The Miami Heat are expected to have three players participating in the FIBA EuroBasket tournament next month.
Well, they won’t be the only Heat players in high-level international basketball in August.
Norman Powell, whom the Heat acquired from the Los Angeles Clippers in early July, will be making his Jamaican National Team debut for the 2027 FIBA World Cup Pre-Qualifiers next month, Eduardo Villapando reported Sunday.
Nick Richards is also expected to be on the roster, according to Villapando. The final roster has not been released at the time of this publishing.
Eight teams are competing in the three pre-qualifiers, which will be hosted in both Chile and Mexico.
Jamaica will be in Group A with Mexico, Barbados and Costa Rica. The three-day event — which begins Aug. 8 — will be a Round Robin format, and the top two teams from each group will secure the four available spots in the FIBA World Cup qualifiers, which begin in November.
Powell, 32, has not played in any international competition in his career. Now, he headlines a Jamaican roster — that hasn’t been announced yet — that has never qualified for the World Cup or Olympics. Since they joined FIBA over 60 years ago, they have only qualified for one FIBA AmeriCup in 2013.
Powell is one of the best shooters in the NBA, averaging 21.8 points on 48.4 percent shooting and 41.8 percent shooting from 3-point range last season. He has drained at least 39.5 percent of his long-range attempts in eight of his 10 seasons.
Jamaica’s first pre-qualifying game will be against Barbados on Friday, Aug. 8, inside ITSON Arena in Ciudad Obregon, Mexico.
***
To check out our other content, click here.
Follow Hot Hot Hoops on Twitter/X here!
Follow Hot Hot Hoops on Instagram here!
Subscribe to our YouTube channel here!
- NBA CUP GAMETHREAD: Charlotte Hornets (3-5) @ Miami HEAT (4-4)
- Why Dru Smith’s start to season should not go unnoticed
- Why Ja Morant would not be a current fit with Heat
- GAME PREVIEW: Heat return home to host Hornets in first NBA Cup game
- Erik Spoelstra to coach in Friday’s game after house is destroyed in devastating house fire
- Heat having no backup plan with big man depth is clear front office blunder
- Erik Spoelstra’s Miami-Dade home gets damaged in massive fire
if im mickey im having a talk with powell im sure mickey knows about the tkachuk injury..dont play norman in a meaningless tour.
I remember when the Panthers sent three players to what was called the Four Nations tournament last year and everyone was saying they have to go play for their country and someone blogged what if a player gets hurt and everyone shot him down and pooh poohed the idea saying that the risk was small. And then Tkachuk did get hurt. We later found out he tore the muscle from the bone in his abdominal area. He is still thought to be hurt and possibly facing surgery this off season. Let’s hope none of that happens to Heat players. I guess it’s a risk you have to take.
NBA player contracts should contain provisions indicating if they are injured in competitions that are not related to the NBA, they will not be paid while they are rehabilitating. At minimum, NBA players should be required to purchase insurance to cover their salaries and rehabilitation costs in the event of an injury in such activities. Why should NBA teams and their fans be required to pay those costs?
I agree. Everyone acts like it never happens but it actually does.
I also agree. With salaries as high as they are, it is unfair to the team and fans to have to suffer for an injury outside of the team. There should also be a clause that allows a team to sign another player to as many 10 day contracts as necessary to fill that spot.
I hope none of our players get hurt this summer. FIBA players are Powell, Jakucionis, Fontecchio and Larsson.
if he gets hurt i hope they void his contract wtf is he playing for jamaica for i could see if it was the olympics.come on norm u have a good year with the heat micky gonna pay u lots $$
Unfortunately, they would not be able to legally void the contract.
christian wilkins was voided but thats football
Strongly disagree.
This would bring us 30 years ago, where NBA players didn’t participate in international tournaments.
As far I know, insurance for the competitions outside of NBA are paid by different countries national basketball associations, not by NBA franchises or players.
In case of injury rehabilitation costs are paid by insurance, not by franchises or fans.
The only loss then is players don’t play for NBA teams in case of injury.
So there is no real reason for your claim but that players shouldn’t play out of NBA to risk the injury, and therefore not be available for NBA season.
For many non American players is more important to present their nation on international competition then playing for a club. Its the same for fans.
Great examples are Goran and Beno Udrih. Goran is one of most bellowed sportsman ever in Slovenia, but not because his NBA career, but because of his national team career. On the other side, Beno Udrih, despite won a NBA title, is seen as a moron, because his behaviour towards the national team.
You are correct, I assume, that the insurance does pay for the rehabilitation of an injured player. However, the problem is that, if a player is under contract for $30m, the team still has to pay him. The coverage for the treatment is nothing compared to the multi million dollar contracts. If Jokic played again for Serbia and tore his knee up and was out for a year, Denver would still have to pay him his $55m. I looked up the cost of treatment for a torn acl —-
It will cost approximately $20,000 to $50,000 to pay for the surgeon fee, facility fee, anesthesia, and graft.
As you can see, that is nothing compared to the salary. Jokic earns more than $670,000 PER GAME!
So I think many of us are fine with players playing in international tournaments. It is great to represent your country. But the team should not have to absorb the full salary if the injury occurs externally.
Good topic. I asked the Google Gemini. Here’s the summary:
The Bottom Line: Who Pays and What’s Covered?
In summary:
National associations are responsible for paying for the insurance for NBA players participating in international competitions. This is a key condition of the NBA-FIBA agreement.
This insurance is designed to cover the player’s NBA salary in the event of an injury sustained while playing for the national team.
For most players, coverage is provided through FIBA’s insurance program, which is funded by contributions from the national federations.
For elite NBA players with exceptionally high salaries, national federations often have to purchase additional private insurance to bridge the gap between the FIBA policy’s limit and the full value of the player’s contract.
This intricate system of insurance, though complex and at times costly for national federations, is the critical mechanism that allows the world’s best basketball players to represent their countries on the international stage while protecting their significant financial interests in the NBA.
Something like that, yes. So , if I understand it right, the salary is paid by insurance. So if Jokic is injuried for a month, he should get his monthly payment of 1/12 of his salary from insurance.
Thanks. I was unaware of that clause.
When your job is done (or season ended), no employer (NBA) has the right to interfere what you do when you are not at job.
NBA, and the other sport association, are trying to do exactly that. Thats maybe normal in US, but its not in Europe.
In my opinion, there are certain elements of slavery in how NBA organisation is threating players, like trading and selling them around.
Basketball players are not threated like that in Europe.
Who should pay the player, if anything happens?
Team, of course. Team bought a basketball player, which can play basketball, but also like to eat, drink, playing games, going to Las Vegas,, chasing girls, doing drugs, driving fast cars…. or playing basketball during the summer. All that is risky, but also part of the life.
As Nico said the other day, Heat are happy to let him play on Euro. Thats because they let Goran play. Heat then got Goran happy and in great shape at the beginning of the season.
Somebody else said, when asked how to get along with weaknesses of great players.
He said, you try to manage it…. and hope for the best.
Heat is doing exactly that. Let them play….and hope for the best.
Good points, but sports contracts are per year, not just the season. The players, at least in the NBA, are paid for the full calendar year. But, the NBA and FIBA (International Basketball Federation) have agreements in place that allow players to represent their national teams, particularly in major tournaments.
True, but I believe that’s more like to ease a financial burden or balance the revenue (its better to pay 12 rates then 8 or 9).
Perhaps, but it doesn’t change the fact that the contract is for all 12 months, not 8 or 9. There is a judge who has a tv show here. She always specifies that the only interpretation of a contract is what is written inside the 4 corners of the paper. Any changes to the agreement must be in writing and signed by the parties.
She never visited Balkans. There is always as many interpretations as readers. That includes judges, too.
And there is no changes to agreements, because everybody sees what they like in the existing contract. 🙂
Haha. But no, when it comes to legal written contracts in the US, there is only one way to interpret it and that is exactly what it states on the document. Any variation not agreed upon by the parties could be viewed as a breach of contract.
Weird. There are part of the World, where a contract is not worth a paper written on.
You are right VB.
NBA teams purchase insurance policies to mitigate financial losses due to player injuries. This insurance typically covers a portion of a player’s salary if they are sidelined for an extended period due to injury, as well as medical expenses. Players themselves also often secure individual insurance policies to protect against career-ending injuries and potential loss of future earnings.
NBA CBA and Injury Indemnification: The NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) dictates that teams cannot prohibit players from participating in certain FIBA events (Olympics, World Championships, etc.), provided that appropriate insurance is in place to indemnify the NBA team against injury incurred during the tournament.Coverage: This insurance generally covers the player’s salary and potential future earnings lost due to the injury. It can also include coverage for medical expenses like surgeries and rehabilitation.
Cost and Responsibility: The cost of insuring NBA player contracts, especially for those with high salaries, is substantial. While FIBA and national federations contribute, the ultimate responsibility for ensuring adequate insurance lies with the organizations involved in the player’s international participation.
Team Perspective: NBA teams may not necessarily like the idea of their players participating in tournaments outside of their control due to the risk of injury, but the CBA allows players to choose to participate.
In summary: While NBA teams may have concerns about their players’ injury risk in non-NBA tournaments, the existing agreements and insurance structures work to mitigate financial losses in the event a player gets injured while competing for their national team.
Makes sense. I didn’t know exactly, but there was complaining about how Slovenian national association have to pay big money for insurance for NBA players playing for country.
You are right VB. Everyone involved (tournament sponsors, teams and NBA players) themselves can purchase insurance to cover salaries and medical costs in case of injuries sustained in FIBA, Olympic Games or other international competitions.