Brandon Knight named to USA Men's World Cup Qualifying Team
It’s been a few years since Brandon Knight played in the NBA, but his basketball career is still going strong.
USA Basketball announced Tuesday that Knight has been named to the 12-man roster for the February 2026 USA Men’s World Cup Qualifying Team. Team USA will host the Dominican Republic and Mexico on Feb. 26 and March 1, respectively, at Frontwave Arena in Oceanside, California.
This will mark the second time within the last few months that Knight has suited up for the United States. The former Kentucky guard also competed in the 2027 FIBA Men’s World Cup Qualifying Window 1 in November. His very first stint with USA Basketball happened all the way back as a high schooler in the 2010 Nike Hoop Summit.
Knight, who last played in the NBA in 2021-22 and has since been playing overseas, will team up alongside a handful of notable names, including Elfrid Payton and James Wiseman. All 12 players have professional experience in the NBA, NBA G League, and internationally.
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Team USA will participate in six total World Cup Qualifying windows from November 2025 to March 2027. 80 combined teams will compete for one of the 32 spots in the 2027 FIBA Men’s World Cup held in Qatar. 16 teams from the Americas will play in all six windows, with the top seven moving onto the World Cup. USA is already 2-0 — good enough for first place in Group A — after two wins over Nicaragua in Window 1.
In those two games against Nicaragua as USA’s starting point guard, Knight went for 14 points and five assists in the first matchup before dropping 16 points and 12 assists a few days later in the rematch. Below is Team USA’s full 12-man roster for Window 2.
- Malcolm Hill
- Tevian Jones
- Taevion Kinsey
- Brandon Knight
- Dakota Mathias
- Elfrid Payton
- Jeremiah Robinson-Earl
- David Roddy
- Jaden Shackelford
- Terry Taylor
- Jeremiah Tilmon
- James Wiseman
Members of the Big Blue Nation who want to see Knight in action can watch the 2027 FIBA Men’s World Cup Qualifying on Courtside 1891. With a free account, USA games will stream free of charge in the United States.
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