Mexico men's national basketball team

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

The Mexico national basketball team (Spanish: Selección de baloncesto de México) represents Mexico in men's international basketball competitions, The team has made five appearances in FIBA World Cup, The governing body of the team is the Asociación Deportiva Mexicana de Básquetbol (ADEMEBA).

Mexico

FIBA ranking	31 (18 November 2022)^[1]
Joined FIBA	1933
FIBA zone	FIBA Americas
National federation	Asociación Deportiva Mexicana de Básquetbol
Coach	Omar Quintero
Nickname(s)	12 Guerreros
Olympic Games
Appearances	5
Medals	Bronze: (1936)
FIBA World Cup
Appearances	10
Medals	None
FIBA AmeriCup
Appearances	15
Medals	Gold: (2013) Bronze: (2017)
First Second Third

In 2013, Mexico won the FIBA AmeriCup.

History

 

Fans of Team Mexico at the 2014 Basketball World Cup

 

Team Mexico celebrating a victory.

Until the late 1960s, team Mexico was a major force at the world stage. The team won the bronze medal at the 1936 Summer Olympics, finished 4th at the 1948 event and 5th in 1968. Mexico won the Pan American Games silver medal in Winnipeg 1967 led by Captain Carlos Quintanar with players like Arturo Guerrero and Manuel Raga.

At the FIBA Americas Championship 2009 in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Mexico finished 7th, ahead of Panama, Venezuela and the United States Virgin Islands.^[2]

On individual performances, Gustavo Ayon finished among the tournament's top performers in steals (3rd), blocks (3rd) and minutes per game (9th).^[3]

Both Eduardo Nájera and Earl Watson expressed their interest in representing Mexico internationally.^[4][5] However, neither received permission by their NBA teams to participate at the FIBA Americas Championship 2009 in San Juan, Puerto Rico.^[6]

Mexico Beats Team USA

On October 29, 2011, Mexico defeated Team USA 71-55. This 16 point victory took place during the 2011 Pan Am Games.^[7]

"La Edad de Oro" (2013–Present)

Mexico took part in the FIBA Americas Championship 2013 to replace Panama, who were disqualified. To the surprise of many they beat hosts Venezuela in their opening game, and advanced to the second round with wins over Paraguay and the Dominican Republic. They later finished top of the eight-team second round group and a semi-final win over heavy favourites Argentina saw them through to the final.

On 11 September 2013, they beat Puerto Rico 91-83 in the gold medal game to win the FIBA Americas Championship.^[8] Inside player Gustavo Ayon was voted as the tournament's Most Valuable Player.

2014 Basketball World Cup

The surprising gold medal at the 2013 FIBA Americas Championship secured Mexico a spot at the 2014 FIBA World Cup in Spain. This marked the first qualification to the Basketball World Cup in 40 years.^[9]

At the 2014 FIBA World Cup, the Mexicans won two of their five preliminary round games against Korea and Angola which earned them a playoff spot for the first time in their history. They would, however, come unstuck against eventual champions USA.

Especially noteworthy was Mexico’s 3 point field goal percentage, which was one of the highest among all the teams at the event.^[10]

2015 FIBA Americas Championship

Due to Mexico's strong performances of late, the country gained the right to host the 2015 FIBA Americas Championship.

Mexico Defeats Team USA Again

On June 28, 2018, Mexico defeated Team USA 78–70 during the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup Qualifiers. Mexico was led by Gustavo Ayon and Juan Toscano-Anderson. Team USA was led by Alex Caruso, David Stockton, and coached by Jeff Van Gundy.^[11]

On November 19, 2021, Mexico defeated Team USA 97–88 during the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup Qualifiers. Mexico was led by Orlando Méndez-Valdez (who was also part of Mexico's victory over Team USA in 2018) and Team USA was led by Isaiah Thomas and Luke Kornet.^[12]

On September 2, 2022, Mexico defeated Team USA 73–67 during the 2022 FIBA AmeriCup in Recife, Brazil. Mexico was led by Paul Stoll and Fabian Jaimes. Team USA was led by Jodie Meeks, Patrick McCaw, Frank Mason III, and Norris Cole.^[13]

Medals

Olympic Games

• Bronze medal: 1936

FIBA AmeriCup

• Champions: 2013
• Third place: 2017

Pan American Games

• Silver medal: 1967, 1991, 2011
• Bronze medal: 1983

Centrobasket

• Champions: 1965, 1975, 2014
• Runners-up: 1991, 2001, 2016
• Third place: 1987, 2003

Competition				Total
Olympic Games	0	0	1	1
FIBA AmeriCup	1	0	1	2
Pan American Games	0	3	1	4
Centrobasket	3	3	2	8
Total	4	6	5	15

Other awards

FIBA COCABA Championship

• Champions: 2006, 2007, 2009, 2013

William Jones Cup

• Gold medal: 1990

Central American and Caribbean Games

• Silver medal: 2010

FIBA Stanković Continental Champions' Cup

• Silver medal: 2015

Competitive record

Summer Olympics

Year	Position	Tournament	Host
1936	3	Basketball at the 1936 Summer Olympics	Berlin, Germany
1948	4	Basketball at the 1948 Summer Olympics	London, United Kingdom
1952	9	Basketball at the 1952 Summer Olympics	Helsinki, Finland
1960	12	Basketball at the 1960 Summer Olympics	Rome, Italy
1964	12	Basketball at the 1964 Summer Olympics	Tokyo, Japan
1968	5	Basketball at the 1968 Summer Olympics	Mexico City, Mexico
1976	10	Basketball at the 1976 Summer Olympics	Montreal, Canada

FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament

Year	Position	Pld	W	L
1964	1st place	9	8	1
1972	4th place	No data
1976	3rd place	No data
2016	4th place	3	1	2

FIBA World Cup

 

Members of the 2014 Team Mexico, which reached the World Cup's playoffs for the first time.

Year	Position	Tournament	Host
1959	13	1959 FIBA World Championship	Chile
1963	9	1963 FIBA World Championship	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
1967	8	1967 FIBA World Championship	Uruguay
1974	9	1974 FIBA World Championship	Puerto Rico
2014	14	2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup	Spain
2023	To Be Determined	2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup	Philippines, Japan and Indonesia

NOTE: In June 2018, Mexico beat Team USA 78-70 in the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup qualification (Americas).^[14]

FIBA AmeriCup

Year	Position	Tournament	Host
1980	5	1980 Tournament of the Americas	San Juan, Puerto Rico
1984	5	1984 Tournament of the Americas	São Paulo, Brazil
1988	6	1988 Tournament of the Americas	Montevideo, Uruguay
1989	9	1989 Tournament of the Americas	Mexico City, Mexico
1992	7	1992 Tournament of the Americas	Portland, United States
1993	–	1993 Tournament of the Americas	San Juan, Puerto Rico
1995	–	1995 Tournament of the Americas	Tucumán, Argentina
1997	10	1997 FIBA Americas Championship	Montevideo, Uruguay
1999	–	1999 FIBA Americas Championship	San Juan, Puerto Rico
2001	9	2001 FIBA Americas Championship	Neuquén, Argentina
2003	6	2003 FIBA Americas Championship	San Juan, Puerto Rico
2005	10	2005 FIBA Americas Championship	Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
2007	7	2007 FIBA Americas Championship	Las Vegas, United States
2009	7	2009 FIBA Americas Championship	San Juan, Puerto Rico
2011	–	2011 FIBA Americas Championship	Mar del Plata, Argentina
2013	1	2013 FIBA Americas Championship	Caracas, Venezuela
2015	4	2015 FIBA Americas Championship	Mexico City, Mexico
2017	3	2017 FIBA Americas Championship	Argentina, Colombia, Uruguay
2022	6	2022 FIBA AmeriCup	Recife, Brazil

Pan American Games

See also: Basketball at the Pan American Games

• 1951 – 8th place
• 1955 – 4th place
• 1959 – 4th place
• 1963 – 7th place
• 1967 – Silver medal   (Mexico finished second only to Team USA. Team Mexico featured one of the 50 Greatest EuroLeague Contributors: Manuel Raga)^[15]
• 1971 – 4th place
• 1975 – 4th place
• 1979 – 8th place
• 1983 – Bronze medal   (This competition was memorable for Mexico taking a 20–4 lead against a Team USA squadron that featured Michael Jordan, Chris Mullin, Sam Perkins, Michael Cage, Ed Pinckney, Mark Price, and Wayman Tisdale. Team USA later came back for an 11-point win: 74–63. Team USA won the gold, Brazil won the silver, and Mexico beat Canada for the bronze medal.)^[16]
• 1987 – 4th place
• 1991 – Silver medal   (Mexico finished ahead of a Team USA squadron that featured Grant Hill, Christian Laettner, Thomas Hill, Walt Williams, Clarence Weatherspoon, Tracey Murray, Jimmy Jackson, Terry Dehere, Adam Keefe, Eric Montross, and Tony Bennett. Puerto Rico won the gold, Mexico won the silver, and Team USA won the bronze medal.)^[17]
• 1995 – 5th place
• 2003 – 5th place
• 2011 – Silver medal   (Mexico beat Team USA 71–55 in their semifinal game.)^[18]
• 2015 – 8th place
• 2019 – 7th place

Centrobasket – Central American Championships

See also: Centrobasket

 

Román Martínez and Marco Ramos helped Mexico secure the gold medal at the 2014 Centrobasket

• 1965 – Gold Medal   (Team Mexico featured one of the 50 Greatest EuroLeague Contributors: Manuel Raga)
• 1967 – 4th place
• 1975 – Gold Medal  
• 1987 – Bronze Medal  
• 1989 – 4th place
• 1991 – Silver Medal  
• 1997 – 4th place
• 2001 – Silver Medal  
• 2003 – Bronze Medal  ^[19]
• 2004 – 4th place
• 2006 – 4th place
• 2008 – 5th place (Coach Nolan Richardson)
• 2010 – 6th place
• 2014 – Gold Medal  
• 2016 – Silver Medal  

FIBA COCABA Championship

See also: FIBA COCABA Championship

• 2006 – Champions  ^[20]
• 2007 – Champions  ^[21]
• 2009 – Champions  ^[22] (Coach: Nolan Richardson)
• 2013 – Champions  ^[22]
• 2015 – 4th place

William Jones Cup

• 1990 – Champions   (2nd place = Poland, 3rd place = USA)

Central American and Caribbean Games

• 2010 – Silver medal  
• 2014 – 5th place

FIBA Stanković Continental Champions' Cup

• 2015 – Silver medal  

Team

Current roster

The roster for the 2022 FIBA AmeriCup.^[23]

Mexico men's national basketball team – 2022 FIBA AmeriCup roster
Players	Coaches
Pos. No. Name Age – Date of birth Height Club Ctr. SF 2 Yahir Bonilla 19 – (2003-02-26)26 February 2003 2.04 m (6 ft 8 in) Barcelona   F 3 Fabián Jaimes 29 – (1992-09-22)22 September 1992 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) Panteras de Aguascalientes   PG 4 Paul Stoll (C) 36 – (1985-12-04)4 December 1985 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) Fuerza Regia   F 5 Irwin Ávalos 31 – (1991-06-13)13 June 1991 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) Libertadores de Querétaro   PG 8 Diego Willis 23 – (1999-05-11)11 May 1999 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in) Libertadores de Querétaro   SF 10 Gabriel Girón 34 – (1988-02-27)27 February 1988 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) Fuerza Regia   PG 11 Santiago Ochoa 18 – (2004-01-02)2 January 2004 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) HD Toros of San Antonio   PF 12 Héctor Hernández 37 – (1985-01-15)15 January 1985 2.05 m (6 ft 9 in) Capitanes   SG 16 Moisés Andriassi 22 – (2000-03-01)1 March 2000 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) Capitanes   F 24 Omar De Haro 27 – (1995-05-13)13 May 1995 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) Astros de Jalisco   C 25 Israel Gutiérrez 29 – (1993-01-15)15 January 1993 2.06 m (6 ft 9 in) Dorados de Chihuahua   F 44 Daniel Amigo 26 – (1995-09-13)13 September 1995 2.08 m (6 ft 10 in) Libertadores de Querétaro	Head coach   Omar Quintero^[24] Assistant coach(es)   Victor Canales   Gustavo Quintero Legend (C) Team captain Club – describes current or most recent club Age – describes age on 2 September 2022

Former players

Mexico men's national basketball team roster
Players	Coaches
Pos. No. Name Age – Date of birth Height Club F — Noé Alonzo 31 – (1983-12-28)28 December 1983 2.00 m (6 ft 7 in) Aguacateros de Michoacán   SF — Juan Toscano 22 – (1993-04-10)10 April 1993 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) Los Angeles Lakers   PG — Brody Angley 35 – (1980-01-30)30 January 1980 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) Bucaneros de La Guaira   C — Gustavo Ayón (C) 30 – (1985-04-01)1 April 1985 2.07 m (6 ft 9 in) Zenit   G/F — Francisco Cruz 25 – (1989-10-03)3 October 1989 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) BK VEF Rīga   F/C — Edgar Garibay 25 – (1990-03-05)5 March 1990 2.11 m (6 ft 11 in) Nauticos de Mazatlan   F — Jordan Glynn 26 – (1989-06-26)26 June 1989 2.00 m (6 ft 7 in) Cangrejeros de Santurce   SF — Jesús González 29 – (1986-07-14)14 July 1986 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) Halcones Rojos Veracruz   PG — Jorge Gutiérrez 26 – (1988-12-27)27 December 1988 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) Milwaukee Bucks   SG — Jovan Harris 34 – (1981-02-20)20 February 1981 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) Halcones de Xalapa   PF — Jesus Hiram Lopez 31 – (1983-12-18)18 December 1983 2.05 m (6 ft 9 in) Rayos de Hermosillo   SF — Román Martínez 27 – (1988-03-05)5 March 1988 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) Soles de Mexicali   F/C — Lorenzo Mata 29 – (1986-02-27)27 February 1986 2.06 m (6 ft 9 in) Atenienses de Manatí   PG — Pedro Meza 29 – (1985-10-15)15 October 1985 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) Caballeros de Culiacán   C — Adam Parada 33 – (1981-10-21)21 October 1981 2.13 m (7 ft 0 in) Halcones de Xalapa   PG — Alex Perez 22 – (1993-01-01)1 January 1993 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) Bucaneros de La Guaira   F — Marco Ramos 28 – (1987-02-26)26 February 1987 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) Halcones Rojos Veracruz   PF — Ivan Rangel 22 – (1992-10-11)11 October 1992 2.10 m (6 ft 11 in) Oklahoma Wesleyan Eagles   SG — Carlos Toussaint 23 – (1991-10-24)24 October 1991 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) Pioneros de Los Mochis   F/C — Rodrigo Adrián Zamora 28 – (1986-10-28)28 October 1986 2.06 m (6 ft 9 in) Halcones Rojos Veracruz	Head coach   Sergio Valdeolmillos Assistant coach(es)   Victor Canales   Gustavo Quintero Legend Club – describes current or most recent club Age – describes age on 16 July 2022

Depth chart

 

Gustavo Ayón

Pos.	Starting 5	Bench 1	Bench 2	Inactive
C	Israel Gutiérrez	Gustavo Ayón	Adam Parada	Edgar Garibay
PF	Héctor Hernández	Adrián Zamora	Lorenzo Mata	Jesus Hiram López
SF	Francisco Cruz	Juan Anderson	Marco Ramos	Román Martínez
SG	Orlando Méndez	Gabriel Girón	Jesus González	Jovan Harris
PG	Jorge Gutiérrez	Pedro Meza	Paul Stoll	Carlos Toussaint

Previous squads

Olympics 1936 Olympics squad 1948 Olympics squad 1952 Olympics squad 1960 Olympics squad 1964 Olympics squad 1968 Olympics squad 1976 Olympics squad

FIBA AmeriCup 1980 Tournament of the Americas squad 1984 Tournament of the Americas squad 1988 Tournament of the Americas squad 1989 Tournament of the Americas squad 1992 Tournament of the Americas squad 1993 Tournament of the Americas squad 1997 Tournament of the Americas squad 2001 Tournament of the Americas squad 2003 Tournament of the Americas squad 2005 FIBA Americas Championship squad 2007 FIBA Americas Championship squad 2009 FIBA Americas Championship squad 2013 FIBA Americas Championship squad 2015 FIBA Americas Championship squad 2017 FIBA AmeriCup squad 2022 FIBA AmeriCup squad

FIBA World Cup 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup squad

Head coach position

• Augustin Garcia (1959)
• Enrique "Kiki" Romero (1960)
• Pedro Barba Ramos (1963)
• Agustin Garcia Arreola (1964)
•   Lester Lane (1967–1968)
• Pedro Barba Ramos (1974)
•   Carlos Jose Bru (1976)
•   Guillermo Vecchio (2003)
•   Nolan Richardson (2007)
•   Silvio Jose Santander (2008)
•   Nolan Richardson (2009)
•   Arturo Guerrero (2009)
•   Josep Claros (2010–2011)
•   Sergio Valdeolmillos (2011)
•   Josep Claros (2012)
•   Arturo Guerrero (2013)
•   Sergio Valdeolmillos (2013–2014)
•   Bill Cartwright (2014–2015)
•   Sergio Valdeolmillos (2015–2017)
•   Ramón Díaz (2018)
•   Iván Déniz (2018–2019)
•   Sergio Valdeolmillos (2020–2021)
•   Omar Quintero (2021-present)

Kit

Manufacturer

2015–2021: Under Armour

2022–present: Titan Sports

See also

• Mexico women's national basketball team
• Mexico national under-19 basketball team
• Mexico national under-17 basketball team
• Mexico national 3x3 team

References

1. "FIBA Ranking Presented by Nike". FIBA. 18 November 2022. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
2. . Puertorico2009.fiba.com. 6 September 2009. Archived from the original on 27 August 2009. Retrieved 26 July 2010.
3. . Puertorico2009.fiba.com. Archived from the original on 30 January 2013. Retrieved 26 July 2010.
4. "MEX – Najera reports to Mexican national team". Fiba.com. 13 June 2014.
5. . Blogs.hoopshype.com. 3 August 2009. Archived from the original on 3 October 2011. Retrieved 22 July 2010.
6. . Puertorico2009.fiba.com. Archived from the original on 9 July 2017. Retrieved 22 July 2010.
7. . www.usabasketball.com. Archived from the original on 31 October 2011. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
8. "Spain 2014-bound Mexico are 2013 Americas champions!". FIBA. 12 September 2013. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
9. "FIBA Archive; Mexico". FIBA. Retrieved 1 October 2014.
10. "TEAM STATISTICS; TEAM LEADERS". FIBA. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
11. "Mexico shocks USA Basketball in World Cup qualifying round". NBA.com.
12. https://www.usnews.com/news/sports/articles/2021-11-29/usa-basketball-falls-in-world-cup-qualifier-to-mexico-97-88^{[bare URL]}
13. "Mexico v USA boxscore - FIBA AmeriCup 2022 - 2 September".
14. "Mexico shocks USA Basketball in World Cup qualifying round". NBA.com.
15. . USA Basketball. 6 August 1967. Archived from the original on 20 August 2009.
16. . USA Basketball. Archived from the original on 6 September 2009.
17. . USA Basketball. Archived from the original on 20 August 2009.
18. . USA Basketball. 29 October 2011. Archived from the original on 31 October 2011.
19. "Latinbasket – Central American Championships '01". Latinbasket.com.
20. "LATINBASKET – 5th Tournament of the Americas (Copa America) 2005 Basketball, Teams, Scores, Stats, News, Standings, Pro Basketball". Latinbasket.com.
21. "LATINBASKET – COCABA – Centro America Championships Basketball, Teams, Scores, Stats, News, Standings, Pro Basketball". Latinbasket.com.
22. "COCABA-Championships Basketball, Teams, Scores, Stats, News, Standings". Latinbasket.
23. "México arranca su camino en la AmeriCup 2022". vivabasquet.com (in Spanish). 2 September 2022. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
24. "Team Roster: Mexico" (PDF). fiba.basketball. 2 September 2022. p. 6. Retrieved 2 September 2022.

External links

• Official website
• FIBA Profile
• Latinbasket – Mexico Men National Team

Videos

• Iran v Mexico - Highlights - 2016 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament - Italy Youtube.com video