Courtside 1891's ultimate guide to the FIBA Intercontinental Cup
The Intercontinental Cup (ICC) brings together champions from different domestic leagues across the basketball world. The 2023 Intercontinental Cup is the 33rd edition of this celebrated event, taking place in Singapore for the first time.
Stream the 2023 Intercontinental Cup on Courtside 1891: Watch who will be crowned the champion of champions
The reigning title holders of six different leagues will compete between September 21-24 2023. For basketball fans looking to stream the Intercontinental Cup, Courtside 1891 will be showcasing all nine games, live and on-demand. As the home of FIBA live streaming for the 23/24 domestic basketball season, get your Courtside 1891 fix by downloading the Courtside 1891 app, available on the App Store and Google Play, or signing up via the Courtside 1891 website.
What is the FIBA Intercontinental Cup?
- → A three-round competition comprising two groups of three teams and a final day to decide 1st-6th place
- → Features elite teams from six different continents: USA (Team Ignite), Germany (Telekom Baskets Bonn), Brazil (Sesi Franca), Egypt (Al Ahly), Bahrain (Al Manama) and China (Zhejiang Golden Bulls)
- → Each Club was among the top teams in their respective domestic tournaments: Team Ignite (NBA G League), Telekom Baskets Bonn (Basketball Champions League), Sesi Franca (Basketball Champions League Americas), Al Ahly (Basketball Africa League), Al Manama (West Asia Super League) and Zhejiang Golden Bulls (CBA Finalist)
- → The 32nd edition of the ICC was won by Lenovo Tenerife, the third time they have lifted the trophy
When is the 2023 FIBA Intercontinental Cup?
The 2023 FIBA Intercontinental Cup will take place between September 21-24 2023
What times are the FIBA Intercontinental Cup games on?
- During Group Phase play, there are two games a day, tipping off at 3pm local time (GMT+8) and 7pm (GMT+8)
- On the final day, there are three games taking place, tipping off at 12pm local time (GMT+8) for the 5-6 place Classification Game, 3pm (GMT+8) for the 3rd Place Game and 7pm (GMT+8) for the Final
Check out the Courtside 1891 Game Center for matchup times in your country.
How To Watch the FIBA Intercontinental Cup 2023?
As the home of FIBA live streaming, Courtside 1891 is the only streaming platform with access to every FIBA Intercontinental Cup game. Each game is subject to local market rights restrictions where official FIBA broadcast partners have exclusivity. Check out our where to watch page for the latest information.
As well as FIBA Intercontinental Cup live streams, Courtside 1891 is showing every Basketball Champions League (BCL) game, from the qualification rounds that start on 24 September 2023 through the start of the BCL regular season on 17 October 2023 to the Final Four of the competition in the Summer of 2024.
Fans can watch all this high-level action across multiple devices. So don’t forget to download the app for free via the App Store for Apple devices and Google Play for Android smartphones.
Meet the teams competing in the 2023 FIBA Intercontinental Cup
Team Ignite - NBA G League - USA (ICC: Group A)
Founded in 2020 to meet the needs of young promising athletes who wanted to turn professional rather than go the traditional college route, Team Ignite is a development basketball team that plays in the NBA G League.
The most successful graduate of Team Ignite to date is the 2023 NBA Draft #3 pick, Scoot Henderson, proving the scheme to be a successful and legitimate pathway to reaching the NBA and other top leagues around the world.
This year’s squad boasts plenty of top talent, with two names in particular that should be familiar to the Courtside 1891 community that has watched recent international FIBA youth tournaments.
Potential #1 pick, Ron Holland won the FIBA U17 World Cup with USA Basketball in 2022. A modern-day wing with the ability to finish at the rim with both hands, Holland also gets after it on defence. His Spanish teammate, Izan Almansa, became the most successful player in the history of FIBA Youth events when he scooped the gold medal and MVP award at the FIBA U19 World Cup earlier this summer. A born winner and natural leader, expectations are he’ll go top 10 in next year’s NBA Draft. Last but not least is 6’11” Lithuanian-American, Matas Buzelis. He has the ‘upside’ physical and technical attributes that NBA scouts dream about and will be looking to showcase his phenomenal talents on the ICC stage.
Telekom Baskets Bonn - Basketball Champions League - Germany (ICC: Group B)
After a fairytale run to the BCL title last season, the German continental champions, Bonn are preparing their new-look squad for a fresh challenge in the 2023/24 season, starting with their first-ever appearance in the ICC.
Last season’s inspirational MVP, T.J. Shorts II, has moved to EuroCup club Paris Basketball. Also not returning to start the new campaign are New Zealand’s moustached marvel, Finn Delaney, as well as key rotation pieces, Tyson Ward and Javontae Hawkins. Ike Udanoh should be a key pickup, coming from SIG Strasbourg. A larger-than-life character, Udanoh’s IG channel @ikeudanoh is a fun follow for his hoop comedy sketches.
Sesi Franca - Basketball Champions League Americas - Brazil (ICC: Group A)
Sesi Franca Basquete is a historic Brazilian basketball institution. A record 13-time domestic champion, Sesi France is coming off a league and cup double in 2022/23. As such, they are familiar with the Intercontinental Cup, finishing as runners-up in 1975 and 1980.
2023 was their first-ever BCL Americas title, suggesting this current squad is ready to add another new piece of silverware to their trophy cabinet. Lucas Mariano won the MVP of the season award with Sesi Franca teammates Lucas Dias (part of the Brazil 2023 World Cup squad) and Georginho also making the all-star team. Georginho will be making his final appearances for SFB before moving to Europe for the 23/24 season.
Al Manama - West Asia Super League - Bahrain (ICC: Group B)
If you thought a baker’s dozen domestic titles was impressive, Bahrain is a bread factory, with 22 domestic championships, 18 Bahraini Cups and the inaugural 2022/23 WASL title fresh out the oven.
American stat sheet stuffer Sir'Dominic Pointer is on the roster. He once recorded an 80-80 block & steal season for the G League Cleveland Charge. Fellow American Latavious Williams has joined this summer from his Kuwaiti counterparts. There is also some buzz around 21-year-old Bahrain national, Mustafa Rashed.
Al Manama will play Telekom Baskets Bonn in their first ICC group game on 21 September 2023.
Al Ahly - Basketball Africa League - Egypt (ICC: Group A)
Three seasons on from being founded by the NBA and FIBA, The Basketball Africa League (BAL) continues to go from strength to strength. North African teams have claimed all three titles, with Al Ahly’s success this year seeing them become the second Egyptian Club to win the trophy, after rivals Zamalek won the first-ever ever BAL final.
The two standout talents from the 2022/23 squad shined brightly at the 2023 FIBA World Cup. South Sudan star Nuni Omot had a game-high 22 points in the BAL final. Ehab Amin turned heads with his all-action displays for Egypt as they picked up two tournament wins. Amin has been named to the roster for the ICC competition but it remains to be seen how much court time he’ll get after a taxing summer schedule.
Al Ahly will be the first team to test the young bucks on Team Ignite on Game Day 1.
Zhejiang Golden Bulls - Chinese Basketball Association - China (ICC: Group B)
Zhejiang Golden Bulls reached the Final of the CBA, getting swept by back-to-back champs, Liaoning Flying Leopards, despite going into the Finals as the regular season's number one seed.
The 33rd edition of the FIBA Intercontinental Cup will be the first to feature a Chinese team. Invited to help grow the CBA internationally, you can guarantee the Golden Bulls will be looking to grab this competition by the horns with national pride on the line.
One-time NBA Cleveland Cavalier, Malik Newman is a talented hooper who is embarking on his first season in China. At 26, he’s entering his prime years and can put up numbers in the right environment that caters to his isolation-heavy game. Club legend status is reserved for Wu Qian, who has a 2020/21 CBA MVP title and a 49-point game to his name in Zhejiang.
History of the FIBA Intercontinental Cup
Hot off the heels of the FIBA Basketball World Cup that took place in the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia, Asia will host its first-ever FIBA Intercontinental Cup. The Singapore Indoor Stadium is the setting for a competition founded in 1965.
It began as a test game between South American Club Championship winners, S.C. Corinthians Paulista (Brazil), and the winners of the FIBA European Champions Cup (EuroLeague), Real Madrid from Spain. Madrid would go on to win the next two titles and hold a record 5 competition wins.
The tournament format fluctuated from year to year between 1966 and 2023 (the 32nd edition in February), where between ten and two teams were invited to compete for the ICC title. The competition was inactive between 1988-1995 and 1997-2012.
After the first 2023 tournament concluded, the format and period of the season were changed to September to make it more schedule-friendly for teams ramping up for their new domestic campaigns. An agreement was also reached for Singapore to host the next three iterations of the FIBA Intercontinental Cup.
19 Clubs in total have won the competition but the 33rd edition will see a new champion crowned for the first time. Brazil can lay claim to 3 titles, while the last winner from the USA was the University of Maryland Terrapins in 1974. Add to the fact that there has never been a champion from Egypt, Bahrain, Germany or China, and this.new ICC format and competing teams all have the opportunity to create history for their respective ball clubs.
