00:00We go now to the Bahamas, where the national team has called upon its big names for a vital window
00:06of FIBA World Cup 2027 America's qualifiers next month.
00:10Headlining a 24-player preliminary squad are DeAndre Ayton, Buddy Heald, Eric Gordon, and Vijay Edgecombe, the same core that
00:20helped the team reach the final of the 2024 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Spain, where they beat Finland, Poland,
00:27and Lebanon before falling to the host nation.
00:30Come on!
00:34Ayton, who starred in that run, helped the Los Angeles Lakers reach the second round of the playoffs this past
00:40NBA season, while Edgecombe is coming off a spectacular debut campaign with the Philadelphia 76ers, averaging 16 points and 4
00:50assists, finishing third in Rookie of the Year voting.
00:55Bahamas are at the bottom of Group B of qualifying with a 1-3 record, making results against Jamaica on
01:01July 3, and Puerto Rico three nights later, vital to their hopes of qualifying for the second round, as the
01:07Bahamians aim to reach a first World Cup.
01:14To Croatia, where Evica Zubac has been included in an 18-player preliminary squad ahead of its European World Cup
01:23qualifiers.
01:25The 29-year-old's NBA season was cut short due to a rib injury sustained in March, playing just five
01:32games for the Indiana Pacers after being traded from the L.A. Clippers a month earlier.
01:39Zubac powered Croatia's run to the final of the FIBA Olympic qualifying tournament in Greece two years ago, his side
01:47falling to the host nation in the final.
01:50And he is joined by four others from that team, fellow center Danko Brankovic, star forwards Dario Saric and Mario
01:58Hezonja, and playmaker Jelene Smith.
02:04Croatia has already qualified for the second round, sitting atop Group E with a 3-1 record, but having missed
02:10the 2023 World Cup, will be keen for full points from its clashes with Cyprus and Israel.
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