There’s a tradition in Basketball World Cup play. Pregame handshakes often include gifts
A player from the U.S. holds a hat to exchange as a gift before a Basketball World Cup semi final game against Germany in Manila, Philippines, Friday, Sept. 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)[ASSOCIATED PRESS/Aaron Favila]
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Not everybody who plays in the Basketball World Cup goes home with a medal. Most players don’t even come close to that level. But everybody goes home with something. It’s a tradition that goes back at least a half-century at most FIBA events: The pregame handshake between teams is also a gift exchange. It has continued at this World Cup, which ends with the medal games on Sunday. Players listen to their anthems, standing in unison on opposite foul lines, then approach midcourt for a handshake and each player and coach presents an opposing contemporary with a gift.
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