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Latvia men's national basketball team

(Redirected from Latvian national basketball team)
This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Latvia women's national basketball team.

The Latvia men's national basketball team (Latvian: Latvijas basketbola izlase) represents Latvia in international basketball. They are organized and run by the Latvian Basketball Association. Latvia has reached the European Basketball Championship 15 times, with their ultimate success occurring during the inter-war period, when they became the first team to win the tournament in 1935. Four years later, they had another impressive run to come away with the silver in 1939. Although after 1939, Latvia were forced to suspend their national team operations, due to the Occupation of the Baltic states during World War II. Latvia regained independence in 1991, with their national team taking part in international competition once again a year later.

Latvia
FIBA ranking9 Decrease 3 (15 August 2024)[1]
Joined FIBA1932 (co-founders)
FIBA zoneFIBA Europe
National federationLBS
CoachLuca Banchi
Olympic Games
Appearances1
MedalsNone
FIBA World Cup
Appearances1
MedalsNone
EuroBasket
Appearances14
MedalsGold Gold: (1935)
Silver Silver: (1939)
First international
 Latvia 20–16 Estonia 
(Riga, Latvia; 29 April 1924)[2]
Biggest win
 Latvia 108–7 Finland  ‡
(Kaunas, Lithuania; 24 May 1939)[3]
Biggest defeat
 Lithuania 108–65 Latvia 
(Kaunas, Lithuania; 17 November 1993)

History

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Origins of the team

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On 26 November 1923, the Latvijas Basketbola Savienība was founded, earlier than most basketball federations from other countries.[4]

On 29 April 1924, Latvia played their first international game versus Estonia, winning it 20–16.[5]

In the winter of 1924, the first men's basketball championship was held, while the first women's championship was organized in 1933.[6]

Latvians, like their Baltic neighbors Lithuanians and Estonians, also began playing basketball in the 1920s, quickly rising as the strongest of the Baltic teams. On 13 December 1925 in Riga, when the Lithuanian national team played their first international game. Latvia easily swept them with the score of 41–20.[7] Later on, Latvia continued to dominate the future three-times European champions as well (41–29 and 123–10).[8] In fact, Latvia had one of the world's strongest national basketball teams. The first Latvian teams consisted of students and pupils, who were trained by coaches of the American YMCA (Young Men's Christian Association).[9]

Latvia also was one of the eight countries which signed the founding act of FIBA on 18 June 1932 in Geneva, along with Switzerland, Czechoslovakia, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Romania and Argentina. The Latvian representative in this event was Jāzeps Šadeiko.[10]

EuroBasket 1935

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Main article: EuroBasket 1935
 
The Latvian national team at EuroBasket 1935.

The Latvians won the first European basketball championship, the EuroBasket 1935 held by the International Basketball Federation's FIBA Europe continental federation. They defeated Hungary in the preliminary round, Switzerland in the semi-finals, and Spain in the final to finish at the top of the ten-nation field.[11]

Latvia held their opponents to 49 points over three games, the lowest points-against average in the tournament. Their scoring rate, 98 points over three games for 32.67 points per game, was second only to France.

Latvia is the smallest country in population to ever win the EuroBasket.

In 2012, Latvian film director Aigars Grauba directed the historical sports drama Dream Team 1935 about the journey of the Latvian team towards winning the title.[12][11]

1936 Summer Olympic Games (Berlin 1936)

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Main article: Basketball at the 1936 Summer Olympics

The Latvia national basketball team participated in the first appearance of basketball as an official Olympic medal event. Latvia were reigning European champions and were considered to be one of the pre-tournament favorites. Although the Olympics did not go that well for the Latvians. They began the tournament with a 20–17 victory over Uruguay. However, they were soundly beaten 23–34 by Canada and after suffering another defeat to Poland 23–28, the Latvians did not qualify for the knockout stage, unlike their neighbors Estonia.[13] This was the first and only appearance for Latvia at the Olympic Games as of 2019 (their female counterparts made their first appearance in 2008).[14]

EuroBasket 1937

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Main article: EuroBasket 1937

At the EuroBasket 1937, the reigning champions got off to a great start in their first game in the tournament by blowing out Czechoslovakia 44–11. In their second game they lost a close one to Poland to drop to (1–1) in the standings. They finished up group play with a needed win against France to put them in a three-way tie for the lead of the four-team group. However, it wouldn't be enough for the national team to reach the semi-finals as they came out on the bottom of the tie-breaker against Poland and France. This result came about despite the Latvians being the highest-scoring team in the entire tournament and allowing fewer opponent points than any of the other teams in their group.

Being in the bottom half of the preliminary group meant that the team could finish no better than fifth. In the classification semifinal, Latvia faced Egypt, which had withdrawn after their first two preliminary matches. They advanced to the 5th/6th place playoff, which they lost to Estonia 41–19.

EuroBasket 1939

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Latvia national team during opening ceremony of EuroBasket 1939
Main article: EuroBasket 1939

In 1939, despite losing twice, including a rematch of the 1937 game against Estonia, Latvia secured silver medals with 5 wins. Poland, which also had a 5–2 record, finished third as Latvia had won the match between the two teams. The tournament's opening and, in retrospect, decisive game between Latvia and Lithuania ended in a dramatic late victory for the hosts and eventual champions Lithuania, souring the sports relations between the two countries and leading to the cancellation of the 1939 Baltic Cup.[15]

One of the 1939's vice-champions, Alfrēds Krauklis, once said: "Frankly saying – these three Baltic states raised the European basketball. Now they say that its Spanish, and so what? Let them say... And I say – it's our merit!".[16]

Soviet and Nazi period (1940–1991)

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Due to Soviet and Nazi occupations, Latvians were unable to represent Latvia in FIBA organized tournaments or the Olympic Games. Instead, they were forced to play for the Soviet Union national team.

Horrific times in Latvia began. In 1940 the massive people deportations started, implemented by the Soviets. Thousands of Latvians were forced to leave their homeland, thousands of them died due to the active warfare during World War II.

Though, despite all the cruel challenges, basketball was continued to be played and retained its popularity in Latvia. In 1941 a Baltic States tournament was organized in Kaunas Sports Hall. The Lithuanian SSR team won the final against the Latvian SSR, 38–33.[17]

At the 1952 Summer Olympics, Maigonis Valdmanis became the first Latvian representative on the Soviet squad, which won the Olympic silver medals that year. A few years later two other Latvian basketball stars joined the team: Jānis Krūmiņš and Valdis Muižnieks. Later on, the trio won two EuroBasket titles and two times became Olympic vice-champions together.

In the 1950s, Rīgas ASK, coached by the Soviet legend Aleksandr Gomelsky, became the major force of the Soviet Union and even Europe by winning three consecutive European Cup titles from 1958 to 1960. The club's roster had multiple European champions in Jānis Krūmiņš, Maigonis Valdmanis and Valdis Muižnieks.[18] Furthermore, in 1960 TTT Riga won the European Cup for Women's Clubs, undoubtedly turning Riga into the capital of basketball with the two major European basketball titles held by the single city's clubs at the same time. And it only was the first of the stunning 18 European titles.

In later years other Latvian basketball stars appeared, such as Valdis Valters and Igors Miglinieks, both of whom were eventually crowned as Olympic champions. Valdis Valters is considered to be one of Europe's greatest basketball players of the 1980s. In addition to his Olympic title, he also won the World Cup in 1982 and became the European champion twice, being named as the MVP of EuroBasket 1981.

 
Andris Biedriņš representing Team Latvia at the EuroBasket 2009

After the restoration of independence (from 1991)

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On 4 May 1990 Latvia declared the country's independence from the Soviet Union. Consequently, in September 1991 its basketball federation was re-affiliated with FIBA.[19] Though, despite having some remarkable players like Valdis Valters, Igors Miglinieks, Ainars Bagatskis, Kaspars Kambala, Andris Biedriņš, Latvia failed to recover its inter-war glory. Their best result after restoring the country's independence is the 5th place achieved at the 2023 World Cup. Although, basketball is slowly regaining its power in Latvia with the help of the medals-winning youth squads.

 
Latvia basketball fans

EuroBasket 2013

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Main article: EuroBasket 2013

During EuroBasket 2013, Latvia began their tournament run with two wins against Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro before facing longtime Baltic rival Lithuania. Although in the highly anticipated match between the two nations, Lithuania prevailed 67–59. Latvia then lost their next match versus Serbia, but rebounded to win their final fixture in group play against Macedonia to advance.

In the second group phase of the tournament Latvia displayed immediate dominance in their first game of group play over Ukraine winning 86–51. It turned out to be the only win Latvia would record in the group, as they were eventually eliminated.

EuroBasket 2015

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Main article: EuroBasket 2015
 
France v Latvia quarter-finals match at EuroBasket 2015

As one of the hosts for EuroBasket 2015 in Riga, Latvia began their campaign at the tournament victorious over Belgium 78–67. In their second match, they were once again pitted against their rivals Lithuania. Latvia looked to avenge their lost from the prior EuroBasket showdown between the two, as the national team got off to a strong start in the 1st quarter. Unfortunately, the Latvians were unable to maintain the momentum they started the match with, as they fell to their rivals again, 68–49. While it was demoralizing for Latvia to be defeated in that manner in front of their home crowd, they recovered quickly to win two out of the next three matches they played to move on to the knockout stage. There, Latvia beat Slovenia to advance to the quarter-finals, but ultimately fell short to the eventual bronze medalist France.

EuroBasket 2017

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Main article: EuroBasket 2017

At EuroBasket 2017, Latvia entered the competition with high expectations, as they fielded one of their most potent lineups ever. With the addition of Latvian star Kristaps Porziņģis joining the senior national team for the first time, Latvia was poised to go on a long tournament run. But in their first match they were out lasted by a veteran Serbian squad, 92–82. Although, the national team bounced back in a huge way dismantling Belgium 92–64, with Porziņģis and Jānis Timma leading the way in scoring with 27 points apiece. They also went on to win their next three matches in group play to finish with a (4–1) record, to earn a spot in the knockout rounds. In their round of 16 match up, they throttled Montenegro 100–68. Latvia ran into an buzz saw in their quarter-finals match though, falling to the eventual champions Slovenia.

Latvia finished fifth in the tournament overall, reaching their best post-war result in the history of the national team, in which Kristaps Porziņģis debuted with astonishing averages of 23.6 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.9 blocks at the age of 22.[20]

Recent years (2019–2022)

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Latvia national team before a friendly versus Lithuania in 2023

On 1 August 2019, Latvia named former player Roberts Štelmahers the new head coach of the national team. He replaced Arnis Vecvagars.[21] In March 2022, Latvia was selected as one of the four co-hosts for EuroBasket 2025, where they will host one preliminary phase group, as well as the knockout rounds.

Road to the 2023 FIBA World Cup

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Main article: 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup
 
Latvian basketball fans in 2023

After the signing of Luca Banchi as head coach in 2021, Latvia went on to qualify for the 2023 FIBA World Cup, making it the first time the national team would appear at the World Cup finals.[22][23]

Latvia entered the competition with high hopes, however, their biggest star Kristaps Porziņģis was unable to represent the team during the 2023 FIBA World Cup, due to failing to recover from an injury.[24] Nevertheless, Latvia surprisingly eliminated European vice-champions France in the first round by winning a decisive game 88–86 and qualified to the second round of the 2023 FIBA World Cup with two victories (also versus Lebanon 109–70) and one 101–75 loss to Canada.[25][26] One of the Latvian team leaders Dāvis Bertāns described victory versus France as "the biggest win in Latvian basketball history since 1935".[27] In the second round Latvia achieved yet another memorable 74–69 victory versus the reigning world champions Spain.[28] In the next game Latvia crushed Brazil 104–84 and advanced to the quarter-finals as the second-best team in the group, leaving Spain and Brazil behind without playoffs.[29] But in quarter-final Latvia lost to Germany in the last seconds with the result 79–81 and did not directly qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics.[30] Latvia finished the tournament in fifth place after defeating Italy (82–87) and Lithuania (98–63).[31][26]

Competitive record

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Results and fixtures

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  Win   Loss

2023

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2 August 2023 Latvia   87–77   Sweden Liepāja, Latvia
19:00 (UTC+3) Scoring by quarter: 26–22, 28–13, 15–26, 18–16
Pts: Šmits 17
Rebs: R. Kurucs 8
Asts: Mejeris 5 		Boxscore Pts: Clarence 16
Rebs: Andersson 6
Asts: Terins 4 		Arena: Liepāja Olympic Centre
5 August 2023 Latvia   82–57   Georgia Riga, Latvia
18:00 (UTC+3) Scoring by quarter: 19–20, 26–19, 20–10, 17–8
Pts: Šķēle 16
Rebs: Čavars 6
Asts: Žagars 5 		Boxscore Pts: Shermadini 14
Rebs: Mamukelashvili 9
Asts: Andronikashvili 3 		Arena: Arena Riga
12 August 2023 Latvia   74–69   Dominican Republic Riga, Latvia
18:00 (UTC+3) Scoring by quarter: 19–17, 24–19, 15–16, 16–17
Pts: Bertāns, Pasečņiks 11
Rebs: R. Kurucs 7
Asts: Zoriks 5 		Boxscore Pts: Vargas 12
Rebs: Figueroa, Santos 5
Asts: Solano 4 		Arena: Arena Riga
16 August 2023 Latvia   94–57   Finland Riga, Latvia
19:30 (UTC+3) Scoring by quarter: 16–20, 23–12, 25–8, 30–12
Pts: Šmits 21
Rebs: Gražulis 10
Asts: four players 4 		Boxscore Pts: Valtonen 11
Rebs: Valtonen 8
Asts: Little 7 		Arena: Arena Riga
20 August 2023 Latvia   84–72   Puerto Rico New Taipei City, Taiwan
14:00 (UTC+8) Scoring by quarter: 14–13, 21–20, 23–18, 26–21
Arena: Xinzhuang Gymnasium
22 August 2023 Lithuania   93–69   Latvia New Taipei City, Taiwan
19:00 (UTC+8) Scoring by quarter: 30–12, 31–14, 15–22, 17–21
Arena: Xinzhuang Gymnasium
25 August 2023 Latvia   109–70   Lebanon Jakarta, Indonesia
16:15 (UTC+7) Scoring by quarter: 27–17, 28–13, 27–18, 27–22
Pts: Dai. Bertāns 20
Rebs: Gražulis, Šmits 7
Asts: Žagars 11 		Boxscore Pts: El Darwich 19
Rebs: El Darwich 5
Asts: Arakji 8 		Arena: Indonesia Arena
Attendance: 5,834
Referees: Julio Anaya (PAN), Scott Beker (AUS), Jenna Reneau (USA)
27 August 2023 France   86–88   Latvia Jakarta, Indonesia
20:30 (UTC+7) Scoring by quarter: 33–26, 20–23, 21–13, 12–26
Pts: Fournier 27
Rebs: Gobert 7
Asts: De Colo 8 		Boxscore Pts: Žagars 22
Rebs: R. Kurucs 5
Asts: Žagars 5 		Arena: Indonesia Arena
Attendance: 9,628
Referees: Julio Anaya (PAN), Juan Fernández (ARG), Andrés Bartel (URU)
29 August 2023 Canada   101–75   Latvia Jakarta, Indonesia
20:30 (UTC+7) Scoring by quarter: 13–23, 30–19, 24–15, 34–18
Pts: Gilgeous-Alexander 27
Rebs: Ejim 7
Asts: Gilgeous-Alexander 6 		Boxscore Pts: Gražulis 16
Rebs: R. Kurucs 10
Asts: Šķēle 6 		Arena: Indonesia Arena
Attendance: 11,186
Referees: Juan Fernández (ARG), Jenna Reneau (USA), Johnny Batista (PUR)
1 September 2023 Spain   69–74   Latvia Jakarta, Indonesia
16:45 (UTC+7) Scoring by quarter: 16–17, 16–12, 26–18, 11–27
Pts: W. Hernangómez 14
Rebs: Claver,
J. Hernangómez 5
Asts: Llull 7 		Boxscore Pts: Dāv. Bertāns 16
Rebs: R. Kurucs 8
Asts: Žagars 5 		Arena: Indonesia Arena
Attendance: 7,117
Referees: Roberto Vázquez (PUR), Aleksandar Glišić (SRB), Juan Fernández (ARG)
3 September 2023 Brazil   84–104   Latvia Jakarta, Indonesia
16:45 (UTC+7) Scoring by quarter: 20–22, 22–23, 21–36, 21–23
Pts: Caboclo 20
Rebs: Caboclo, Lucas 7
Asts: Marcelinho 9 		Boxscore Pts: Gražulis 24
Rebs: R. Kurucs 5
Asts: Zoriks 6 		Arena: Indonesia Arena
Attendance: 10,412
Referees: Roberto Vázquez (PUR), Aleksandar Glišić (SRB), Johnny Batista (PUR)
6 September 2023 Germany   81–79   Latvia Pasay, Philippines
16:45 (UTC+8) Scoring by quarter: 13–16, 23–18, 26–25, 19–20
Pts: F. Wagner 16
Rebs: Theis, F. Wagner 8
Asts: Schröder 4 		Boxscore Pts: Žagars 24
Rebs: R. Kurucs 10
Asts: Žagars 8 		Arena: Mall of Asia Arena
Attendance: 7,584
Referees: Antonio Conde (ESP), Yohan Rosso (FRA), Martin Vulić (CRO)
7 September 2023 Italy   82–87   Latvia Pasay, Philippines
16:45 (UTC+8) Scoring by quarter: 26–18, 16–28, 18–21, 22–20
Pts: Datome 20
Rebs: Melli 9
Asts: Spissu 7 		Boxscore Pts: Gražulis 28
Rebs: Gražulis 6
Asts: Šķēle 9 		Arena: Mall of Asia Arena
Attendance: 4,579
Referees: Ademir Zurapović (BIH), Takaki Kato (JPN), Blanca Burns (USA)
9 September 2023 Latvia   98–63   Lithuania Pasay, Philippines
20:30 (UTC+8) Scoring by quarter: 28–20, 21–18, 28–9, 21–16
Pts: A. Kurucs 20
Rebs: four players 6
Asts: Žagars 17 		Boxscore Pts: Jokubaitis 16
Rebs: Sedekerskis 10
Asts: Brazdeikis 3 		Arena: Mall of Asia Arena
Attendance: 9,440
Referees: Manuel Mazzoni (ITA), Blanca Burns (USA), Johnny Batista (PUR)

2024

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22 February 2024 Spain   75–79   Latvia Zaragoza, Spain
20:00 (UTC+1) Scoring by quarter: 14–23, 23–17, 20–17, 18–22
Pts: Brizuela 16
Rebs: J. Hernangómez 7
Asts: Rubio 5 		Boxscore Pts: Lomažs 18
Rebs: Cavars 7
Asts: Lomažs 7 		Arena: Pabellón Príncipe Felipe
Attendance: 10,533
Referees: Ademir Zurapović (BIH), Igor Mitrovski (MKD), Beniamino Attard (ITA)
25 February 2024 Latvia   64–52   Slovakia Riga, Latvia
17:05 (UTC+2) Scoring by quarter: 15–10, 16–17, 14–11, 19–14
Pts: Gražulis 18
Rebs: Gražulis 9
Asts: Zoriks 4 		Boxscore Pts: Krajčovič 12
Rebs: Ihring, Mokráň 5
Asts: Ihring 6 		Arena: Arena Riga
Attendance: 10,890
Referees: Saverio Lanzarini (ITA), Viola Györgyi (NOR), Alexandre Deman (FRA)
26 June 2024 Latvia   84–63   Egypt Riga, Latvia
19:00 (UTC+3) Scoring by quarter: 24–18, 16-18, 24–8, 20–19
Pts: Strēlnieks 14
Rebs: Čavars, Timma 6
Asts: Lomažs 6 		Boxscore Pts: Elsheakh 15
Rebs: Naser 6
Asts: Refaat 4 		Arena: Arena Riga
Attendance: 7,930
28 June 2024 Finland   90–84   Latvia Tampere, Finland
18:30 (UTC+3) Scoring by quarter: 28–21, 14–17, 27–16, 21–30
Pts: Nkamhoua 21
Rebs: Valtonen 7
Asts: Maxhuni 6 		Boxscore Pts: Lomažs 15
Rebs: Pasečņiks 7
Asts: Zoriks 6 		Arena: Nokia Arena
Attendance: 6,918
2 July 2024 Georgia   55–83   Latvia Riga, Latvia
19:00 (UTC+3) Scoring by quarter: 13–17, 11–28, 17–16, 14–25
Pts: Mamukelashvili 14
Rebs: Bitadze 6
Asts: three players 2 		Boxscore Pts: Strautiņš 18
Rebs: Mejeris, Šmits 7
Asts: Žagars 6 		Arena: Arena Riga
Attendance: 8,955
Referees: Omar Bermúdez (MEX), Wojciech Liszka (POL), Luis Castillo (ESP)
3 July 2024 Latvia   80–89   Philippines Riga, Latvia
19:00 (UTC+3) Scoring by quarter: 16–32, 22–22, 18–23, 24–12
Pts: R. Kurucs 18
Rebs: R. Kurucs 7
Asts: Strēlnieks, Zoriks 5 		Boxscore Pts: Brownlee 26
Rebs: Brownlee 9
Asts: Brownlee 9 		Arena: Arena Riga
Attendance: 8,835
Referees: Ademir Zurapović (BIH), Wojciech Liszka (POL), Kerem Baki (TUR)
6 July 2024 Cameroon   59–72   Latvia Riga, Latvia
19:00 (UTC+3) Scoring by quarter: 19–23, 16–15, 15–15, 9–19
Pts: Narace 14
Rebs: Bayehe, Choh 7
Asts: Hill 3 		Boxscore Pts: Lomažs 20
Rebs: Mejeris 10
Asts: Žagars 5 		Arena: Arena Riga
Attendance: 9,329
Referees: Ademir Zurapović (BIH), Luis Castillo (ESP), Takaki Kato (JPN)
7 July 2024 Latvia   69–94   Brazil Riga, Latvia
19:00 (UTC+3) Scoring by quarter: 11–34, 22–15, 13–23, 23–22
Pts: Lomažs 15
Rebs: Mejeris 6
Asts: Žagars 4 		Boxscore Pts: Caboclo 21
Rebs: Léo 9
Asts: Marcelinho 7 		Arena: Arena Riga
Attendance: 9,430
Referees: Omar Bermúdez (MEX), Wojciech Liszka (POL), Luis Castillo (ESP)
22 November 2024 Latvia   vs.   Belgium Latvia
Boxscore
25 November 2024 Belgium   vs.   Latvia Belgium
Boxscore

2025

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20 February 2025 Latvia   vs.   Spain Latvia
Boxscore
23 February 2025 Slovakia   vs.   Latvia Slovakia
Boxscore

Team

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Current roster

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Roster for the 2024 Olympic Qualifying Tournament.[32]

Latvia men's national basketball team roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Name Age – Date of birth Height Club Ctr.
F 00 Rodions Kurucs 26 – (1998-02-05)5 February 1998 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in) Murcia  
F/C 5 Mareks Mejeris 32 – (1991-09-02)2 September 1991 2.07 m (6 ft 9 in) Cluj-Napoca  
F 8 Dāvis Bertāns 31 – (1992-11-12)12 November 1992 2.08 m (6 ft 10 in) Charlotte Hornets  
SG 9 Dairis Bertāns (C) 34 – (1989-09-09)9 September 1989 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) VEF Rīga  
PF 11 Rolands Šmits 28 – (1995-06-25)25 June 1995 2.07 m (6 ft 9 in) Anadolu Efes  
SF 12 Artūrs Strautiņš 25 – (1998-10-23)23 October 1998 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) Derthona  
G 13 Jānis Strēlnieks 34 – (1989-09-01)1 September 1989 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) Obradoiro  
C 18 Klāvs Čavars 28 – (1996-02-11)11 February 1996 2.08 m (6 ft 10 in) Sabah  
G 19 Rihards Lomažs 28 – (1996-04-13)13 April 1996 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) Virtus Bologna  
PF 24 Andrejs Gražulis 30 – (1993-07-21)21 July 1993 2.02 m (6 ft 8 in) Trento  
PG 55 Artūrs Žagars 24 – (2000-04-21)21 April 2000 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) Fenerbahçe  
PG 66 Kristers Zoriks 26 – (1998-05-25)25 May 1998 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) Petkim Spor  
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • Club – describes last
    club before the competition
  • Age – describes age
    on 2 July 2024

Depth chart

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Pos. Starting 5 Bench 1 Bench 2
C Klāvs Čavars Kārlis Šiliņš Krišs Helmanis
PF Andrejs Gražulis Mārcis Šteinbergs Ojārs Siliņš
SF Rodions Kurucs Jānis Timma Artūrs Strautiņš
SG Dairis Bertāns Rihards Lomažs Roberts Blūms
PG Kristers Zoriks Artūrs Kurucs Toms Leimanis

Notable players

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Current notable players from Latvia who have played for the national team:

Current notable players roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Name Age – Date of birth Height Club Ctr.
SG Artis Ate 34 – (1989-07-29)29 July 1989 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) Pieno žvaigždės  
F Jānis Bērziņš 30 – (1993-05-04)4 May 1993 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) Kalev/Cramo  
C Kaspars Bērziņš 38 – (1985-08-25)25 August 1985 2.13 m (7 ft 0 in) Real Betis  
PG Renārs Birkāns 26 – (1997-06-29)29 June 1997 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) Ventspils  
F Roberts Blūms 18 – (2005-11-02)2 November 2005 2.05 m (6 ft 9 in) Saint-Quentin  
F/C Artjoms Butjankovs 32 – (1991-08-26)26 August 1991 2.04 m (6 ft 8 in) Sabah  
PF Rolands Freimanis 36 – (1988-01-21)21 January 1988 2.09 m (6 ft 10 in) Gaziantep  
PF Māris Gulbis 38 – (1985-10-04)4 October 1985 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) VEF Rīga  
F/C Kriss Helmanis 21 – (2002-04-07)7 April 2002 2.12 m (6 ft 11 in) Tübingen  
PG Artūrs Kurucs 24 – (2000-01-19)19 January 2000 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) Murcia  
G/F Mārtiņš Laksa 33 – (1990-06-26)26 June 1990 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) GTK Gliwice  
G Toms Leimanis 29 – (1994-08-07)7 August 1994 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) Estudiantes  
PF Rinalds Mālmanis 27 – (1996-04-12)12 April 1996 2.05 m (6 ft 9 in) Tartu  
C Mārtiņš Meiers 32 – (1991-03-30)30 March 1991 2.08 m (6 ft 10 in) Aalst  
C Anžejs Pasečņiks 28 – (1995-12-20)20 December 1995 2.16 m (7 ft 1 in) Palencia  
F/C Kristaps Porziņģis 28 – (1995-08-02)2 August 1995 2.21 m (7 ft 3 in) Boston Celtics  
C Kārlis Šiliņš 26 – (1997-07-22)22 July 1997 2.10 m (6 ft 11 in) Göttingen  
F Ojārs Siliņš 30 – (1993-07-20)20 July 1993 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) Stal Ostrów  
PG Rinalds Sirsniņš 38 – (1985-07-04)4 July 1985 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) Ogre  
G Aigars Šķēle 31 – (1992-12-04)4 December 1992 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in) Stal Ostrów  
PF Mārcis Šteinbergs 22 – (2001-08-28)28 August 2001 2.05 m (6 ft 9 in) Manresa  
SF Roberts Stumbris 30 – (1993-07-09)9 July 1993 1.99 m (6 ft 6 in) Den Bosch  
PG Mārcis Vītols 31 – (1992-05-02)2 May 1992 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) Virtus Lumezzane  
Legend
  • Club – describes current club
  • Age – describes age
    on 22 February 2024

Head coach history

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Notable players

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Retired players:

Past rosters

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1935 EuroBasket: finished 1st   among 10 teams

3 Eduards Andersons, 4 Aleksejs Anufrijevs, 5 Mārtiņš Grundmanis, 6 Herberts Gubiņš, 8 Rūdolfs Jurciņš, 9 Jānis Lidmanis, 10 Visvaldis Melderis, 11 Džems Raudziņš (Coach: Valdemārs Baumanis)

1936 Olympic Games: finished 18th among 21 teams

1 Rūdolfs Jurciņš, 2 Visvaldis Melderis, 3 Eduards Andersons, 4 Džems Raudziņš, 5 Voldemārs Elmūts, 6 Mārtiņš Grundmanis, 7 Maksis Kazaks (Coach: Valdemārs Baumanis)

1937 EuroBasket: finished 6th among 8 teams

3 Eduards Andersons, 4 Aleksejs Anufrijevs, 5 Mārtiņš Grundmanis, 6 Janis Jansons, 7 Rūdolfs Jurciņš, 8 Andrejs Krisons, 9 Aleksandrs Martinsons, 10 Visvaldis Melderis, 11 Džems Raudziņš, 12 Voldemārs Šmits (Coach: Ādolfs Grasis)

1939 EuroBasket: finished 2nd   among 8 teams

3 Aleksandrs Vanags, 4 Alfrēds Krauklis, 5 Teodors Grinbergs, 6 Maksis Kazaks, 8 Voldemārs Šmits, 9 Jānis Graudiņš, 11 Karlis Arents, 12 Juris Solovjovs, 14 Karlis Satins, 18 Visvaldis Melderis (Coach: Valdemārs Baumanis)

1993 EuroBasket: finished 9th among 16 teams

4 Edgars Šneps, 5 Jānis Āzacis, 6 Igors Meļņiks, 7 Kārlis Muižnieks, 8 Ivars Zankovskis, 9 Ainars Bagatskis, 10 Dzintars Jaunzems, 11 Ivars Liepa, 12 Raimonds Miglinieks, 13 Edmunds Valeiko, 14 Andrejs Bondarenko, 15 Aigars Zeidaks (Coach: Armands Krauliņš)

1997 EuroBasket: finished 16th among 16 teams

4 Uvis Helmanis, 5 Jānis Āzacis, 6 Edmunds Valeiko, 7 Roberts Štelmahers, 8 Kārlis Muižnieks, 9 Edgars Šneps, 10 Raimonds Miglinieks, 11 Ainars Bagatskis, 12 Ivars Liepa, 13 Ralfs Jansons, 14 Andrejs Bondarenko, 15 Igors Meļņiks (Coach: Igors Miglinieks)

2001 EuroBasket: finished 8th among 16 teams

4 Uvis Helmanis, 5 Aigars Vītols, 6 Kaspars Cipruss, 7 Roberts Štelmahers, 8 Edmunds Valeiko, 9 Māris Ļaksa, 10 Kristaps Valters, 11 Raimonds Miglinieks, 12 Ainars Bagatskis, 13 Raitis Grafs, 14 Kaspars Kambala, 15 Arnis Vecvagars (Coach: Armands Krauliņš)

2003 EuroBasket: finished 13th among 16 teams

4 Uvis Helmanis, 5 Aigars Vītols, 6 Trojs Ostlers, 7 Roberts Štelmahers, 8 Armands Šķēle, 9 Edgars Šneps, 10 Kristaps Valters, 11 Māris Ļaksa, 12 Ainars Bagatskis, 13 Raitis Grafs, 14 Kaspars Kambala, 15 Arnis Vecvagars (Coach: Armands Krauliņš)

2005 EuroBasket: finished 14th among 16 teams

4 Uvis Helmanis, 5 Aigars Vītols, 6 Armands Šķēle, 7 Roberts Štelmahers, 8 Jānis Blūms, 9 Sandis Valters, 10 Kristaps Valters, 11 Ivars Timermanis, 12 Mārtiņš Skirmants, 13 Raitis Grafs, 14 Kaspars Cipruss, 15 Kristaps Janičenoks (Coach: Kārlis Muižnieks)

2007 EuroBasket: finished 13th among 16 teams

4 Uvis Helmanis, 5 Aigars Vītols, 6 Armands Šķēle, 7 Jānis Blūms, 8 Raimonds Vaikulis, 9 Gatis Jahovičs, 10 Sandis Valters, 11 Pāvels Veselovs, 12 Kaspars Cipruss, 13 Raitis Grafs, 14 Kristaps Janičenoks, 15 Andris Biedriņš (Coach: Kārlis Muižnieks)

2009 EuroBasket: finished 13th among 16 teams

4 Uvis Helmanis, 5 Aigars Vītols, 6 Armands Šķēle, 7 Jānis Blūms, 8 Ernests Kalve, 9 Kristaps Valters, 10 Gatis Jahovičs, 11 Kaspars Kambala, 12 Rolands Freimanis, 13 Artūrs Štālbergs, 14 Kristaps Janičenoks, 15 Andris Biedriņš (Coach: Kęstutis Kemzūra)

2011 EuroBasket: finished 21st among 24 teams

4 Mārtiņš Meiers, 5 Dairis Bertāns, 6 Rolands Freimanis, 7 Jānis Blūms, 8 Mareks Jurevičus, 9 Edgars Jeromanovs, 10 Rihards Kuksiks, 11 Mareks Mejeris, 12 Dāvis Bertāns, 13 Jānis Strēlnieks, 14 Artūrs Bērziņš, 15 Andrejs Šeļakovs (Coach: Ainars Bagatskis)

2013 EuroBasket: finished 11th among 24 teams

4 Mārtiņš Meiers, 5 Mareks Mejeris, 6 Rolands Freimanis, 7 Jānis Blūms, 8 Jānis Bērziņš, 9 Dairis Bertāns, 10 Rihards Kuksiks, 11 Armands Šķēle, 12 Kristaps Janičenoks, 13 Jānis Strēlnieks, 14 Kaspars Bērziņš, 15 Andrejs Šeļakovs (Coach: Ainars Bagatskis)

2015 EuroBasket: finished 8th among 24 teams

5 Mareks Mejeris, 6 Rolands Freimanis, 7 Jānis Blūms (C), 9 Dairis Bertāns, 10 Jānis Timma, 12 Kristaps Janičenoks, 13 Jānis Strēlnieks, 14 Kaspars Bērziņš, 19 Kaspars Vecvagars, 23 Haralds Kārlis, 31 Žanis Peiners, 33 Mārtiņš Meiers (Coach: Ainars Bagatskis)

2017 EuroBasket: finished 5th among 24 teams

6 Kristaps Porziņģis, 7 Jānis Blūms (C), 8 Dāvis Bertāns, 9 Dairis Bertāns, 10 Jānis Timma, 11 Rolands Šmits, 12 Kristaps Janičenoks,
13 Jānis Strēlnieks, 21 Aigars Šķēle, 24 Andrejs Gražulis, 31 Žanis Peiners, 33 Mārtiņš Meiers (Coach: Ainars Bagatskis)

2023 FIBA World Cup: finished 5th among 32 teams

00 Rodions Kurucs, 8 Dāvis Bertāns, 9 Dairis Bertāns (C), 11 Rolands Šmits, 12 Artūrs Strautiņš, 18 Klāvs Čavars, 21 Aigars Šķēle,
24 Andrejs Gražulis, 32 Anžejs Pasečņiks, 47 Artūrs Kurucs, 55 Artūrs Žagars, 66 Kristers Zoriks (Coach: Luca Banchi)

Record against other teams

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*Friendly matches not counted

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Includes a 2–0 forfeit win at EuroBasket 1937

References

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  1. ^ "FIBA Ranking Presented by Nike". FIBA. 15 August 2024. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
  2. ^ Federation Focus: Latvia (in English)
  3. ^ Latvia 108–7 Finland (Game boxscore) (in English)
  4. ^ Federation Focus: Latvia (in English)
  5. ^ Federation Focus: Latvia (in English)
  6. ^ Federation Focus: Latvia (in English)
  7. ^ Stanislovas Stonkus "Krepšinio kelias į Lietuvą" (page: 17)
  8. ^ 1937-ieji ir 1939-ieji – pirmieji Lietuvos krepšinio šlovės metai Archived 24 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine (in Lithuanian)
  9. ^ Federation Focus: Latvia (in English)
  10. ^ Federation Focus: Latvia (in English)
  11. ^ a b "In the beginning ... EuroBasket 1935 in Geneva". FIBA. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
  12. ^ "Sapnu komanda 1935". IMDb. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
  13. ^ 1936 Latvia Men's Olympic Basketball (in English)
  14. ^ "Beijing 2008 basketball women Results – Olympic basketball". Olympics.com. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
  15. ^ Pranas Lubinas – taurusis tarpukario krepšinio milžinas (in Lithuanian)
  16. ^ Telecast "Mūsų krepšinis" (Season: 1; Episode: 1; Quotation begins at 10:20)
  17. ^ "Krepšinis". Lietuvos sporto enciklopedija. Retrieved 1 May 2015.
  18. ^ Federation Focus: Latvia (in English)
  19. ^ Federation Focus: Latvia (in English)
  20. ^ "Latvia at the FIBA EuroBasket 2017 – FIBA.basketball". FIBA.com. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  21. ^ "Štelmahers is the new head coach of Latvian national men's basketball team". Public Broadcasting of Latvia. 1 August 2019. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
  22. ^ "Latvia thump Greece, book first World Cup ticket". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
  23. ^ "Qualified Team Focus - Latvia: Porzingis and co. ready to storm the World Cup for first time". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
  24. ^ "Kristaps Porzingis to miss FIBA World Cup". BasketNews.com. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
  25. ^ Schachner, Miles (27 August 2023). "Latvia eliminates France from World Cup in stunning upset". New York Post. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
  26. ^ a b "Latvia at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  27. ^ "The reaction: 'The biggest win in Latvian basketball history since 1935'". FIBA. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
  28. ^ "Latvia stun another Goliath, beat reigning champs Spain". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  29. ^ "Latvia crushes Brazil, goes to quarterfinals in FIBA World Cup 2023". BasketNews.com. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  30. ^ "Wagner brothers send Germany to Semis, Bertans misses a date with history". Fiba.basketball. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
  31. ^ "Latvia cruise to win over Lithuania in battle for fifth". Fiba.basketball. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
  32. ^ "Latvia roster for the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament". Retrieved 2 July 2024.
  33. ^ "Italy's Luca Banchi to take charge of Latvia's men's basketball team". Retrieved 27 March 2021.
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