Shaquille O’Neal and Kyrie Irving have joined in on the hype surrounding the upcoming FIBA Basketball World Cup. While Shaquille O’Neal subtly took a dig at the current team, Kyrie took a much more positive tone. Reacting to Anthony Edwards wearing the prestigious number 10, formerly worn by the late legend Kobe Bryant, Irving conveyed his desire to see the youngster win the gold medal for the country. Moreover, this was also an indirect response to Shaq, who shared the current rankings of the teams and was doubtful of his country’s talent.
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The tournament that is scheduled to begin on August 25 will see some of the best young talents in the world compete for the prestigious gold medal. While NBA may be the most elite league in the world, representing your country on the global stage is always an honor, and Kyrie believes Edwards is ready to showcase his talent.
Kyrie Irving hypes up Anthony Edwards ahead of the FIBA World Cup
The usually controversial Dallas Mavericks star guard took to social media earlier today to show some love to Timberwolves’ guard Anthony Edwards. The 21-year-old is one of the most talented players in this year’s Team USA. He has also been given the precious number 10 for the World Cup highlighting his skill and mentality.
The number has been worn by many greats before him including Kyrie Irving, Jayson Tatum, Kobe Bryant, and Clyde Drexler. Irving believes Edwards is a great fit for it and will, undoubtedly prove his worth, and lead Team USA to the gold medal. He also claimed it was now the 6ft 4″ Guard’s time to excel, likely pointing out the success achieved by players before him.
Kyrie on his Twitter wrote: “Now it’s Antmans turn to go be Special in that #10 Jersey for the USA and win the GOLD Medal.”
Edwards is a 1-time All-Star and one of the most promising youngsters in the league. He has established himself as a future face of the franchise in his 3 years with the team. It is more than likely that Anthony Edwards will showcase his exceptional talent in the upcoming competition. That being said, Kyrie Irving’s demand for a Gold medal might not be as easy.
As pointed out by Shaquille O’Neal in his Instagram post, Team USA isn’t even the highest-ranked squad by Bleacher Report heading into the tournament. While Team France topped the list, Team USA stood second. Surprisingly, the French team will not even feature the 7ft 5″ star Victor Wembanyama.
Team USA will include Brandan Ingram and Anthony Reaves among other stars
Although not as stacked as its historical counterparts, this year’s Team USA is also filled to the brim with talent. It’ll feature stars like Brandon Ingram, Anthony Reaves, Jalen Brunson, and Anthony Edwards.
The Squad will also include Paolo Banchero, Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart, Jaren Jackson Jr., Cam Johnson, Tyrese Haliburton, Walker Kessler, and Bobby Portis. It’s a healthy mix of defensive and offensive players along with some veterans who can keep the youngsters in check. This team holds the potential to perform impressively on the global stage but whether they could be gold medalists or not only time will tell.
