Brown primed to help Spain in World Cup title defense

KAUNAS (Lithuania) - Spain can count on their All-Star Five point guard from FIBA EuroBasket 2022, Lorenzo Brown, to be in the lineup when they defend their world title this summer.

Brown told Basketnews.com that he had been in contact with Spain national team coach Sergio Scariolo about competing in the 32-team World Cup, which tips off on August 25 in the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia.

That creates the possibility of Brown playing in the same team with Ricky Rubio, the MVP of the 2019 World Cup in China who missed last summer's EuroBasket while recovering from injury.

"He's a pass-first type of guy, and I can do a little bit of both," Brown said of playing alongside Rubio. "I'm just excited to see what's in store for us this summer. And I'm ready to get to work."

I'M JUST EXCITED TO SEE WHAT'S IN STORE FOR US THIS SUMMER. AND I'M READY TO GET TO WORK.

Scariolo, who spent some time in the NBA as an assistant coach with Toronto Raptors, knew Brown from their time with the Canadian team. Their association at the EuroBasket last summer brought another title for Spain.

He averaged 15.6 points and 7.6 assists per game as Spain won four of their five games in the Group Phase in Tbilisi, Georgia, and then defeated Lithuania, Finland, Germany and France in Berlin to capture the title.

In Spain's Semi-Final against Germany, Brown was sensational, pouring in 29 points.

"He (Scariolo) has created something for me that I couldn't even fathom," Brown said.

"I got the chance to compete with a bunch of high-talented players, NBA and European guys. That opportunity helped me a lot and opened many doors for me. I'm just super thankful for that."

FIBA