Former Oregon Duck forward Jordan Bell has been selected to the Team USA World Cup Qualifying Team. He's one of 12 players on the team that will begin training camp in Washington D.C. on Feb. 18.
Bell, who played for the Ducks from 2013-17 and helped lead the program to its first Final Four in 88 years, plays for the NBA G-Leagues' Fort Wayne Mad Ants. He began the 2021-22 season with the Santa Cruz Warriors before signing a 10-day contract with the Chicago Bulls in December.
Once his 10-day deal expired, he was reacquired by the G-League Warriors and was most recently traded to the Mad Ants on Jan. 31. Bell is the lone player on the USA squad that has won an NBA championship, as he helped the Golden State Warriors win the 2018 title.
Jordan Bell
Jordan Bell Santa Cruz Warriors
G League Ignite guard Dyson Daniels (3) shoots the ball against Santa Cruz Warriors forward Jordan Bell (6) during the first quarter at Chase Center.
Bell is one of 11 players on Team USA with NBA regular season experience, including seven-time NBA All-Star Joe Johnson, eight-year veteran Langston Galloway, and son of Hall of Famer John Stockton, David Stockton.
Team USA, coached by former Chicago Bulls Head Coach Jim Boylen, will host Puerto Rico on Feb. 24 and Mexico on Feb. 27 to begin competition. The team will compete in the second window of qualifying games for the World Cup, as the qualifying tournament features four preliminary round groups that each consists of four teams.
According to USA Basketball: "Featuring 16 national teams from North America, Central America, South America and the Caribbean, the 2021-23 FIBA World Cup Qualifying Tournament for the Americas zone features four preliminary round groups, and each group consists of four teams. The top three teams from each group will qualify for the second round. Following the second round, the three top teams from each group, and the top fourth-placed team, will qualify for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023."
Team USA's group consists of Cuba, Mexico, and Puerto Rico. The World Cup Qualifying Tournament will feature 80 teams from around the globe vying for a spot in the 32-team 2023 World Cup that will take place from Aug. 25 to Sept. 10, 2023 in the Philippines, Japan, and Indonesia.
Bell has been a do-it-all player for the Mad Ants since they acquired him, averaging 11.4 points, 9.0 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 2.4 blocks. His last two games have seen monstrous numbers, including a triple-double on Feb. 10 (11 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists) and 24 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists on Feb. 14.
He is teammates with another former Duck, KaVell Bigby-Williams, in Fort Wayne. Bigby-Williams was also on the 2017 Final Four team.
The 2017 Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year played 104 games in his career at Oregon. He collected 814 career points, 719 rebounds, and a program record 235 blocks. He also finished second in program history with a 61.0% field goal percentage.
Bell was drafted 37th overall in the 2017 NBA Draft by the Chicago Bulls and was traded to the Golden State Warriors on draft night.
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