FIBA World Cup records: Luka Doncic and his hunt for historic feats / News - Basketnews.com

Luka Doncic is poised to rewrite FIBA World Cup records in the 2023 edition. Oscar Schmidt and Nikos Galis are scoring leaders, Dennis Schroder holds the best assists average, while no player has ever posted a triple-double in a World Cup game.

Credit: FIBA | BasketNews illustration Credit FIBA | BasketNews illustration

FIBA Basketball World Cup, formerly known as FIBA World Championship from 1950 until 2010, stands as the premier event of the International Basketball Federation.

FIBA World Cup has been the center stage for some of international basketball's greats -- from Oscar Schmidt and Drazen Petrovic to Pau Gasol and Kevin Durant and many in between.

Unfortunately, the upcoming edition will see the absence of many present-day stars. The likes of Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jamal Murray, Jayson Tatum, and others won't grace the FIBA World Cup 2023 courts in Japan, Indonesia, and the Philippines.

Amidst this, a particular wonderboy will be in the spotlight. A 24-year-old Slovenian sensation who has already etched his name as the record holder for the second-highest scoring performances in both EuroBasket and Olympic history.

Whenever you see Luka Doncic on the floor, you know something magical awaits you.

Slovenia comes to the FIBA Basketball World Cup without two of their core guys -- NBA champion Vlatko Cancar and former national team captain Edo Muric.

Hence, all eyes are on the Dallas Mavericks superstar. Known for his competitive spirit and unique skill set, Doncic stands poised to make a run at individual records in his first World Cup.

First of all, no player has ever had a triple-double in a FIBA World Cup game. In 2019, two players came very close to posting the first and historic one.

Joe Ingles had 17 points, 10 rebounds, and 9 assists for Australia against Senegal, while Germany's Dennis Schroder registered 21 points, 10 rebounds, and the same 9 assists in a game vs. Canada.

Doncic has already displayed his triple-double prowess in friendly matches, and his summer tune-up games have produced near triple-double averages of 22.0 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 8.0 assists.

In addition, Doncic could aim to knock down more than 35 three-pointers during the tournament.

Yes, this record needs at least seven games to be realistically possible, and Slovenia will have a tough time in the potential second-phase appearance against formidable teams from Group E (Germany, Finland, Australia, and Japan) joining the squads of Group F.

On top of that, this pursuit also hinges on Luka maintaining a consistent shooting form, a task complicated by his expected significant workload. In the 2022-23 season, his 3-point shooting stood at 34.2% on 8.2 attempts per game.

It's worth noting that the record for the most three-pointers in a World Cup is currently shared by Bogdan Bogdanovic, who sank 35 long-range shots in 2019, and Puerto Rico's Larry Ayuso, who achieved the same feat in 2002.

Most 3-pointers made in a single game

No. Player Team 3-pointers Year 1. Hur Jae South Korea 14 1990 2. Weidong Hu/Larry Ayuso China/Puerto Rico 9 1994/2002 3. Reggie Miller/Kyung-Eun Moon/Nan Li/Nicolas Batum USA/South Korea/China/France 8 1994/1994/2002/2014

What sounds more likely is to have a double-double in every tournament game. In 2019, South Korea's big man Guna Ra became the first player to register 15+ points and 10+ rebounds in four consecutive games at a single World Cup since 1994.

He also carved his name as the sole player to record a double-double in every match of a World Cup.

Given Doncic's ability to find his teammates and a sense for rebounds, it's conceivable he could replicate the latter accomplishment while extending it across a few additional games.

Expanding on Doncic's proficiency in involving his teammates, the Slovenian could give it a try to improve Dennis Schroder's average assists record, set in 2019. In the previous World Cup edition, the German floor general averaged 9.4 assists per game.

The all-time single-game assists record belongs to Toni Kukoc, who dished out 15 dimes to his teammates in 1994.

Best assists average during one tournament

No. Player Team Assists average Year 1. Dennis Schroder Germany 9.4 2019 2. Tomas Satoransky Czech Republic 8.5 2019 3. Facundo Campazzo Argentina 7.8 2019 4. Marcelo Gustavo Milanesio Argentina 6.9 1994 5. Toni Kukoc Croatia 6.8 1994

Most assists in a single game

No. Player Team Assists Opponent Year 1. Toni Kukoc Croatia 15 China 1994 2. Xane Dalmeida Senegal 14 Philippines 2014 3. Tomas Satoransky/Scottie Wilbekin Czech Republic/Turkey 13 Australia/Montenegro 2019

Shifting the focus to scoring, Luka may encounter challenges in surpassing the achievements of past World Cup participants.

One towering figure in this regard is the Brazilian legend Oscar Schmidt. His legacy looms large as the all-time leading scorer, amassing an impressive 906 career points across four tournaments spanning from 1978 to 1990.

He is also the all-time highest scorer for a single tournament, averaging 33.7 points per game for the Brazilians in 1990.

For instance, Doncic averaged 26.0 points last autumn, 23.8 points in the Tokyo Olympics, 21.3 points in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Kaunas, Lithuania, and 14.3 points in the FIBA EuroBasket 2017 at the age of 18.

Best scoring average during one tournament

No. Player Team Scoring average Year 1. Oscar Schmidt Brazil 34.6 1990 2. Nikos Galis Greece 33.7 1986 3. Shin Dong-pa South Korea 32.6 1970 4. Luis Scola Argentina 27.1 2010 5. Arturo Guerrero Mexico 27.0 1974

Most points scored during one tournament

No. Player Team Total points scored Year 1. Nikos Galis Greece 337 1986 2. Oscar Schmidt Brazil 277 1990 3. Shin Dong-pa South Korea 261 1970 4. Luis Scola Argentina 244 2010 5. Dirk Nowitzki Germany 216 2002

When it comes to a single game,this is where Luka Doncic's brilliance could come to the fore.

Mavs leader dropped 47 points against France at FIBA EuroBasket 2022 and posted 48 points vs. Argentina in his Olympic debut in Tokyo. He now ranks second in single-game scoring in both of these FIBA competitions.

Turning to World Cup records, South Korea's Hur Jae holds the all-time record of 54 points scored in one game. He did it back in 1990 against Egypt.

The most recent incredible scoring performance came in 2006 when freshly-baked Hall of Famer Dirk Nowitzki put up a 47-point show over Angola.

Most points in a single game

No. Player Team Points Opponent Year 1. Hur Jae South Korea 54 Egypt 1990 2. Nikos Galis Greece 53 Panama 1986 3. Oscar Schmidt Brazil 52 Australia 1990 4. Jordi Villacampa Spain 48 Venezuela 1990 5. Dirk Nowitzki/Drazen Petrovic Germany/ Croatia 47 Angola/ Netherlands 2006/ 1986

Certainly, Doncic is not the only player who could carve his name in the FIBA World Cup history books this year.

However, there's an undeniable prospect of witnessing Luka Magic unfold on the grand stage. Amidst the array of talents, his brilliance is potentially the most dazzling of them all.

Other major individual World Cup records

Most rebounds in a single game

No. Player Team Rebounds Opponent Year 1. Mirsad Turkcan/Omer Asik Turkey 20 Russia/Ukraine 2002/2014 2. Daniel Santiago Puerto Rico 18 USA 2002 3. Greg Newton Canada 17 Australia 1998

Best rebounds average during one tournament

No. Player Team Rebounds average Year 1. Andray Blatch Philippines 13.8 2014 2. Guna Ra South Korea 12.8 2019 3. Richard Lugo Venezuela 12.2 2002 4. Richard Lugo/Hamed Haddadi Venezuela/Iran 11.4 2006/2014 5. Hamed Haddadi Iran 10.8 2019

Most steals in a single game

No. Player Team Steals Year 1. Sinan Guler Turkey 8 2010 2. Joel David Vickery/ Souleyman Diabate/Ricky Rubio Canada/Cote d'Ivoire/Spain 7 1994/2010/2014

Most blocks in a single game

No. Player Team Blocks Year 1. Yao Ming/Salah Mejri China/Tunisia 8 2002/2019 2. Darko Milicic Serbia 6 2006

Players with the most tournaments and games played

No. Player Team Number of World Cups Games played 1. Luis Scola/Ubiratan Pereira Maciel Argentina/Brazil 5 41 2. Marcel De Souza Brazil 5 37 3. Phil Smyth/Jerome Mincy Australia/Puerto Rico 5 36 4. Alex Garcia Brazil 5 32 5. Daniel Santiago Puerto Rico 5 30

Top medalists

No. Player Team Gold Silver Bronze Total medals 1. Wlamir Marques Brazil 2(1959, 1963) 2(1954, 1970) - 4 2. Kresimir Cosic Yugoslavia 2(1970, 1978) 2(1967, 1974) - 4 3. Amaury Pasos Brazil 2(1959, 1963) 1(1954) 1(1967) 4 4. Sergei Belov Soviet Union 2(1967, 1974) 1(1978) 1(1970) 4 5. Carmo De Souza Brazil 2(1959, 1963) 1(1970) - 3 Stay in the know -follow us on Xandsubscribe to our YouTube channel. Never miss a moment - download our app now:iOSandAndroid. Stay ahead of the game -join our community.

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