Five years ago, Hornets wing Nicolas Batum helped lead the French National Team to its first-ever medal at the FIBA World Cup. This weekend, the journey starts all over again for “Les Bleus” in China as they begin play at the latest rendition of this global competition, which runs from Saturday, Aug. 31 until Sunday, Sept. 15.
This year’s tournament will feature 32 teams divided into eight groups of four for round robin play. The top two teams in each group will advance to the second round, where they will be slotted together into another group of four.