A Guide to the Jordan Men’s Basketball Team
Since the turn of the 21st century, the Jordan men’s basketball team has come to prominence on the world stage. In this time, they’ve qualified for the FIBA Basketball World Cup three times and they’ve won both a silver and a bronze medal at the FIBA Asia Cup.
Want to discover more about the Jordan men’s basketball team? Read on. This in-depth guide from the experts at Courtside 1891 includes details on the side’s historic achievements, best players and FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 performance.
How Did Jordan Do At The FIBA World Cup 2023?
Here are the key stats from Jordan's FIBA Basketball World Cup campaign:
- → Final Standing: 32nd
- → Results: Played 5 Won 0 Lost 5
- → Top Points Scorer: Rondae Hollis Jefferson 118 PTS (23.6 PPG)
- → Top Assist Provider: Freddy Ibrahim 24 AST (6.0 APG)
- → Most Efficient Player: Rondae Hollis Jefferson 22.6 EPG
Jordan was only one of three teams at the World Cup 2023 to go home without a win. Finishing bottom in Group C after defeats to Greece, New Zealand and a crushing 110-62 blowout loss to the USA. Further disappointment was to follow in the classification games against Egypt and Mexico.
Despite the record, Jordan can consider themselves unlucky to finish last in the 2023 World Cup rankings. A sensational 39-point performance by Hollis Jefferson took New Zealand to OT with a four-point play in the last 10 seconds of regulation. Check out his film from the game below.
Rondae Hollis Jefferson - Game MVP - Jordan v New Zealand
RHJ was only one of 9 players to score 100+ points at the FIBA World Cup 2023. His total of 118 tournament points put him fourth among players who played 5 games, behind Jordan Clarkson, Lauri Markkanen and Karl-Anthony Towns. His all-around body of work was impressive, adding 7.8 rebounds and 4.4 assists to his tournament average 23.6 points. This included almost 12 free throw attempts per game.
Check out his top 25 tournament dunk entry at the top of the video.
FIBA World Cup 2023 - Top 25 Dunks
Team Presentation Video
Increase your knowledge about the Jordan basketball team by watching our Team Discovery Video. It will provide you with plenty of stats and facts you can share with your basketball buddies!
Team Presentation - Jordan - FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023
Jordan Basketball World Cup Qualification
The Jordan basketball team entered the Asian Qualifiers for the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup with the aim of reaching consecutive World Cups for the first time in the country’s history.
In the first phase of qualifying, they were drawn in Group C, alongside Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia. Here, they finished second and advanced to the second round thanks to a 4-2 record.
Then, in the second phase, they were placed in Group E, alongside New Zealand, Lebanon, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia and India. In these six games, the side went 4-2 again.
The highlight here was a thrilling 91-90 win over the Philippines in the team’s final qualifying game. They lost a 25-point lead before regrouping behind Dar Tucker’s 22-point, 12-rebound performance.
When the results from the first phase were carried over and adjustments were made for South Korea pulling out of World Cup qualifying in Group A, Jordan finished with a 6-4 record. This was good enough for automatic qualification, alongside the Philippines (who qualified as hosts), Lebanon and New Zealand.
Best World Cup Qualification Plays
Coach Wesam Al-Sous - who himself represented Jordan for a decade and is one of Jordan’s best-ever players - relied on several key players for Jordan’s qualifiers. Both Freddy Ibrahim and Ahmad Alhamarsheh featured in all 12 games the side played, while core performers Sami Bzai, Dar Tucker and Amin Abu Hawwas all featured in at least 10.
Jordan’s qualifying campaign was spearheaded by Dar Tucker, who led the side in points, cumulative +/- and efficiency. He was a human highlight reel during these games, while his putback dunk against India is particularly worth watching. Watch that jam and the rest of the side’s Top 10 plays from qualifying below.
Best Plays - Jordan - FIBA Basketball World Cup Qualifiers 2023
Current Star Players
Jordan was one of the last teams to release their roster for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 and sprung a surprise to many.
Replacing Dar Tucker as Jordan's naturalised player was 28-year-old American-born bucket-getter, Rondae Hollis Jefferson.
Now 35, Tucker has been part of the Jordan set-up for nearly a decade, dominating international games and filling up the box score regularly. He showed this at the 2016 FIBA Asia Challenge, where he was the leader in points per game (26.8). He then did it at the highest level at the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup, where he averaged 21 points per game.
Rondae Hollis Jefferson was joined in the Jordanian backcourt by Freddy Ibrahim, who had an impressive 2022 for ‘the Falcons’ and at 26, is entering his prime and growing into his archetypal point guard role as Jordan’s on-court leader. Elsewhere, the squad was packed with vets who will carry the leadership roles. Other experienced names to look out for include dominating big man Ahmad Al Dwairi, Ahmad Hamarsheh and potentially a grand send-off for 39-year-old Zaid Abbas, who will be making his third appearance at a FIBA Basketball World Cup.
Legends of the Team
Legends of Jordanian basketball don’t get any greater than the aforementioned Zaid Abbas. Although Abbas announced his international retirement in 2021, he returned for Jordan’s World Cup qualifying campaign, featuring in nine matches.
Abbas boasts an international CV that’s as distinguished as it is lengthy. In a career that’s spanned for more than 15 years, he’s appeared at two World Cups and won medals at the FIBA Asia Cup, the FIBA Asia Challenge and the William Jones Cup (a tournament organized by the Chinese Taipei Basketball Association). He’s also Jordan’s highest-scoring player in World Cup history.
Historical World Cup Performance
2023 will mark Jordan’s third appearance at the FIBA Basketball World Cup. It will also be the first time the side have appeared at consecutive tournaments.
To date, they’re yet to make a splash but they did win their first game at the 2019 tournament, when they defeated Senegal 79-77.
Previous Successes and Tournament Wins
Jordan have made 16 appearances at the FIBA Asia Cup since they first entered the tournament in 1983. Since the turn of the century, Basketball Jordan have become contenders. They claimed their first medal, a bronze, in 2009. At the next edition of the tournament in 2011, they won silver.
In recent years, they’ve also won a host of other tournaments, including the FIBA Asia Challenge, the WABA Championship and the Arab Nations Basketball Championship.
How to Watch Jordan Men's Basketball
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