The Norway men's national basketball team ( no, Norge herrelandslag i basketball) represents

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

in international

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

tournaments. The national team is administered by the

Norwegian Basketball Federation The Norwegian Basketball Federation ( no, Norges Basketballforbund) also known as NBBF is the governing body for basketball in Norway. It was formed in 1966, and joined FIBA in 1968. They are headquartered in Oslo. The Norwegian Basketball Federa ...

. Norway has never had great success on the international stage in the past. They are one of the few European countries to date to have never qualified for one of the top international basketball competitions, such as the

EuroBasket EuroBasket, also commonly referred to as the European Basketball Championship, is the main international basketball competition that is contested quadrennially, by the senior men's national teams that are governed by FIBA Europe, which is the E ...

or the

FIBA World Cup The FIBA Basketball World Cup, also known as the FIBA World Cup of Basketball or simply the FIBA World Cup, between 1950 and 2010 known as the FIBA World Championship, is an international basketball competition contested by the senior men's nat ...

History

Norway's first international match was played on 11 February 1967 in Oslo, where the team lost 50–63 to

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. The most capped player is Torgeir Bryn, with 111 caps. In the past, Norway has attempted to qualify for the

several times, but have yet to reach the tournament. They have only entered the Olympic basketball qualification twice, for the

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, and

1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Australian ...

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...

. Norway is one of Europe's most populous nations to have never qualified for a major international basketball competition. However, they have competed at smaller events such as the European Championship for Small Countries.

The Road to Revival (2012–2017)

In 2012, financial troubles led the

to shut down both the men's and women's national teams. The federation simply did not have the funds to keep either the men's or women's teams afloat. Since then, however, the federation has come to realize just how many people from the athletes and teams, to individuals and companies care about the Norwegian basketball community and are willing to provide financial support. The federation also worked to raise money through sponsorships, and eventually signed a major sponsorship agreement with

Circle K Circle K Stores, Inc. is a Canadian chain of convenience stores headquartered in Laval, Quebec, Canada. It is owned by the multinational company Couche-Tard. Founded in 1951 in El Paso, Texas, the company filed for bankruptcy protection in 1 ...

, in addition to a few smaller sponsors.

Norway's return (2018–present)

In 2018, Norway made its return to

FIBA The International Basketball Federation (FIBA ; French: ) is an association of national organizations which governs the sport of basketball worldwide. Originally known as the (hence FIBA), in 1989 it dropped the word ''amateur'' from its na ...

competition by playing at the European Championship for Small Countries. The national team finished as the runners-up after losing 75–59 in the final against

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

. In 2021, Norway joined the

EuroBasket 2025 qualification The EuroBasket 2025 qualification is a basketball competition that is being played from November 2021 to February 2025, to determine the FIBA Europe nations who will qualify for the EuroBasket 2025 finals tournament. Format changes Similar, as f ...

Competitive record

FIBA World Cup

Olympic Games

Championship for Small Countries

EuroBasket

Results and fixtures

2021

2022

2023

Team

Current roster

Roster for the EuroBasket 2025 Pre-Qualifiers matches in July/August 2023 against

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...

and

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

Depth chart

Head coach position

* Matthias Eckhoff – (2018–present)

Notable players

* Torgeir Bryn – the first Scandinavian, and the only Norwegian who has played in the

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

; and the most capped player for the Norway national basketball team with 111 matches.

Past rosters

2018 FIBA European Championship for Small Countries: finished 2nd among 7 teams

References

External links

Official website

Norway FIBA profileNorway National Team – Men
at Eurobasket.com {{BLNO Men's national basketball teams Basketball in Norway

Basket A basket is a container that is traditionally constructed from stiff fibers and can be made from a range of materials, including wood splints, runners, and cane. While most baskets are made from plant materials, other materials such as horsehai ...

1968 establishments in Norway