USA begins FIBA Men’s World Cup qualifying, with Brandon Knight chasing NBA return – The Athletic
The U.S. begins its march toward the 2027 FIBA Men’s World Cup on Friday, touching down in Managua, Nicaragua, with a roster built for the moment and a qualifying journey that, if successful, won’t wrap until March 2027.
USA Basketball’s roster is a classic qualifying window mix: NBA veterans, G League regulars and international pros, collectively bringing more than 1,300 NBA games of experience, according to FIBA.
The 12-man group includes Ryan Woolridge, Pedro Bradshaw, Garrison Brooks, Jaden Shackelford and Jeremiah Tilmon, along with players who have logged NBA minutes such as Javonte Smart, Nate Hinton, Torrey Craig, Kessler Edwards, MarJon Beauchamp, Kyle Guy and Brandon Knight.
After a five-day training camp in Miami, the team headed south to Central America knowing this group would likely only exist for these two games — a temporary roster with long-term stakes.
For Knight, the window represents a chance, however small, to inch closer to an NBA return — a goal he hasn’t given up on since his last appearance in the league with the Dallas Mavericks in April 2022.
“I still have love for the game,” Knight told The Associated Press. “Even if I wasn’t playing and striving, I’d be working out every day anyways. And, honestly, it’s about my kids. At the peak of my career, my son was not even here yet.”
He added, “My goal is to hopefully, at one point, return to the NBA, and if they could see that, man, that would be it for me. I’ll keep striving whether I end up there or not.”
Knight has been playing professionally in Puerto Rico, a stop that’s given him some familiarity with the environment the U.S. expects to encounter in Managua. But the lure of this roster began even earlier.
“It feels awesome to have an NBA-type setting and then be able to go home,” Knight said of the Miami camp. “It’s nothing like anything I’ve been able to experience since I became a pro in 2011.”
He added, “It’s an honor to play for the USA.”
🇺🇸 Getting comfortable in the red, white & blue
👀 Watch Window 1️⃣ of the Men’s World Cup Qualifiers vs 🇳🇮 Nicaragua (11/28 & 12/1) on @courtside1891! pic.twitter.com/OOiFiDvW2j
— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) November 25, 2025
This two-game slate is only the prologue to a grueling qualification run. Across the FIBA Americas region, 16 teams are fighting for seven seats at the World Cup table. Since this format launched ahead of the 2019 tournament, the U.S. has handled the grind better than any team, posting a 19-5 record and finishing atop its group in both the 2019 and 2023 cycles. It’s also claimed two of the last four World Cup titles (2010, 2014). The 2027 edition in Doha, Qatar, will bring together 32 nations, with 80 teams worldwide battling through qualifiers to get there.
Stephen Silas, who guided the U.S. to bronze at the FIBA Men’s AmeriCup in August and previously coached portions of the 2025 AmeriCup Qualifying cycle, will lead this roster.
The Americans open Group A with two games against Nicaragua — first on Friday, Nov. 28 at 8 p.m. ET in Managua, then back home in College Park, Ga., at 7 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 1. Both games will stream live and free in the U.S. on Courtside 1891. They mark the first-ever meetings between the two nations.
The United States has a long qualifying journey ahead, and it officially begins in Managua with a short-term team, a long-term goal and at least one veteran hoping these next few days help change the trajectory of his career.
