ALONGSIDE the conclusion of the 2023 FIBA World Cup, the individual awards for the tournament were named on the closing night of the fixture, with some big names making an appearance.

Germany won gold after defeating Serbia on Sunday night to close out the World Cup, and the governing body recognised the strongest performances from the 2023 instalment. At the forefront of this announcement was victorious guard Dennis Schroder, who capped off a historic run with Germany with the tournament’s highest individual honour.

The point guard was named the Most Valuable Player of the 2023 FIBA World Cup, having put together an incredible campaign, playing a crucial role for his side, which proved to be the best of the bunch. Schroder posted 28 points in the gold medal game, producing clutch play after clutch play, steering his side to a first ever gold medal at the World Cup.

Against the Boomers, Schroder exploded for a game-winning performance that included 30 points and eight assists, showcasing how damaging he can be if not given proper defensive attention. He was Germany’s main source of offensive output and created plenty of baskets for himself and his teammates.

As a result of his strong play, Schroder was also named to the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 All Star Five, which contains the five strongest performers from the tournament.

Joining Schroder in the hypothetical lineup is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander from Canada, Serbia’s Bogdan Bogdanovic, Team USA’s Anthony Edwards and Slovenian star Luka Doncic.

Gilgeous-Alexander produced a magnificent campaign to help lead Canada to the nation’s first ever podium finish in World Cup history. The star guard averaged 24.5 points, 6.4 rebounds, 6.4 assists, and 1.6 steals per game in a magnificent campaign.

Despite the absence of Nikola Jokic for the World Cup, as the star big man rests up following a championship-winning campaign with the Denver Nuggets, Serbia was led to a silver medal by Bogdanovic, who stepped up as the number one option. He posted 19.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 2.1 steals, and stepped up with a solid outing in the final.

Edwards was the best player on an underperforming United States side, proving an unstoppable force on the offensive end at times. Looking a strong possibility to retain his spot for the 2024 Paris Olympics, Edwards produced 18.9 points and 4.6 rebounds a game, including a huge 35-point outing in the loss to Lithuania.

Finally, Doncic was one of the most hyped individuals coming into the tournament, having already established himself as a star of the game at NBA level, and he delivered during the World Cup. He was the 12th player in tournament history to post 200 points in a single World Cup, averaging a whopping 27 points, 7.1 rebounds and 6.1 assists per game.

Professional disrupter Dillon Brooks was named the Best Defensive Player of the tournament, after matching up with some of the best players in the world on a nightly basis. Canada was one of the best defensive units at the tournament, and matched up on the likes of Doncic and Evan Fournier. He even exploded for a magnificent offensive performance in the final game to showcase his versatility.

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Australia’s own Joshua Giddey was recognised as the best young player of the tournament, winning the inaugural Wanda Rising Star award. Giddey stepped up to lead the Boomers into the second round, and appears the future of Australian basketball. He led the his side in both points and assists, and also became the first player since LeBron James to post at least 10 points, five rebounds and five assists in his World Cup debut.