Getty The United States take on New Zealand in the first round of the 2023 FIBA World Cup.
Team USA opens its 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup campaign on Saturday against New Zealand at 8:40 a.m. ET.
In the US, the game will be televised on ESPN2, but if you don’t have cable, you can watch a live stream on ESPN+, FuboTV or DirecTV Stream.
Here’s how:
Heavy may earn an affiliate commission if you sign up via a link on this page
FuboTV
You can watch a live stream of ESPN2 and 100-plus other TV channels on FuboTV, which comes with a free seven-day trial:
Once signed up for FuboTV, you can watch USA vs New Zealand live on the FuboTV app or FuboTV website.
Compatible devices for the FuboTV app include Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, Samsung TV, LG TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.
You can also watch live on the ESPN app or ESPN.com. You’ll need to sign in to a cable provider to watch this way, but you can use your Fubo credentials if you don’t have that.
DirecTV Stream
DirecTV Stream has four different channel packages: “Entertainment,” “Choice,” “Ultimate” and “Premier.” ESPN2 is included in every one, and you can pick any package and any add-on you want with your free five-day trial:
Once signed up for DirecTV Stream, you can watch USA vs New Zealand live on the DirecTV Stream app or DirecTV Stream website.
Compatible devices for the DirecTV Stream app include Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Samsung TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.
You can also watch live on the ESPN app or ESPN.com. You’ll need to sign in to a cable provider to watch this way, but you can use your DirecTV Stream credentials to do that.
ESPN+
If you’ve used up all your free trials for other streaming services, ESPN+ is the cheapest way to watch a live stream of the game. It’s also the only way to watch all of the other World Cup games:
ESPN+ includes every FIBA World Cup game, plus dozens of other live sports, every 30-for-30 documentary and additional original content (both video and written) for $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year (or $13.99 per month for a bundle of all three of ESPN+, Disney+ and Hulu).
Once signed up for ESPN+, you can watch USA vs New Zealand live on the ESPN app or ESPN.com.
Compatible devices for the ESPN app include Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Firestick, Apple TV, Chromecast, PlayStation 4 or 5, Xbox One or Series X/S, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), Samsung Smart TV, Oculus Go, iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.
Sling TV
You can watch a live stream of ESPN2 and 40-plus other TV channels via Sling TV’s “Sling Orange” package. This option doesn’t include a free trial, but it’s the cheapest long-term streaming service with the ESPN channels, and you can get your first month half off:
Once signed up for Sling TV, you can watch USA vs New Zealand live on the Sling TV app or Sling TV website.
Compatible devices for the Sling TV app include Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Fire Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One or Series X/S, Samsung TV, LG TV, any device with Android TV (such as a Sony TV or Nvidia Shield), airTV Mini, Oculus, Portal, iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet.
You can also watch live on the ESPN app or ESPN.com. You’ll need to sign in to a cable provider to watch this way, but you can use your Sling credentials if you don’t have that.
USA vs New Zealand FIBA World Cup 2023 Preview
After a disappointing seventh-place finish in 2019, the U.S. is looking to win it all this time around. Greece, New Zealand and Jordan round out the other teams in Group C.
Led by Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, the United States are the favorites among the loaded field of 32 to win it all this year. “It feels good,” United States guard Austin Reaves of the Los Angeles Lakers said about the team’s vibe heading into the tournament. “Hopefully we play eight games here and obviously win all of them. It’s good to get here and run around. We had a good practice yesterday, a good one today, and hopefully we’ll keep building throughout this week for Saturday’s game.”
“Every time we step out on the court it’s about how can we be better than we were yesterday, that’s been our mindset,” Knicks guard Jalen Brunson said, adding: “We have a lot of guys who come from different situations and play different styles of basketball but here, egos are left at the door. We all just want to win.”
On the other side, Flynn Cameron, Isaac Fotu and Finn Delany are all players to watch for the Tall Blacks. Ranked 26th in the world by FIBA, this will be the seventh World Cup appearance for New Zealand, who has never won the tourney. It won’t be easy this time around, drawing the world No. 1 American squad out of the gate.
“If the USA roster was an NBA franchise, I’d like its chances to make a Finals run based on the coaching staff alone,” Eric Gomez of ESPN Mexico wrote. “On the court, it’s a solid group with star power and plenty of role players who can provide quality minutes on both ends of the floor when the likes of Anthony Edwards, Brandon Ingram and Jalen Brunson have to rest.”
These two teams last met in the World Cup in 2014, with the United States winning, 98-71.
Here’s a look at the rosters for both teams:
United States:
- Paolo Banchero, F, Orlando Magic
- Mikal Bridges, F, Brooklyn Nets
- Jalen Brunson, G, New York Knicks
- Anthony Edwards, G, Minnesota Timberwolves
- Tyrese Haliburton, G, Indiana Pacers
- Josh Hart, G, New York Knicks
- Brandon Ingram, F, New Orleans Pelicans
- Jaren Jackson Jr., F, Memphis Grizzlies
- Cam Johnson, F, Brooklyn Nets
- Walker Kessler, C, Utah Jazz
- Bobby Portis, F, Milwaukee Bucks
- Austin Reaves, G, Los Angeles Lakers
New Zealand:
- Taylor Britt
- Walter Brown
- Flynn Cameron
- Finn Delany
- Dan Fotu
- Isaac Fotu
- Hyrum Harris
- Shea Ili
- Izayah Mauriohooho Le’Afa
- Jordan Ngatai
- Tohi Smith-Milner
- Reuben Te Rangi
- Sam Timmins
- Yanni Wetzell