In August, there isn’t much to write about in the NBA except for the upcoming regular season schedule release. Given tbe timing of the year, I would expect that we will have content on the Washington Wizards’ 2025-26 regular season schedule release very soon. For now, we only know their preseason schedule.
That said, like August 2024, there will be plenty of international men’s basketball to write about. And thankfully, the Wizards are part of the party. Guard Bilal Coulibaly and center Alex Sarr are expected to play for the France men’s national team and are already playing in friendlies with Les Bleus. They were previously named on a preliminary roster. Barring something unexpected, I think we can say that the Wizards will be represented in FIBA Europe’s biggest tournament.
And it gets better for Wizards fans. Center Tristan Vukcevic is expected to play for Serbia as well. Vukcevic until this year had the possibility to play for multiple countries, including Sweden through his mother’s citizenship, Greece through spending his childhood there, or Italy because he was born there. Vukcevic ultimately decided to play for the country his father, which was announced last July.
Unlike Women’s EuroBasket which is held every two years on odd numbered years in the summer, the men’s version is held once every four years. The last edition was held in 2022, but it was also held with a one year delay due to effects of the coronavirus pandemic because the 2020 Summer Olympics were held in 2021.
France is in Group D and will begin play on Aug. 28 against Belgium at 11 a.m. ET in Katowice, Poland. Serbia is in Group A and will begin play on Aug. 27 against Estonia at 2:15 p.m. ET against Estonia in Riga, Latvia.