As big of a fan as I am of basketball, I am JUST as big of a fan of the world of footy. Every four years a huge percentage of American’s pretend to care about the game for a few weeks up until the point that the USMNT loses in the knockout rounds, and then they go back to not caring about the sport. Maybe if the USMNT took some notes from the USWNT, America as a whole would care about the game a little more. I couldn’t possibly be further from those kinds of fans.
I’ve been a diehard fan of “soccer” since the 2014 World Cup when my college roommate introduced me to the game, and I never looked back. There’s just something about competing at the highest level against other countries that really scratches an itch that I have. In the world of basketball, I have that same passion: the Olympics, the World Cup, the AmeriCup - it doesn’t matter. I am a fan of it all. Luckily for me and other fans like me, we don’t have to wait very long to see some international action as the 2027 FIBA World Cup is just 403 days away at the time of writing this article. I’m not ready for the World Cup craze to be over, so I wanted to do a deep dive into all of the Jazzmen who took the world’s stage.
Of course everyone remembers the 1992 Dream Team; it was the first year that professional athletes from the NBA were allowed to compete at the Olympic games, and for the most part the United States has been on a dominant run ever since. In 1994, however, there was a lesser known team called “Dream Team II” that competed at the FIBA World Cup that also cruised to a Gold medal. That team was headlined by guys like Dominique Wilkins, Steve Smith, Alonzo Mourning, and the MVP of the entire tournament Shaquille O’Neal. Unfortunately there were no Jazzmen on ANY national team that year, but good things take time. So without further ado let’s go over the history of Jazzmen who represented our team at the highest level.*
*If they were on the Utah Jazz roster or drafted the season prior to the tournament, they will qualify.
2002
Andrei Kirlenko
It took a few years for the Jazz to actually have someone they employ make it to the world’s stage, but I think the wait was worth it. The beloved AK-47 (or AK-13 for his international duties) suited up for Russia’s national team and put on a show. After finishing 3rd in the Rookie of the Year race in the NBA, Kirlenko averaged 15 points which was 2nd on the team, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists, with 45% from deep (3.7 attempts a game).
Russia finished 1-2 in group play, and were knocked out in the second group stage also going 1-2. Not the result that I’m sure he was looking for, but not bad from the kid.
2014
Erik Murphy
We had to wait a while again for someone to do the Jazz proud (honestly surprised that Deron Williams or Carlos Boozer never played in a World Cup) but better late than never I say.
Enter: Erik Murphy for Finland’s National Team. Murphy averaged a modest 6.8 points and 5.4 rebounds in very limited minutes for the team. Finland sadly went 1-4 in group play which was not enough to advance.
Joe Ingles & Dante Exum
A couple of Aussies for the next entry here. Joe Ingles was only 26 at the time of the tournament and was a vital part of the team’s success. He averaged 11.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 3.4 assists in 5 games.
Donte, on the other hand, was just drafted by the Jazz 5th overall in the 2014 NBA Draft. As a young player he didn’t get a lot of playing time in the tournament so his stats aren’t anything to write home about: 2.7 points and 2 assists a night through 6 games. Australia went 3-2 in group play which was good enough to qualify them for the Round of 16, but lost to Turkey 65-64 in the first game out of group play.
Rudy Gobert
In 2014 Gobert had just finished his rookie campaign with the Jazz, and after 2 points and 3 rebounds in 9 minutes a game. Everyone involved decided that it was good for him to try and get more reps. He had some shining moments for sure, like his 15 point and 13 rebound outing against Spain in the Quarter-finals, but in 9 games he averaged just 4.1 points and 4.7 rebounds.
In this tournament France showed that they would be a future basketball superpower; they went 3-2 in group play, defeated Croatia 69-64 in the Round of 16, downed Spain 65-52 in the Quarter-finals, but ultimately fell to Serbia 90-85 in the Semi-finals.
2019
Joe Ingles
A little bit of a different outing for Joe in this tournament. Still a very large part of the team’s success playing over 33 minutes a game (FIBA plays 40 minutes games), but while his PPG dipped slightly (10.5), he managed to do everything else at a very high level - he averaged 6.1 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and 1.6 steals in 8 games.
Australia went 3-0 in the first round of group play, 2-0 in the second round to qualify for the Quarter-finals, beat the Czech Republic 82-70, but did lose to Spain in a double OT thriller 95-88 in the Semi-finals.
Rudy Gobert
At this stage in Gobert’s career, he had become a household name. He had placed in the Top 7 of the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year award for the last five years, and just earned his 2nd DPOY award in back-to-back years. Gobert continued his stellar play in this tournament with 10.1 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game.
France also did very well as a team going 3-0 in the first group stage, 1-1 in the second group stage, managed to defeat a United States squad that featured Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Kemba Walker in the Quarter-finals, ultimately lost to Argentina 80-66 in the Semi-finals, but did secure a Bronze medal after beating Australia 67-59.
Donovan Mitchell
FINALLY, some USA representation on this list. Mitchell was a reliable scoring option for the Stars and Stripes averaging 13 points per game on 46/40/75 shooting splits.
Quite a weird year for the US, if you ask me. They finished 3-0 in the first group stage, 2-0 in the second stage to qualify for the Quarter-finals, but then suffered two back-to-back losses to the aforementioned France 89-79, and 94-89 to Serbia before gaining a consolation victory against Poland 87-74 for a 7th place finish.
2023
Simone Fontecchio
In 2023 there was a HUGE explosion of Jazz talent in the World Cup with Fontecchio being 1 of 5 players to suit up for their country. After a so-so rookie campaign in the NBA, Fontecchio had a coming out party for Italy leading the team with 18 points per game, while also grabbing 5.6 rebounds a game, and nearly 1 steal through 7 games.
Italy finished 2-1 in group play, 2-0 in the second stage, but then suffered 3 straight losses to the United States, Latvia, and Slovenia for an 8th place finish.
Jordan Clarkson
After receiving clearance from FIBA the year prior by being a naturalized player, Clarkson SHOWED OUT for the Philippines. Clarkson was on a HEATER with 26 points a game which was 2nd most in the entire tournament. His shooting splits weren’t… amazing, but I can appreciate an “empty the clip” kind of player.
The Philippines did only go 1-4 in all group stages for a 24th place finish in the 2023 World Cup, but they did qualify for the Olympic Qualifying Tournament. Small victories, as they say.
Walker Kessler
This may be a sore subject based on recent events, but there was a time where Kessler was a beloved Jazzman. After finishing 3rd in the 2023 Rookie of the Year race, he dawned the red, white, and blue for Team USA. His stats weren’t incredible or anything; just 4 points and 2.3 rebounds a night, but was a very solid rim protector with 1.3 blocks a game in very limited action.
2023 was a bit of a bounce back year for the USA, going 4-1 in the group stages, dismantling Italy in the Quarter-finals 100-63, but lost to Germany 113-111 in the Semi-finals, followed by an overtime loss to Canada 127-118 for a 4th place finish. At least it’s not 7th, right?
Lauri Markkanen
Jordan Clarkson wasn’t the only Jazzman to put on a show. Markkanen finished 3rd in the entire tournament in scoring with an astounding 24.8 PPG through 5 games. He also chipped in 8 rebounds and 1 block a game.
Finland as a team was, as a whole, very lackluster compared to Markkanen’s output. They went 0-3 in the group stages, did not qualify for the Quarter-finals, and finished 21st in the tournament.
Kelly Olynyk
As mentioned before, Canada did pretty well in the 2023 World Cup, and has been a mainstay in the world of basketball ever since. Olynyk was a do-it-all kind of player for this team averaging 10.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.9 assists a night.
Canada went 4-1 in the group stages, beat Slovenia 100-89 in the Quarter-final, lost to Serbia in the Semi-finals 95-86, but did secure a Bronze medal after defeating the United States 127-118.
2027
As I said before, the 2027 FIBA World Cup is right around the corner, and this year’s Jazz team has some really interesting candidates. Of course there is one candidate that has already been mentioned in Lauri Markkenen. He’s as much of a shoe-in as there could possibly be for Finland.
On the United States side of things is where it gets really interesting for me. The Team USA board has treated the FIBA World Cup as a stepping stone to the Olympics as far as their roster construction is concerned. I 1000% disagree with that approach but that is how the cookie crumbles. Guys like Keyonte George and Ace Bailey would be perfect FIBA players with their ability to score, and depending on how well Darryn Peterson performs in his rookie year, he may very well have a chance to represent the country in the 2027 FIBA World Cup. The future is very bright for the Utah Jazz, and I can’t wait to see what they can do.
Did you watch the FIFA World Cup? Are you a fan of these international basketball tournaments? Sound off in the comments below and let us know some of your favorite moments!
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