 1.1 points ahead of the American men now, leading 758.6 to 757.5.
The next 10 places in the world rankings have not changed. Australia is in third place, and Argentina – which held the top spot before the United States took that spot in 2010 – is in fourth, followed by France, Serbia, Slovenia, Lithuania, Greece, Italy, Germany and the Czech Republic.
The United States still ranks first in women’s basketball, nearly 200 points ahead of China. The Americans were crowned gold medalists at the Women’s World Cup this year, cementing their place at the top of the list.
USA Basketball also enjoys a comfortable lead atop the rankings for boys and girls all over the world.
The latest FIBA rankings include men’s national teams from 164 countries and 118 women’s national teams.
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