Latvia men's national basketball team

This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Latvia women's national basketball team.

Latvia

FIBA ranking	8 22 (15 September 2023) [1]
Joined FIBA	1932 (co-founders)
FIBA zone	FIBA Europe
National federation	LBS
Coach	Luca Banchi
Olympic Games
Appearances	1
Medals	None
FIBA World Cup
Appearances	1
Medals	None
EuroBasket
Appearances	14
Medals	Gold: (1935) Silver: (1939)
Home Away
First international
Latvia 20–16 Estonia   (Riga, Latvia; 29 April 1924) [2]
Biggest win
Latvia 108–7 Finland  ‡ (Kaunas, Lithuania; 24 May 1939) [3]
Biggest defeat
Lithuania 108–65 Latvia   (Kaunas, Lithuania; 17 November 1993)

The Latvia men's national basketball team (Latvian : Latvijas basketbola izlase) represents Latvia in international basketball. They are organized and run by the Latvian Basketball Association. Latvia has reached the European Basketball Championship 15 times, with their ultimate success occurring during the inter-war period, when they became the first team to win the tournament in 1935. Four years later, they had another impressive run to come away with the silver in 1939. Although after 1939, Latvia were forced to suspend their national team operations, due to the Occupation of the Baltic states during World War II. Latvia regained independence in 1991, with their national team taking part in international competition once again a year later.

History

Origins of the team

On 26 November 1923, the Latvijas Basketbola Savienība was founded, earlier than most basketball federations from other countries. ^[4]

On 29 April 1924, Latvia played their first international game versus Estonia, winning it 20–16. ^[5]

In the winter of 1924, the first men's basketball championship was held, while the first women's championship was organized in 1933. ^[6]

Latvians, like their Baltic neighbors Lithuanians and Estonians, also began playing basketball in the 1920s, quickly rising as the strongest of the Baltic teams. On 13 December 1925 in Riga, when the Lithuanian national team played their first international game. Latvia easily swept them with the score of 41–20. ^[7] Later on, Latvia continued to dominate the future three-times European champions as well (41–29 and 123–10). ^[8] In fact, Latvia had one of the world's strongest national basketball teams. The first Latvian teams consisted of students and pupils, who were trained by coaches of the American YMCA (Young Men's Christian Association). ^[9]

Latvia also was one of the eight countries which signed the founding act of FIBA on 18 June 1932 in Geneva, along with Switzerland, Czechoslovakia, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Romania and Argentina. The Latvian representative in this event was Jāzeps Šadeiko. ^[10]

EuroBasket 1935

Main article: EuroBasket 1935

The Latvian national team at EuroBasket 1935.

The Latvians won the first European basketball championship, the EuroBasket 1935 held by the International Basketball Federation's FIBA Europe continental federation. They defeated Hungary in the preliminary round, Switzerland in the semi-finals, and Spain in the final to finish at the top of the ten-nation field. ^[11]

Latvia held their opponents to 49 points over three games, the lowest points-against average in the tournament. Their scoring rate, 98 points over three games for 32.67 points per game, was second only to France.

Latvia is the smallest country in population to ever win the EuroBasket.

In 2012, Latvian film director Aigars Grauba directed the historical sports drama Dream Team 1935 about the journey of the Latvian team towards winning the title. ^{[12] [11]}

1936 Summer Olympic Games (Berlin 1936)

Main article: Basketball at the 1936 Summer Olympics

The Latvia national basketball team participated in the first appearance of basketball as an official Olympic medal event. Latvia were reigning European champions and were considered to be one of the pre-tournament favorites. Although the Olympics did not go that well for the Latvians. They began the tournament with a 20–17 victory over Uruguay. However, they were soundly beaten 23–34 by Canada and after suffering another defeat to Poland 23–28, the Latvians did not qualify for the knockout stage, unlike their neighbors Estonia. ^[13] This was the first and only appearance for Latvia at the Olympic Games as of 2019 (their female counterparts made their first appearance in 2008). ^[14]

EuroBasket 1937

Main article: EuroBasket 1937

At the EuroBasket 1937, the reigning champions got off to a great start in their first game in the tournament by blowing out Czechoslovakia 44–11. In their second game they lost a close one to Poland to drop to (1–1) in the standings. They finished up group play with a needed win against France to put them in a three-way tie for the lead of the four-team group. However, it wouldn't be enough for the national team to reach the semi-finals as they came out on the bottom of the tie-breaker against Poland and France. This result came about despite the Latvians being the highest-scoring team in the entire tournament and allowing fewer opponent points than any of the other teams in their group.

Being in the bottom half of the preliminary group meant that the team could finish no better than fifth. In the classification semifinal, Latvia faced Egypt, which had withdrawn after their first two preliminary matches. They advanced to the 5th/6th place playoff, which they lost to Estonia 41–19.

EuroBasket 1939

Latvia national team during opening ceremony of EuroBasket 1939

Main article: EuroBasket 1939

In 1939, despite losing twice, including a rematch of the 1937 game against Estonia, Latvia secured silver medals with 5 wins. Poland, which also had a 5–2 record, finished third as Latvia had won the match between the two teams. The tournament's opening and, in retrospect, decisive game between Latvia and Lithuania ended in a dramatic late victory for the hosts and eventual champions Lithuania, souring the sports relations between the two countries and leading to the cancellation of the 1939 Baltic Cup. ^[15]

One of the 1939's vice-champions, Alfrēds Krauklis, once said: "Frankly saying – these three Baltic states raised the European basketball. Now they say that its Spanish, and so what? Let them say... And I say – it's our merit!". ^[16]

Soviet and Nazi period (1940–1991)

Due to Soviet and Nazi occupations, Latvians were unable to represent Latvia in FIBA organized tournaments or the Olympic Games. Instead, they were forced to play for the Soviet Union national team.

Horrific times in Latvia began. In 1940 the massive people deportations started, implemented by the Soviets. Thousands of Latvians were forced to leave their homeland, thousands of them died due to the active warfare during World War II.

Though, despite all the cruel challenges, basketball was continued to be played and retained its popularity in Latvia. In 1941 a Baltic States tournament was organized in Kaunas Sports Hall. The Lithuanian SSR team won the final against the Latvian SSR, 38–33. ^[17]

At the 1952 Summer Olympics, Maigonis Valdmanis became the first Latvian representative on the Soviet squad, which won the Olympic silver medals that year. A few years later two other Latvian basketball stars joined the team: Jānis Krūmiņš and Valdis Muižnieks. Later on, the trio won two EuroBasket titles and two times became Olympic vice-champions together.

In the 1950s, Rīgas ASK, coached by the Soviet legend Aleksandr Gomelsky, became the major force of the Soviet Union and even Europe by winning three consecutive European Cup titles from 1958 to 1960. The club's roster had multiple European champions in Jānis Krūmiņš, Maigonis Valdmanis and Valdis Muižnieks. ^[18] Furthermore, in 1960 TTT Riga won the European Cup for Women's Clubs, undoubtedly turning Riga into the capital of basketball with the two major European basketball titles held by the single city's clubs at the same time. And it only was the first of the stunning 18 European titles.

In later years other Latvian basketball stars appeared, such as Valdis Valters and Igors Miglinieks, both of whom were eventually crowned as Olympic champions. Valdis Valters is considered to be one of Europe's greatest basketball players of the 1980s. In addition to his Olympic title, he also won the World Cup in 1982 and became the European champion twice, being named as the MVP of EuroBasket 1981.

Andris Biedriņš representing Team Latvia at the EuroBasket 2009

After the restoration of independence (from 1991)

On 4 May 1990 Latvia declared the country's independence from the Soviet Union. Consequently, in September 1991 its basketball federation was re-affiliated with FIBA. ^[19] Though, despite having some remarkable players like Valdis Valters, Igors Miglinieks, Ainars Bagatskis, Kaspars Kambala, Andris Biedriņš, Latvia failed to recover its inter-war glory. Their best result after restoring the country's independence is the 5th place achieved at EuroBasket 2017. Although, basketball is slowly regaining its power in Latvia with the help of the medals-winning youth squads.

Latvia basketball fans

EuroBasket 2013

Main article: EuroBasket 2013

During EuroBasket 2013, Latvia began their tournament run with two wins against Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro before facing longtime Baltic rival Lithuania. Although in the highly anticipated match between the two nations, Lithuania prevailed 67–59. Latvia then lost their next match versus Serbia, but rebounded to win their final fixture in group play against Macedonia to advance.

In the second group phase of the tournament Latvia displayed immediate dominance in their first game of group play over Ukraine winning 86–51. It turned out to be the only win Latvia would record in the group, as they were eventually eliminated.

EuroBasket 2015

Main article: EuroBasket 2015

France v Latvia quarter-finals match at EuroBasket 2015

As one of the hosts for EuroBasket 2015 in Riga, Latvia began their campaign at the tournament victorious over Belgium 78–67. In their second match, they were once again pitted against their rivals Lithuania. Latvia looked to avenge their lost from the prior EuroBasket showdown between the two, as the national team got off to a strong start in the 1st quarter. Unfortunately, the Latvians were unable to maintain the momentum they started the match with, as they fell to their rivals again, 68–49. While it was demoralizing for Latvia to be defeated in that manner in front of their home crowd, they recovered quickly to win two out of the next three matches they played to move on to the knockout stage. There, Latvia beat Slovenia to advance to the quarter-finals, but ultimately fell short to the eventual bronze medalist France.

EuroBasket 2017

Main article: EuroBasket 2017

At EuroBasket 2017, Latvia entered the competition with high expectations, as they fielded one of their most potent lineups ever. With the addition of Latvian star Kristaps Porziņģis joining the senior national team for the first time, Latvia was poised to go on a long tournament run. But in their first match they were out lasted by a veteran Serbian squad, 92–82. Although, the national team bounced back in a huge way dismantling Belgium 92–64, with Porziņģis and Jānis Timma leading the way in scoring with 27 points apiece. They also went on to win their next three matches in group play to finish with a (4–1) record, to earn a spot in the knockout rounds. In their round of 16 match up, they throttled Montenegro 100–68. Latvia ran into an buzz saw in their quarter-finals match though, falling to the eventual champions Slovenia.

Latvia finished fifth in the tournament overall, reaching their best post-war result in the history of the national team, in which Kristaps Porziņģis debuted with astonishing averages of 23.6 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.9 blocks at the age of 22. ^[20]

Recent years (2019–2022)

Latvia national team before a friendly versus Lithuania in 2023

On 1 August 2019, Latvia named former player Roberts Štelmahers the new head coach of the national team. He replaced Arnis Vecvagars. ^[21] In March 2022, Latvia was selected as one of the four co-hosts for EuroBasket 2025, where they will host one preliminary phase group, as well as the knockout rounds.

Road to the 2023 FIBA World Cup

Main article: 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup

Latvian basketball fans in 2023

After the signing of Luca Banchi as head coach in 2021, Latvia went on to qualify for the 2023 FIBA World Cup, making it the first time the national team would appear at the World Cup finals. ^{[22] [23]}

Latvia entered the competition with high hopes, however, their biggest star Kristaps Porziņģis was unable to represent the team during the 2023 FIBA World Cup, due to failing to recover from an injury. ^[24] Nevertheless, Latvia surprisingly eliminated European vice-champions France in the first round by winning a decisive game 88–86 and qualified to the second round of the 2023 FIBA World Cup with two victories (also versus Lebanon 109–70) and one 101–75 loss to Canada. ^{[25] [26]} One of the Latvian team leaders Dāvis Bertāns described victory versus France as "the biggest win in Latvian basketball history since 1935". ^[27] In the second round Latvia achieved yet another memorable 74–69 victory versus the reigning world champions Spain. ^[28] In the next game Latvia crushed Brazil 104–84 and advanced to the quarter-finals as the second-best team in the group, leaving Spain and Brazil behind without playoffs. ^[29] But in quarter-final Latvia lost to Germany in the last seconds with the result 79–81 and did not directly qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics. ^[30] Latvia finished the tournament in fifth place after defeating Italy (82–87) and Lithuania (98–63). ^{[31] [26]}

Competitive record

FIBA World Cup World Cup Qualification Year Position Pld W L Pld W L 1950 to 1990 Part of Soviet Union 1994 Did not qualify EuroBasket served as qualifiers 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2019 12 7 5 2023 5th 8 6 2 16 15 1 2027 To be determined To be determined Total 1/8 8 6 2 28 22 6 Olympic Games Olympic Games Qualifying Year Position Pld W L Pld W L 1936 15th 3 1 2 1948 to 1988 Part of Soviet Union 1992 Did not qualify 6 3 3 1996 Did not qualify 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 3 2 1 2020 Did not qualify 2024 To be determined To be determined Total 1/9 3 1 2 9 5 4

EuroBasket EuroBasket Qualification Year Position Pld W L Pld W L 1935 3 3 0 1937 6th 5 3 2 1939 7 5 2 1946 to 1991 Part of Soviet Union 1993 10th 6 2 4 8 5 3 1995 Did not qualify 6 0 6 1997 16th 5 0 5 10 7 3 1999 Did not qualify 10 3 7 2001 8th 7 2 5 13 9 4 2003 13th 3 0 3 10 6 4 2005 13th 3 0 3 6 4 2 2007 13th 3 1 2 6 4 2 2009 13th 3 1 2 6 4 2 2011 21st 5 0 5 8 3 5 2013 11th 8 4 4 8 5 3 2015 8th 9 4 5 6 6 0 2017 5th 7 5 2 Direct qualification 2022 Did not qualify 6 1 5 2025 Qualified as co-host To be determined Total 15/18 74 30 44 103 57 46

Results and fixtures

  Win  Loss

2023

Latvia   v   Sweden

2 August 2023 Friendly	Latvia	87–77	Sweden	Liepaja, Latvia
19:00 (UTC+3)	Scoring by quarter:26–22, 28–13, 15–26, 18–16
	Pts: Šmits 17 Rebs: R. Kurucs 8 Asts: Mejeris 5	Boxscore	Pts: Clarence 16 Rebs: Andersson 6 Asts: Terins 4	Arena: Liepaja Olympic Centre

Latvia   v   Georgia

5 August 2023 Friendly	Latvia	82–57	Georgia	Riga, Latvia
18:00 (UTC+3)	Scoring by quarter: 19–20, 26–19, 20–10, 17–8
	Pts: Šķēle 16 Rebs: Čavars 6 Asts: Žagars 5	Boxscore	Pts: Shermadini 14 Rebs: Mamukelashvili 9 Asts: Andronikashvili 3	Arena: Arena Riga

Latvia   v   Dominican Republic

12 August 2023 Friendly	Latvia	74–69	Dominican Republic	Riga, Latvia
18:00 (UTC+3)	Scoring by quarter:19–17, 24–19, 15–16, 16–17
	Pts: Bertāns, Pasečņiks 11 Rebs: R. Kurucs 7 Asts: Zoriks 5	Boxscore	Pts: Vargas 12 Rebs: Figueroa, Santos 5 Asts: Solano 4	Arena: Arena Riga

Latvia   v   Finland

16 August 2023 Friendly	Latvia	94–57	Finland	Riga, Latvia
19:30 (UTC+3)	Scoring by quarter: 16–20, 23–12, 25–8, 30–12
	Pts: Šmits 21 Rebs: Gražulis 10 Asts:four players 4	Boxscore	Pts: Valtonen 11 Rebs: Valtonen 8 Asts: Little 7	Arena: Arena Riga

Latvia   v   Puerto Rico

20 August 2023 Friendly	Latvia	84–72	Puerto Rico	New Taipei City, Taiwan
14:00 (UTC+8)	Scoring by quarter:14–13, 21–20, 23–18, 26–21
				Arena: Xinzhuang Gymnasium

Lithuania   v   Latvia

22 August 2023 Friendly	Lithuania	93–69	Latvia	New Taipei City, Taiwan
19:00 (UTC+8)	Scoring by quarter:30–12, 31–14, 15–22, 17–21
				Arena: Xinzhuang Gymnasium

Latvia   v   Lebanon

25 August 2023 2023 FIBA World Cup – Group stage	Latvia	109–70	Lebanon	Jakarta, Indonesia
16:15 (UTC+7)	Scoring by quarter:27–17, 28–13, 27–18, 27–22
	Pts: Dai. Bertāns 20 Rebs: Gražulis, Šmits 7 Asts: Žagars 11	Boxscore	Pts: El Darwich 19 Rebs: El Darwich 5 Asts: Arakji 8	Arena: Indonesia Arena Attendance: 5,834 Referees: Julio Anaya (PAN), Scott Beker (AUS), Jenna Reneau (USA)

France   v   Latvia

27 August 2023 2023 FIBA World Cup – Group stage	France	86–88	Latvia	Jakarta, Indonesia
20:30 (UTC+7)	Scoring by quarter:33–26, 20–23, 21–13, 12–26
	Pts: Fournier 27 Rebs: Gobert 7 Asts: De Colo 8	Boxscore	Pts: Žagars 22 Rebs: R. Kurucs 5 Asts: Žagars 5	Arena: Indonesia Arena Attendance: 9,628 Referees: Julio Anaya (PAN), Juan Fernández (ARG), Andrés Bartel (URU)

Canada   v   Latvia

29 August 2023 2023 FIBA World Cup – Group stage	Canada	101–75	Latvia	Jakarta, Indonesia
20:30 (UTC+7)	Scoring by quarter: 13–23, 30–19, 24–15, 34–18
	Pts: Gilgeous-Alexander 27 Rebs: Ejim 7 Asts: Gilgeous-Alexander 6	Boxscore	Pts: Gražulis 16 Rebs: R. Kurucs 10 Asts: Šķēle 6	Arena: Indonesia Arena Attendance: 11,186 Referees: Juan Fernández (ARG), Jenna Reneau (USA), Johnny Batista (PUR)

Spain   v   Latvia

1 September 2023 2023 FIBA World Cup – 2nd Group stage	Spain	69–74	Latvia	Jakarta, Indonesia
16:45 (UTC+7)	Scoring by quarter: 16–17, 16–12, 26–18, 11–27
	Pts: W. Hernangómez 14 Rebs: Claver, J. Hernangómez 5 Asts: Llull 7	Boxscore	Pts: Dāv. Bertāns 16 Rebs: R. Kurucs 8 Asts: Žagars 5	Arena: Indonesia Arena Attendance: 7,117 Referees: Roberto Vázquez (PUR), Aleksandar Glišić (SRB), Juan Fernández (ARG)

Brazil   v   Latvia

3 September 2023 2023 FIBA World Cup – 2nd Group stage	Brazil	84–104	Latvia	Jakarta, Indonesia
16:45 (UTC+7)	Scoring by quarter: 20–22, 22–23, 21–36, 21–23
	Pts: Caboclo 20 Rebs: Caboclo, Lucas 7 Asts: Marcelinho 9	Boxscore	Pts: Gražulis 24 Rebs: R. Kurucs 5 Asts: Zoriks 6	Arena: Indonesia Arena Attendance: 10,412 Referees: Roberto Vázquez (PUR), Aleksandar Glišić (SRB), Johnny Batista (PUR)

Germany   v   Latvia

6 September 2023 2023 FIBA World Cup – Quarter-finals	Germany	81–79	Latvia	Pasay, Philippines
16:45 (UTC+8)	Scoring by quarter: 13–16, 23–18, 26–25, 19–20
	Pts: F. Wagner 16 Rebs: Theis, F. Wagner 8 Asts: Schröder 4	Boxscore	Pts: Žagars 24 Rebs: R. Kurucs 10 Asts: Žagars 8	Arena: Mall of Asia Arena Attendance: 7,584 Referees: Antonio Conde (ESP), Yohan Rosso (FRA), Martin Vulić (CRO)

Italy   v   Latvia

7 September 2023 2023 FIBA World Cup – Classifying round	Italy	82–87	Latvia	Pasay, Philippines
16:45 (UTC+8)	Scoring by quarter:26–18, 16–28, 18–21, 22–20
	Pts: Datome 20 Rebs: Melli 9 Asts: Spissu 7	Boxscore	Pts: Gražulis 28 Rebs: Gražulis 6 Asts: Šķēle 9	Arena: Mall of Asia Arena Attendance: 4,579 Referees: Ademir Zurapović (BIH), Takaki Kato (JPN), Blanca Burns (USA)

Latvia   v   Lithuania

9 September 2023 2023 FIBA World Cup – Fifth place game	Latvia	98–63	Lithuania	Pasay, Philippines
20:30 (UTC+8)	Scoring by quarter:28–20, 21–18, 28–9, 21–16
	Pts: A. Kurucs 20 Rebs:four players 6 Asts: Žagars 17	Boxscore	Pts: Jokubaitis 16 Rebs: Sedekerskis 10 Asts: Brazdeikis 3	Arena: Mall of Asia Arena Attendance: 9,440 Referees: Manuel Mazzoni (ITA), Blanca Burns (USA), Johnny Batista (PUR)

2024

Spain   v   Latvia

22 February 2024 EuroBasket 2025 qualifiers	Spain	75–79	Latvia	Zaragoza, Spain
20:00 (UTC+1)	Scoring by quarter: 14–23, 23–17, 20–17, 18–22
	Pts: Brizuela 16 Rebs: J. Hernangómez 7 Asts: Rubio 5	Boxscore	Pts: Lomažs 18 Rebs: Cavars 7 Asts: Lomažs 7	Arena: Pabellón Príncipe Felipe Attendance: 10,533 Referees: Ademir Zurapović (BIH), Igor Mitrovski (MKD), Beniamino Attard (ITA)

Latvia   v   Slovakia

25 February 2024 EuroBasket 2025 qualifiers	Latvia	64–52	Slovakia	Riga, Latvia
17:05 (UTC+2)	Scoring by quarter:15–10, 16–17, 14–11, 19–14
	Pts: Gražulis 18 Rebs: Gražulis 9 Asts: Zoriks 4	Boxscore	Pts: Krajčovič 12 Rebs: Ihring, Mokráň 5 Asts: Ihring 6	Arena: Arena Riga Attendance: 10,890 Referees: Saverio Lanzarini (ITA), Viola Györgyi (NOR), Alexandre Deman (FRA)

Georgia   v   Latvia

2 July 2024 2024 Olympic Qualifying Tournament – Group stage	Georgia	vs.	Latvia	Riga, Latvia
19:00 (UTC+3)
		Boxscore		Arena: Arena Riga

Latvia   v   Philippines

3 July 2024 2024 Olympic Qualifying Tournament – Group stage	Latvia	vs.	Philippines	Riga, Latvia
19:00 (UTC+3)
		Boxscore		Arena: Arena Riga

Latvia   v   Belgium

22 November 2024 EuroBasket 2025 qualifiers	Latvia	vs.	Belgium	Latvia
		Boxscore

Belgium   v   Latvia

25 November 2024 EuroBasket 2025 qualifiers	Belgium	vs.	Latvia	Belgium
		Boxscore

2025

Latvia   v   Spain

20 February 2025 EuroBasket 2025 qualifiers	Latvia	vs.	Spain	Latvia
		Boxscore

Slovakia   v   Latvia

23 February 2025 EuroBasket 2025 qualifiers	Slovakia	vs.	Latvia	Slovakia
		Boxscore

Team

Current roster

Roster for the EuroBasket 2025 Qualifiers matches on 22 and 25 February 2024 against Spain and Slovakia. ^{[32] [33]}

Latvia men's national basketball team roster
Players	Coaches
Pos. No. Name Age – Date of birth Height Club Ctr. F 00 Rodions Kurucs 26 – (1998-02-05)5 February 1998 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in) Murcia F/C 3 Kriss Helmanis 21 – (2002-04-07)7 April 2002 2.12 m (6 ft 11 in) Tübingen F 4 Ojārs Siliņš 30 – (1993-07-20)20 July 1993 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) Stal Ostrów SG 9 Dairis Bertāns  (C) 34 – (1989-09-09)9 September 1989 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) VEF Rīga SF 10 Jānis Timma 31 – (1992-07-02)2 July 1992 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in) Obradoiro SF 12 Artūrs Strautiņš 25 – (1998-10-23)23 October 1998 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) Derthona C 18 Klavs Cavars 28 – (1996-02-11)11 February 1996 2.08 m (6 ft 10 in) Yokohama Excellence G 19 Rihards Lomažs 27 – (1996-04-13)13 April 1996 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) Virtus Bologna PF 24 Andrejs Gražulis 30 – (1993-07-21)21 July 1993 2.02 m (6 ft 8 in) Trento PF 28 Mārcis Šteinbergs 22 – (2001-08-28)28 August 2001 2.05 m (6 ft 9 in) Manresa C 37 Kārlis Šiliņš 26 – (1997-07-22)22 July 1997 2.10 m (6 ft 11 in) Göttingen G 44 Toms Leimanis 29 – (1994-08-07)7 August 1994 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) Estudiantes F 45 Roberts Blūms 18 – (2005-11-02)2 November 2005 2.05 m (6 ft 9 in) Saint-Quentin PG 47 Artūrs Kurucs 24 – (2000-01-19)19 January 2000 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) Murcia PG 66 Kristers Zoriks 25 – (1998-05-25)25 May 1998 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) Petkim Spor	Head coach Luca Banchi Assistant coach(es) Jānis Gailītis Artūrs Visockis-Rubenis Legend (C) Team captain Club – describes last club before the competition Age – describes age on 22 February 2024

Depth chart

Pos.	Starting 5	Bench 1	Bench 2
C	Klāvs Čavars	Kārlis Šiliņš	Krišs Helmanis
PF	Andrejs Gražulis	Mārcis Šteinbergs	Ojārs Siliņš
SF	Rodions Kurucs	Jānis Timma	Artūrs Strautiņš
SG	Dairis Bertāns	Rihards Lomažs	Roberts Blūms
PG	Kristers Zoriks	Artūrs Kurucs	Toms Leimanis

Notable players

Current notable players from Latvia who have played for the national team:

Current notable players roster
Players	Coaches
Pos. No. Name Age – Date of birth Height Club Ctr. SG Artis Ate 34 – (1989-07-29)29 July 1989 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) Pieno žvaigždės F Dāvis Bertāns 31 – (1992-11-12)12 November 1992 2.08 m (6 ft 10 in) Charlotte Hornets F Jānis Bērziņš 30 – (1993-05-04)4 May 1993 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) Kalev/Cramo C Kaspars Bērziņš 38 – (1985-08-25)25 August 1985 2.13 m (7 ft 0 in) Real Betis PG Renārs Birkāns 26 – (1997-06-29)29 June 1997 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) Ventspils F/C Artjoms Butjankovs 32 – (1991-08-26)26 August 1991 2.04 m (6 ft 8 in) Sabah PF Rolands Freimanis 36 – (1988-01-21)21 January 1988 2.09 m (6 ft 10 in) Gaziantep PF Māris Gulbis 38 – (1985-10-04)4 October 1985 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) VEF Rīga G/F Mārtiņš Laksa 33 – (1990-06-26)26 June 1990 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) GTK Gliwice PF Rinalds Mālmanis 27 – (1996-04-12)12 April 1996 2.05 m (6 ft 9 in) Tartu C Mārtiņš Meiers 32 – (1991-03-30)30 March 1991 2.08 m (6 ft 10 in) Aalst F/C Mareks Mejeris 32 – (1991-09-02)2 September 1991 2.07 m (6 ft 9 in) Cluj-Napoca C Anžejs Pasečņiks 28 – (1995-12-20)20 December 1995 2.16 m (7 ft 1 in) Palencia F/C Kristaps Porziņģis 28 – (1995-08-02)2 August 1995 2.21 m (7 ft 3 in) Boston Celtics PG Rinalds Sirsniņš 38 – (1985-07-04)4 July 1985 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) Ogre G Aigars Šķēle 31 – (1992-12-04)4 December 1992 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in) Stal Ostrów PF Rolands Šmits 28 – (1995-06-25)25 June 1995 2.07 m (6 ft 9 in) Žalgiris G Jānis Strēlnieks 34 – (1989-09-01)1 September 1989 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) Scafati SF Roberts Stumbris 30 – (1993-07-09)9 July 1993 1.99 m (6 ft 6 in) Den Bosch PG Mārcis Vītols 31 – (1992-05-02)2 May 1992 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) Virtus Lumezzane PG Artūrs Žagars 23 – (2000-04-21)21 April 2000 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) Wolves	Legend Club – describes current club Age – describes age on 22 February 2024

Head coach history

• Valdemārs Baumanis – (1935–1936)
• Ādolfs Grasis – (1937)
• Valdemārs Baumanis – (1939)
• Armands Krauliņš – (1993–1996)
• Igors Miglinieks – (1997–1999)
• Armands Krauliņš – (2000–2003)
• Kārlis Muižnieks – (2004–2007)
• Kęstutis Kemzūra – (2008–2009)
• Ainars Bagatskis – (2010–2017)
• Arnis Vecvagars – (2017–2019)
• Roberts Štelmahers – (2019–2021)
• Luca Banchi – (2021–present) ^[34]

Notable players

Retired players:

• Andris Biedriņš – was the highest ever NBA drafted Latvian basketball player until 2015. In the 2004 NBA draft, the Golden State Warriors selected him #11. Only Kristaps Porzingis has been drafted higher.
• Kaspars Kambala – one of the best 2000s Latvian basketball players.
• Sandis Valters – also one of the best 2000s Latvian basketball players.
• Ainars Bagatskis – long-term national team's member.
• Igors Miglinieks – Olympic champion with the Soviet Union squad.
• Valdis Valters – World champion. Valters returned to the court after his first retirement and represented the Latvia national team in the Qualifying tournament of the 1992 Olympics.
• Alfreds Krauklis – one of the key players in 1939.
• Karlis Arents – one of the key players in 1939.
• Visvaldis Melderis – team's third leading scorer in 1939.
• Voldemārs Šmits – team's second leading scorer in 1937 and 1939.
• Rūdolfs Jurciņš – national team's leading scorer in 1935, tournament's leading scorer in 1937.

Past rosters

1935 EuroBasket: finished 1st among 10 teams

3 Eduards Andersons, 4 Aleksejs Anufrijevs, 5 Mārtiņš Grundmanis, 6 Herberts Gubiņš, 8 Rūdolfs Jurciņš, 9 Jānis Lidmanis, 10 Visvaldis Melderis, 11 Džems Raudziņš (Coach: Valdemārs Baumanis)

---

1936 Olympic Games: finished 18th among 21 teams

1 Rūdolfs Jurciņš, 2 Visvaldis Melderis, 3 Eduards Andersons, 4 Džems Raudziņš, 5 Voldemārs Elmūts, 6 Mārtiņš Grundmanis, 7 Maksis Kazaks (Coach: Valdemārs Baumanis)

---

1937 EuroBasket: finished 6th among 8 teams

3 Eduards Andersons, 4 Aleksejs Anufrijevs, 5 Mārtiņš Grundmanis, 6 Janis Jansons, 7 Rūdolfs Jurciņš, 8 Andrejs Krisons, 9 Aleksandrs Martinsons, 10 Visvaldis Melderis, 11 Džems Raudziņš, 12 Voldemārs Šmits (Coach: Ādolfs Grasis)

---

1939 EuroBasket: finished 2nd among 8 teams

3 Aleksandrs Vanags, 4 Alfrēds Krauklis, 5 Teodors Grinbergs, 6 Maksis Kazaks, 8 Voldemārs Šmits, 9 Jānis Graudiņš, 11 Karlis Arents, 12 Juris Solovjovs, 14 Karlis Satins, 18 Visvaldis Melderis (Coach: Valdemārs Baumanis)

---

1993 EuroBasket: finished 9th among 16 teams

4 Edgars Šneps, 5 Jānis Āzacis, 6 Igors Meļņiks, 7 Kārlis Muižnieks, 8 Ivars Zankovskis, 9 Ainars Bagatskis, 10 Dzintars Jaunzems, 11 Ivars Liepa, 12 Raimonds Miglinieks, 13 Edmunds Valeiko, 14 Andrejs Bondarenko, 15 Aigars Zeidaks (Coach: Armands Krauliņš)

---

1997 EuroBasket: finished 16th among 16 teams

4 Uvis Helmanis, 5 Jānis Āzacis, 6 Edmunds Valeiko, 7 Roberts Štelmahers, 8 Kārlis Muižnieks, 9 Edgars Šneps, 10 Raimonds Miglinieks, 11 Ainars Bagatskis, 12 Ivars Liepa, 13 Ralfs Jansons, 14 Andrejs Bondarenko, 15 Igors Meļņiks (Coach: Igors Miglinieks)

---

2001 EuroBasket: finished 8th among 16 teams

4 Uvis Helmanis, 5 Aigars Vītols, 6 Kaspars Cipruss, 7 Roberts Štelmahers, 8 Edmunds Valeiko, 9 Māris Ļaksa, 10 Kristaps Valters, 11 Raimonds Miglinieks, 12 Ainars Bagatskis, 13 Raitis Grafs, 14 Kaspars Kambala, 15 Arnis Vecvagars (Coach: Armands Krauliņš)

---

2003 EuroBasket: finished 13th among 16 teams

4 Uvis Helmanis, 5 Aigars Vītols, 6 Trojs Ostlers, 7 Roberts Štelmahers, 8 Armands Šķēle, 9 Edgars Šneps, 10 Kristaps Valters, 11 Māris Ļaksa, 12 Ainars Bagatskis, 13 Raitis Grafs, 14 Kaspars Kambala, 15 Arnis Vecvagars (Coach: Armands Krauliņš)

---

2005 EuroBasket: finished 14th among 16 teams

4 Uvis Helmanis, 5 Aigars Vītols, 6 Armands Šķēle, 7 Roberts Štelmahers, 8 Jānis Blūms, 9 Sandis Valters, 10 Kristaps Valters, 11 Ivars Timermanis, 12 Mārtiņš Skirmants, 13 Raitis Grafs, 14 Kaspars Cipruss, 15 Kristaps Janičenoks (Coach: Kārlis Muižnieks)

---

2007 EuroBasket: finished 13th among 16 teams

4 Uvis Helmanis, 5 Aigars Vītols, 6 Armands Šķēle, 7 Jānis Blūms, 8 Raimonds Vaikulis, 9 Gatis Jahovičs, 10 Sandis Valters, 11 Pāvels Veselovs, 12 Kaspars Cipruss, 13 Raitis Grafs, 14 Kristaps Janičenoks, 15 Andris Biedriņš (Coach: Kārlis Muižnieks)

---

2009 EuroBasket: finished 13th among 16 teams

4 Uvis Helmanis, 5 Aigars Vītols, 6 Armands Šķēle, 7 Jānis Blūms, 8 Ernests Kalve, 9 Kristaps Valters, 10 Gatis Jahovičs, 11 Kaspars Kambala, 12 Rolands Freimanis, 13 Artūrs Štālbergs, 14 Kristaps Janičenoks, 15 Andris Biedriņš (Coach: Kęstutis Kemzūra)

---

2011 EuroBasket: finished 21st among 24 teams

4 Mārtiņš Meiers, 5 Dairis Bertāns, 6 Rolands Freimanis, 7 Jānis Blūms, 8 Mareks Jurevičus, 9 Edgars Jeromanovs, 10 Rihards Kuksiks, 11 Mareks Mejeris, 12 Dāvis Bertāns, 13 Jānis Strēlnieks, 14 Artūrs Bērziņš, 15 Andrejs Šeļakovs (Coach: Ainars Bagatskis)

---

2013 EuroBasket: finished 11th among 24 teams

4 Mārtiņš Meiers, 5 Mareks Mejeris, 6 Rolands Freimanis, 7 Jānis Blūms, 8 Jānis Bērziņš, 9 Dairis Bertāns, 10 Rihards Kuksiks, 11 Armands Šķēle, 12 Kristaps Janičenoks, 13 Jānis Strēlnieks, 14 Kaspars Bērziņš, 15 Andrejs Šeļakovs (Coach: Ainars Bagatskis)

---

2015 EuroBasket: finished 8th among 24 teams

5 Mareks Mejeris, 6 Rolands Freimanis, 7 Jānis Blūms (C), 9 Dairis Bertāns, 10 Jānis Timma, 12 Kristaps Janičenoks, 13 Jānis Strēlnieks, 14 Kaspars Bērziņš, 19 Kaspars Vecvagars, 23 Haralds Kārlis, 31 Žanis Peiners, 33 Mārtiņš Meiers (Coach: Ainars Bagatskis)

---

2017 EuroBasket: finished 5th among 24 teams

6 Kristaps Porziņģis, 7 Jānis Blūms (C), 8 Dāvis Bertāns, 9 Dairis Bertāns, 10 Jānis Timma, 11 Rolands Šmits, 12 Kristaps Janičenoks,
13 Jānis Strēlnieks, 21 Aigars Šķēle, 24 Andrejs Gražulis, 31 Žanis Peiners, 33 Mārtiņš Meiers (Coach: Ainars Bagatskis)

---

2023 FIBA World Cup: finished 5th among 32 teams

00 Rodions Kurucs, 8 Dāvis Bertāns, 9 Dairis Bertāns (C), 11 Rolands Šmits, 12 Artūrs Strautiņš, 18 Klāvs Čavars, 21 Aigars Šķēle,
24 Andrejs Gražulis, 32 Anžejs Pasečņiks, 47 Artūrs Kurucs, 55 Artūrs Žagars, 66 Kristers Zoriks (Coach: Luca Banchi)

Record against other teams

*Friendly matches not counted

Team	Pld	W	L	PF	PA	PD
Albania	1	1	0	94	78	+16
Belarus	5	5	0	448	376	+72
Belgium	5	4	1	360	319	+41
Bosnia and Herzegovina	7	2	5	575	565	+10
Brazil	1	1	0	104	84	+20
Bulgaria	4	1	3	356	351	+5
Canada	2	0	2	98	135	−37
Croatia	7	1	6	547	636	−89
Czech Republic	6	3	3	429	452	−23
Czechoslovakia	1	1	0	44	11	+33
Denmark	2	2	0	168	140	+28
Egypt	1 [lower-alpha 1]	1	0	2	0	+2
England	4	3	1	334	299	+35
Estonia	14	8	6	1055	1005	+50
Finland	3	3	0	288	164	+124
France	10	3	7	692	743	−51
Georgia	4	2	2	343	311	+32
Germany	6	2	4	493	494	-1
Great Britain	3	3	0	263	235	+28
Greece	6	3	3	470	458	+12
Hungary	6	5	1	447	346	+101
Israel	9	2	7	699	757	−58
Italy	10	5	5	735	787	−52
Japan	1	1	0	88	48	+40
Lebanon	1	1	0	109	70	+39
Lithuania	8	2	6	583	605	−22
Luxembourg	1	1	0	106	65	+41
Moldova	1	1	0	110	64	+46
Montenegro	6	3	3	478	484	−6
Netherlands	3	3	0	263	225	+38
North Macedonia	3	2	1	237	228	+9
Norway	1	1	0	114	74	+40
Poland	7	3	4	420	414	+6
Portugal	7	5	2	557	485	+72
Puerto Rico	1	0	1	70	77	−7
Romania	6	6	0	531	406	+125
Russia	6	1	5	458	538	−80
Serbia	5	1	4	396	424	−28
Serbia and Montenegro	3	0	3	234	304	−70
Slovakia	6	6	0	530	404	+126
Slovenia	8	4	4	669	733	−64
Spain	9	3	6	671	722	−51
Sweden	6	4	2	470	442	+28
Switzerland	4	4	0	311	238	+73
Turkey	8	4	4	656	640	+16
Ukraine	7	4	3	561	509	+52
Uruguay	1	1	0	20	17	+3
Total	218	122	104	17,596	16,962	+724

See also

• Sports portal
• Latvia portal

• Sport in Latvia
• Latvia men's national under-20 basketball team
• Latvia men's national under-19 basketball team
• Latvia men's national under-17 basketball team

Notes

1. Includes a 2–0 forfeit win at EuroBasket 1937

References

1. "FIBA Ranking Presented by Nike". FIBA. 15 September 2023. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
2. Federation Focus: Latvia (in English)
3. Latvia 108–7 Finland (Game boxscore) (in English)
4. Federation Focus: Latvia (in English)
5. Federation Focus: Latvia (in English)
6. Federation Focus: Latvia (in English)
7. Stanislovas Stonkus "Krepšinio kelias į Lietuvą" (page: 17)
8. 1937-ieji ir 1939-ieji – pirmieji Lietuvos krepšinio šlovės metai Archived 24 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine (in Lithuanian)
9. Federation Focus: Latvia (in English)
10. Federation Focus: Latvia (in English)
11. "In the beginning ... EuroBasket 1935 in Geneva". FIBA . Retrieved 28 August 2023.
12. "Sapnu komanda 1935". IMDb . Retrieved 10 April 2022.
13. 1936 Latvia Men's Olympic Basketball (in English)
14. "Beijing 2008 basketball women Results – Olympic basketball". Olympics.com. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
15. Pranas Lubinas – taurusis tarpukario krepšinio milžinas (in Lithuanian)
16. Telecast "Mūsų krepšinis" (Season: 1; Episode: 1; Quotation begins at 10:20)
17. "Krepšinis". Lietuvos sporto enciklopedija. Retrieved 1 May 2015.
18. Federation Focus: Latvia (in English)
19. Federation Focus: Latvia (in English)
20. "Latvia at the FIBA EuroBasket 2017 – FIBA.basketball". FIBA.com. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
21. "Štelmahers is the new head coach of Latvian national men's basketball team". Public Broadcasting of Latvia . 1 August 2019. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
22. "Latvia thump Greece, book first World Cup ticket". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
23. "Qualified Team Focus - Latvia: Porzingis and co. ready to storm the World Cup for first time". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
24. "Kristaps Porzingis to miss FIBA World Cup". BasketNews.com. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
25. Schachner, Miles (27 August 2023). "Latvia eliminates France from World Cup in stunning upset". New York Post . Retrieved 28 August 2023.
26. "Latvia at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
27. "The reaction: 'The biggest win in Latvian basketball history since 1935'". FIBA . Retrieved 28 August 2023.
28. "Latvia stun another Goliath, beat reigning champs Spain". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
29. "Latvia crushes Brazil, goes to quarterfinals in FIBA World Cup 2023". BasketNews.com. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
30. "Wagner brothers send Germany to Semis, Bertans misses a date with history". Fiba.basketball. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
31. "Latvia cruise to win over Lithuania in battle for fifth". Fiba.basketball. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
32. "Vīriešu valstsvienība: Eiropas čempionāta kvalifikācijas pirmajām spēlēm reģistrēti 24 spēlētāji". basket.lv. 12 February 2024. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
33. "Latvia during the EuroBasket 2025 Qualifiers in February 2024" . Retrieved 21 February 2024.
34. "Italy's Luca Banchi to take charge of Latvia's men's basketball team" . Retrieved 27 March 2021.

External links

• Official website (in Latvian)
• Latvia FIBA profile
• Latvia National Team – Men at Eurobasket.com
• Latvia Basketball Records at FIBA Archive