Preview, schedule, and how to watch NBA stars for Spain and France

And then there were two. France and Spain battle it out on Sunday (September 18) for the 2022 EuroBasket title, the most prestigious prize among European men Basketball.

Rudi Gobert‘s France annihilated Poland 95-54 in the semifinals. The Polish team eliminated defending champion Slovenia and its NBA superstar Luke Doncic, but had no answer on Friday night when Guerschon Yabusele scored 22 goals to lead tournament favorites France back to the final. They last won this title in 2013.

Spain qualified for their fourth final in six editions of the European continental tournament with a 96-91 win over hosts Germany in Berlin. Dennis Schröder scored a game-high 30 for the Germans, who built a double-digit lead in the third quarter. Spain’s Lorenzo Brown had 29 points and 37-year-old captain Rudy Fernandez (pictured) and New Orleans Pelicans’ willy Hernangomez helped inspire reigning world champions Spain to a win and a place in the final.

FIBA EuroBasket 2022: Semifinal Results and Finals Schedule

EuroBasket 2022 started with a group stage from September 1st to September 9th with four pools of six teams each. The four best teams from each pool qualified for the round of 16, which took place on November 10th and 11th. took place in September.

The eight winning teams then competed in the quarter-finals, held in Berlin on September 13-14, before the semi-finals took place on Friday, September 16.

The finals and third-place playoffs will take place on Sunday, September 18th.

Full schedule (all tip-off times are Central European Summer Time / MESZ, i.e. GMT+2).

Friday 16 September

• Semifinals – Poland – France – 17:15 – France won 95-54.
• Semi-Finals – Germany v Spain – 20:30 – Spain won 96-91.

Sunday 18 September

• 3rd place match – Germany v Poland – 17:15 CEST
• Final – Spain v France – 20:30 CEST.

The NBA stars in the EuroBasket 2022 final

Several big names have already been eliminated, including reigning NBA MVP and Olympic silver medalist Jokic, Mavericks captain Doncic, and 2021 NBA champion Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Here are the top men in the final.

Rudy Gobert – France

After France took silver in Tokyo 2020 and defeated the United States in the group stage, France are among the favorites for EuroBasket 2022.

They have a handful of NBA players on their roster, led by Rudi Gobert who sent shockwaves through the sport with his blockbuster summer trade against the Minnesota Timberwolves in July.

Gobert was named to the NBA All-Defensive Team for his last six seasons with the Utah Jazz and won NBA Defensive Player of the Year titles in 2018, 2019 and 2021. Gobert is one of Les Bleus’ most valuable assets.

Combine his prolific defensive skills with his on-court relationship with the New York Knicks man Evan FournierAnother player known for coming alive for the French team, Gobert and France will take some breaks while working towards their 2024 home Olympics.

READ: NBA Star Rudy Gobert Ready for New Adventure With Minnesota Timberwolves: “Change is Exciting

Willy Hernangomez – Spain

New Orleans Pelicans willy Hernangomez is a player to watch as world champions Spain vie for European glory.

The 2015 winners are without a Star Guard ricky Rubio as well as petrol brothers with Pau retirement from basketball and Mark Farewell to the national team.

Hernangomez, part of the 2019 world-winning team, will carry more of the load this time around, although his averages of 9.1 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 50 NBA games last season suggest he’s moving up in this tournament got to.

Ahead of the tournament, he said: “It’s not pressure. It’s a responsibility to take a step forward. The good thing we have is that we’re a unit; I trust them all and they trust me.”

Under this unit is his brother Juancho Hernangomez who plays for the Toronto Raptors.

With three titles in the last five editions, Spain are not a side to be taken lightly.

FIBA EuroBasket: The last five winners from previous editions

• 2017 – Slovenia

• 2015 – Spain

• 2013 – France

• 2011 – Spain

• 2009 – Spain

EuroBasket 2022: How to watch

FIBA EuroBasket 2022 action can be viewed on FIBA’s proprietary streaming service, Courtside 1891.

Some geographic restrictions may apply.