Three Sacramento Kings leading national teams into this week’s FIBA World Cup qualifiers
The start of NBA training camp is still over a month away, but three members of the Kings organization will be in action this week when they represent their countries in international competition.
Domantas Sabonis (Lithuania), Alex Len (Ukraine) and Chimezie Metu (Nigeria) will lead their respective national teams into FIBA World Cup qualifiers at various locations across Europe. Nigeria is coached by Mike Brown, who is entering his first season in Sacramento after six years as an assistant with the Golden State Warriors, but according to a league source, he will not be with the Nigerian team this week.
Sabonis, a 6-foot-11 center, is one of the top players on a Lithuanian team that also features New Orleans Pelicans center Jonas Valanciunas and Orlando Magic forward Ignas Brazdekis. Lithuania will play Hungary on Wednesday and Montenegro on Saturday in Group K competition. Sabonis has already appeared in five games for Lithuania, averaging 9.6 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.6 assists.
Len, a 7-foot center, is among the top players on a Ukrainian team that also includes Toronto Raptors guard Svi Mykhailiuk and Yusuf Sanon, who was a second-round pick of the Washington Wizards in the 2018 NBA draft. Ukraine will play Italy on Wednesday and Iceland on Saturday in Group L. Len has appeared in two games for his team, averaging 9.5 points and 6.0 rebounds.
Metu, a 6-9 power forward, is among the best players on a Nigerian team that will also have Phoenix Suns small forward Josh Okogie. Nigeria will play Ivory Coast on Friday, Guinea on Saturday and Angola on Sunday in Group E. Metu has averaged 9.0 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists in two games for Nigeria.
All games will be available at Courtside 1891, FIBA’s new digital platform.
This story was originally published August 23, 2022 at 12:17 PM.
