Spain overtakes USA for No. 1 spot

For the first time in 12 years, USA Basketball is not atop the world men’s rankings. FIBA, the sport’s governing body, updated its rankings on Friday — and Spain moved into the top spot, a sliver ahead of the U.S. The four-time defending Olympic champion Americans moved into the top spot after winning the FIBA world championship in 2010, and had been there since. “It’s not exactly a new title and it probably can’t be maintained for too long, but it’s something so unique, prestigious and historic that I feel tremendously proud of everyone who ... have contributed to it,” Spain coach Sergio Scariolo, pictured, wrote Friday on Twitter. FIBA’s rankings were changed in 2017 to a system that only takes results from the most recent eight years into account. That means the U.S. is no longer reaping the benefits of the 2014 World Cup title, but still is seeing the Olympic gold medals won at Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo factoring into the rankings. The U.S. was only seventh at the 2019 World Cup. Spain won the last World Cup, plus the EuroBasket title earlier this year.