The USA FIBA World Cup team has been receiving a lot of criticism in the past few days. The lack of superstar players on the roster, the loss to the Select Team in two consecutive scrimmages-everything about the team has started to concern the NBA community. Former Washington Wizards player Gilbert Arenas recently took a shot at the team calling them a “sorry a** group” for their poor performances and nondescript lineup. Shaquille O’Neal shared Arenas’ views on his Instagram stories, perhaps highlighting the issue at hand.
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Reporting on the scrimmages between the USA Select team and the USA FIBA World Cup team, Washington Post’s Ben Golliver tweeted that the former had beaten the latter in two consecutive 10-minute scrimmages at the Las Vegas training camp. According to the reports, 2021 Number 1 Draft Pick Cade Cunningham was the star of the face-off between the two teams. The poor performance of the team drew criticism from Arenas.
Shaquille O’Neal shares Gilbert Arenas’ criticism of the USA FIBA World Cup team on his Instagram
Commenting on the USA team for the FIBA World Cup, Arenas didn’t have nice things to say. While some of the players were happy to be there, the three-time NBA All-Star said that the other stars in the team seemed to not even want to be there on the roster.
“You see the list they got? Sorry, a** group… It’s cool for some of the guys who got there…You have star players who do not want to participate… You just automatically say he is not going to fit our style,” said Arenas.
Shaq also seems to share the same sentiment as Arenas about the team. He took to his Instagram to share Arenas’ views. Golliver later tweeted that the USA FIBA team had lost three straight 10-minute scrimmages to the Select Team. However, he also said that the team had won the fourth one.
Amidst criticism from Shaq and Arenas, Kyrie Irving defends FIBA Team USA
While Arenas and Shaq have shown massive skepticism towards the team’s roster, Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving came with a positive light. Anthony Edwards will be donning Jersey number 10, which was once worn by the late great Kobe Bryant and Irving himself. The star player tweeted his confidence in Edwards continuing the legacy in the FIBA World Cup. “Now it’s Antmans turn to go be Special in that #10 Jersey for the USA and win the GOLD Medal,” said Kyrie.
Despite two former players’ lack of confidence, the team has a lot of talent to offer in the world cup. The roster includes NBA stars like Brandon Ingram, Austin Reaves, Jalen Brunson, and Anthony Edwards. Apart from Reaves, Ingram, Brunson, and Edwards have proven themselves as certified scorers. Hence, the problem at offense is definitely out of the question. As far as the defense goes, they still have Jaren Jackson Jr. and Mikal Bridges to hold the fort. Reaves himself is an excellent on-ball defender. However, the concern also might be legitimate looking at their recent performances.
