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FIBA Basketball World Cup Trophy tour 2023: Every stop the Naismith Trophy made before the tournament

Kyle Irving

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FIBA Basketball World Cup Trophy tour 2023: Every stop the Naismith Trophy made before the tournament image

The 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup is upon us, set to tip off on Aug. 25.

Ahead of the tournament, FIBA partnered with J9.com to roll out a "Naismith Trophy Tour" where the World Cup trophy made stops at landmarks or events in every participating country to celebrate the various types of basketball culture.

The FIBA World Cup's official Twitter account used "#NaismithTrophyTour" to track every stop. Take a look at all the different places the Naismith Trophy visited ahead of the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup.

FIBA Basketball World Cup Trophy tour 2023 timeline

May 1: China

The Naismith Trophy's first stop was Beijing, Shanghai, and Suzhou, Nanjing.

May 6: Lebanon

May 9: New Zealand

May 13: Iran

The Naismith Trophy visited a number of iconic sites in Tehran and Isfahan, Iran, including Azadi Square, Golestan Place, Khaju Bridge and Shah Mosque.

May 15: Cote D'Ivoire

May 17: Cape Verde

May 20: Egypt

The Naismith Trophy visited the Egyptian Pyramids.

May 22: Angola

A few days later, the Naismith Trophy visited Luanda.

May 25: Brazil

May 28: South Sudan

The Naismith Trophy was presented by the President of the South Sudan Basketball Federation, former NBA All-Star Luol Deng.

June 2: Lithuania

June 6: Montenegro

June 9: Serbia

June 11: Finland

June 12: Italy

June 15: Jordan

The Naismith Trophy stopped in to see one of the Seven Wonders of the World — the ancient city of Petra, Jordan.

June 17: Germany

The Naismith Trophy ran into a Hall of Famer in Berlin, Germany — the great Dirk Nowitzki.

June 20: France

June 23: Georgia

June 26: Slovenia

The Naismith Trophy saw a beautiful sight in Slovenia — Lake Bled.

June 28: Latvia

July 1: Puerto Rico

July 4: Venezuela

July 7: Mexico

July 9: Dominican Republic

July 10: United States

The Naismith Trophy popped up in Las Vegas, Nevada during NBA Summer League, stopping by the Fountains of Bellagio.

Team USA head coach Steve Kerr and players Paolo Banchero, Tyrese Haliburton and Cam Johnson all got a look at the potential prize.

July 12: Canada

After a stop in the United States, the Naismith Trophy traveled to Toronto, Ontario.

July 15: Japan

The Naismith Trophy is starting to hit the Host Cities, including Hokkaido, Tokyo, and Okinawa.

July 28: Indonesia

August 9: Greece

August 10: Spain

You knew the trophy was going to make a stop in the home of the defending FIBA World Cup champions.

August 14: Australia

The second-to-last stop on the trophy tour — Melbourne!

August 15: Philippines

Kyle Irving

Kyle Irving Photo

You read that wrong – not Kyrie Irving. From Boston, graduated from the University of New Hampshire. Sixth season as a content producer for NBA.com's Global editions. Covering the NBA Draft has become his annual "dream come true" moment on the job. Irving has a soft spot for pass-first point guards, with Rajon Rondo and Steve Nash being two of his favorite players of all time.