Wembanyama, Dončić could square off in EuroBasket tournament

RIGA, Latvia — France and Slovenia were slotted into the same group for this year’s EuroBasket tournament on Thursday, meaning it’s possible that Victor Wembanyama — if he’s cleared to play — could meet Luka Dončić when the event starts in late August.

Wembanyama has not played an NBA game for San Antonio since the All-Star break because of deep vein thrombosis found in one of his shoulders. The Spurs ruled him out for the season, but have not said if the 7-foot-4 French star could be ready to play this summer.

Dončić, now of the Los Angeles Lakers, has said that he intends to play for Slovenia if healthy.

The draw for the 24-team tournament — Europe’s continental championship — placed teams into one of four groups.

Group A: At Riga, Latvia, it includes Latvia, Serbia, Czech Republic, Turkey, Estonia and Portugal.

Group B: At Tampere, Finland, it includes Finland, reigning World Cup champion Germany, Lithuania, Montenegro, Britain and Sweden.

Group C: At Limassol, Cyprus, it includes Cyprus, defending champion Spain, Greece, Italy, Georgia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Group D: At Katowice, Poland, it includes Poland, France, Slovenia, Israel, Belgium and Iceland.

Teams will play the other teams in their group once in the opening stage. The top four teams in each group will advance to the final phase in Riga from Sept. 6 through Sept. 14. Groups A and B will be on one side of the bracket for the knockout phase, Groups C and D will be on the other.

Spain beat France in the final of the 2022 tournament, the last time EuroBasket was held.

Source: espn.com