The United States men's national basketball team competed at the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup and finished in fourth place. The team held training camp in early August and scheduled five exhibition games before their World Cup opener at the end of the month in Manila. The Americans were 4–1 during group play, qualifying for the final round. However, they lost in the semifinals and then in the bronze medal game, failing to medal for the second consecutive time. Being one of the top two World Cup finishers in the Americas zone, the team directly qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

The tournament was Grant Hill's first major international tournament as president of USA Basketball, having succeeded Jerry Colangelo. Steve Kerr was the new head coach, replacing Gregg Popovich.

Roster

The United States had won gold medals in two of the previous six World Cups, with the 2019 squad finishing in a disappointing seventh place. New USA Basketball president Grant Hill dropped the requirement established by his predecessor, Jerry Colangelo, for multi-year commitments from players to build continuity. "People's willingness and commitment to give two consecutive years to Team USA has changed, so we have to be able to adapt to the times", said Hill. Since FIBA changed the World Cup in 2019 to occur a year prior to the Olympics, players were reluctant to play for the national team two years in a row, wanting a break from the long seasons of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Roster turnover in each tournament often led to lack of chemistry for the U.S. national team, which led to more individual play instead of teamwork. Team USA did not hold a training camp in 2022, as was previously customary during an "off" summer. No pool of players was named for the national team, ending the practice of trials and cuts based on candidates' performance in camp.

The American squad consisted of players who were each capable of both dominating the game or playing a complementary, off-ball role. It was constructed by Hill and head coach Steve Kerr to be fast and flexible, and players were selected with an emphasis on length, toughness, and ability to move the ball. The team featured four NBA All-Stars—Anthony Edwards, Tyrese Haliburton, Brandon Ingram and Jaren Jackson Jr.—all with one selection each; Edwards, Haliburton, and Jackson were recent All-Stars in 2023. However, it was the first U.S. national team of NBA players without any members named to the All-NBA Team. The number of All-NBAers on its World Cup teams had been trending lower, with the rise of non-Americans on All-NBA teams and stars opting to take a break in the offseason, while U.S. Olympic teams drew more A-list players.

Team USA's centers included Jackson, the 2023 NBA Defensive Player of the Year, who mostly played power forward with the Memphis Grizzlies. Their only true center was Walker Kessler, an effective inside defender and shot blocker, who was coming off his NBA rookie year. The Americans' other forwards who could play center included Paolo Banchero, the reigning NBA Rookie of the Year, and Bobby Portis. Banchero had verbally declared that he would play for Italy before officially committing to Team USA. Other players who were long and capable of defending multiple positions include Haliburton, Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart, Cameron Johnson and Austin Reaves. Reaves committed to the United States after considering playing for Germany. He was only the third undrafted player to play on a U.S. national team of NBAers.

The U.S. roster did not have any previous senior national team experience; some of the players had junior-level (19 years old and under) experience. Every prior national team of NBA players had at least two players with senior-level experience. Historically, the United States had focused on younger players looking to use the World Cup as a showcase for a potential future Olympic invite. The youngest squad in the 2023 World Cup with an average age of 24.6, each player for the Americans was 28 or younger.

Kerr won five NBA championships as a player and four as head coach of the Golden State Warriors. As a college player, he won gold on the 1986 U.S. team that won the FIBA World Championship, before it became known as the World Cup. Kerr's assistants included NBA coaches Tyronn Lue and Erik Spoelstra and college coach Mark Few. At the start of training camp, Kerr had his coaching staff write down who should be in the starting lineup. This resulted in the starters in their first scrimmage being Bridges, Ingram, Jackson, Johnson and Jalen Brunson. By the second scrimmage, Edwards replaced Johnson, and the starters remained the same throughout the exhibition games.

Exhibition games Team USA had one exhibition game in the United States, against Puerto Rico, before scheduled matches in Spain and the United Arab Emirates. The Americans finished 5–0, led by Anthony Edwards and his team-high 19.2 points per game on 51% shooting. They outscored their opponents by an average of 22.6 points per game, but had turnover issues in multiple contests and trailed in the second half against Spain and Germany. It was the first U.S. senior squad to go undefeated in warmup games since the 2016 Olympic team.

Puerto Rico

Edwards had 15 points, four steals and four assists as the United States won 117–74 over Puerto Rico. The Americans led 50–43 at halftime before Edwards scored 11 points in the third quarter, when Team USA outscored Puerto Rico 34–18. The United States went on a 20–0 run from the end of the third to the start of the fourth quarter. Cameron Johnson scored 15 points off the bench to tie Edwards for the team high. The Americans won by 43 in spite of shooting just 6-for-27 on three-point field goals.

Starting point guard Jalen Brunson had a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds. Tyrese Haliburton had seven points and a game-high 12 assists, as he and Austin Reaves combined for 16 assists and only two turnovers off the bench for Team USA. Jaren Jackson Jr. had 12 points, seven rebounds and two blocks but battled with foul trouble. Somewhat unexpectedly, Paolo Banchero played significant minutes as his backup at center, at times over Bobby Portis. Banchero plays more as a forward with the Orlando Magic. U.S. head coach Steve Kerr liked his ability to push the ball in transition as a center, as Bam Adebayo did for the 2020 Olympic team.

Slovenia

Edwards led a balanced U.S. attack, scoring 15 points in a 92–62 win over Slovenia. All-NBA guard Luka Dončić missed the game for the Slovenians as a precaution after landing awkwardly in their previous game. Brunson added 11 points and eight assists for the Americans. Josh Hart made his debut for Team USA after missing the previous game while signing a four-year contract extension with the New York Knicks. All 12 U.S. players scored.

Spain

Brunson scored a game-high 23 points on a perfect 9-for-9 shooting from the field to lead the United States to a 98–88 win over Spain. The Americans led 73–72 to start the fourth quarter, but scored seven consecutive points late in the game to extend their lead to 97–84. They shot 67% overall, including 71% on 2-pointers and 56% on 3-pointers. Their defense held Spain to 42% shooting. Jackson added 14 points, five rebounds and three blocks for Team USA while playing against NBA-sized big men Santi Aldama and brothers Willy and Juancho Hernangómez.

The Americans led at halftime by 10, but committed seven turnovers in the third quarter, as the Spaniards closed the gap and took the lead with under four minutes left in the period. Edwards, the leading U.S. scorer through the first two games, scored seven of his 11 in the final quarter. Haliburton had 12 assists in slightly less than 22 minutes off the bench for the Americans. Brunson also had five assists. According to FIBA, Spain was ranked the No. 1 team in the world, and the United States was No. 2.

Greece

Edwards scored a game-high 21 points in 18 minutes in a 108–86 win over Greece. The Greeks did not have Giannis Antetokounmpo, who was unavailable for the World Cup after offseason knee surgery. Team USA led by as many as 17 in the first period, but they committed four turnovers in a span of six possessions in the second quarter, as Greece pulled to within six points. However, Edwards scored 11 points in the third quarter, including three 3's, and the United States stretched their lead to as many as 20.

Edwards shot 8-of-16 from the field for the game, and did not play in the fourth quarter. He was among six Americans to score in double figures, including starters Jackson (11 points) and Mikal Bridges (10) and reserves Johnson (13), Reaves (11) and Portis (10). Brunson led the United States with seven assists. Kerr modified his rotation, inserting Walker Kessler as the first man off the bench in the first quarter. Kessler had played the least with seven minutes through three games. He finished the game with seven points, five rebounds, four fouls and a block. Team USA had 20 turnovers in the game, which led to 24 points for Greece. The Americans outrebounded the Greeks 49–35.

Germany

Edwards scored 34 points and his defense helped rally Team USA from a 16-point second-half deficit to win 99–91 over Germany. The Americans trailed 71–55 with 3:51 remaining in the third quarter. They rallied behind Haliburton, who scored 11 of his 16 points in the quarter, including a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to 74–71 with :56 remaining. Team USA held the Germans scoreless during a six-minute span in the fourth quarter, outscoring them 18–0. Edwards scored 12 points in the final period. Haliburton finished the game ahead of starter Brunson due to his defense and playmaking ability. Another bench player, Reaves, also finished the game and scored 16 points. Portis and Banchero were also on the floor during critical minutes.

Edwards was 11-of-21 from the field and shot a perfect 8-of-8 on free throws, adding four 3s and six rebounds. "He's unquestionably 'the guy,'" Kerr said. "I mean...he knows it, but now the team knows it and I think the fans see it." Jackson had eight rebounds and six blocks. German point guard Dennis Schröder had 16 points and 10 assists, while attacking the Americans with his speed and beating his defenders with pick and rolls. He set up his fellow NBA teammates Franz Wagner (17 points), Mo Wagner (14) and Daniel Theis (12). Germany outrebounded the United States 55–42 and had a 21–7 advantage in second-chance points. Theis had 13 rebounds and Franz Wagner had 10.

Group phase First round

The United States played in Group C with Greece, Jordan, and New Zealand. Their games were played at Mall of Asia Arena in Manila. The top two finishers advanced to the second round, where they competed against the top two finishers from Group D.

The Americans won all three of their opening games by an average margin of 34, winning each by at least 27. They were one of three teams in the World Cup to win all of their opening round games by 20 or more, joining Group H winner Canada and Group D winner Lithuania, who the United States played in their second-round finale. Edwards was Team USA's leading scorer, averaging 16.3 points per game.

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