Norway men's national basketball team

Norway

FIBA ranking	74 1 (1 March 2024)[1]
Joined FIBA	1968
FIBA zone	FIBA Europe
National federation	NBBF
Coach	Matthias Eckhoff
FIBA World Cup
Appearances	None
EuroBasket
Appearances	None
Championship for Small Countries
Appearances	2
Medals	Silver: (1996, 2018)
Home Away
First international
Norway 50–63 Denmark  (Oslo, Norway; 11 February 1967)
Biggest win
San Marino 48–88 Norway  (Serravalle, San Marino; 26 June 2018)
Biggest defeat
Iceland 123–59 Norway  (Reykjavík, Iceland; 15 April 1968)

The Norway men's national basketball team (Norwegian: Norge herrelandslag i basketball) represents Norway in international basketball tournaments. The national team is administered by the Norwegian Basketball Federation.

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 or the FIBA World Cup.

History

Norway's first international match was played on 11 February 1967 in Oslo, where the team lost 50–63 to Denmark.^[2] The most capped player is Torgeir Bryn, with 111 caps.

In the past, Norway has attempted to qualify for the EuroBasket several times, but have yet to reach the tournament. They have only entered the Olympic basketball qualification twice, for the 1980, and 1988 Olympic Games. 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 Norwegian Basketball Federation 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, in addition to a few smaller sponsors.^[3]

Norway's return (2018–present)

In 2018, Norway made its return to FIBA 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.^[4]

In 2021, Norway joined the EuroBasket 2025 qualification.

Competitive record

Results and fixtures

  Win   Loss

2023

2024

2025

Team

Current roster

Roster for the 2027 FIBA World Cup Pre-Qualifiers match on 25 February 2024 against Luxembourg.^[5][6]

Norway men's national basketball team roster
Players	Coaches
Pos. No. Name Age – Date of birth Height Club Ctr. PG 4 Johan Flaa 24 – (1999-07-19)19 July 1999 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) Centrum Tigers F 5 Chris-Ebou Ndow 30 – (1993-12-10)10 December 1993 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) Mitteldeutscher BC PG 7 Harald Frey 26 – (1997-05-27)27 May 1997 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) Bonn G 11 Stian Mjøs (C) 34 – (1989-02-27)27 February 1989 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) Bærum G 12 Mikkel Kolstad 28 – (1995-05-03)3 May 1995 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in) Gimle F/C 20 Ludvik Bergseng 17 – (2006-09-28)28 September 2006 2.08 m (6 ft 10 in) Sandvika C 21 Emil Grosse 20 – (2003-09-03)3 September 2003 2.08 m (6 ft 10 in) Nidaros Jets F 22 Sjur Berg 27 – (1996-01-10)10 January 1996 1.99 m (6 ft 6 in) Bærum F 25 Hallvard Staff 21 – (2002-06-18)18 June 2002 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in) Gimle G/F 33 Tobias Rotegård 23 – (2000-05-08)8 May 2000 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) Kongsberg Miners F 40 Axel Borg 19 – (2004-04-10)10 April 2004 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) Bærum F/C 42 Erik Borg 22 – (2001-10-06)6 October 2001 2.05 m (6 ft 9 in) Cantbasket	Head coach Matthias Eckhoff Assistant coach(es) Milovan Savić Legend (C) Team captain Club – describes last club before the competition Age – describes age on 25 February 2024

Depth chart

Pos.	Starting 5	Bench 1	Bench 2
C	Sjur Berg	Erik Borg	Marcus Larsson
PF	Karamo Jawara	Johannes Dolven	Axel Borg
SF	Chris-Ebou Ndow	Kristian Sjølund	Jørgen Odfjell
SG	Bouna Ndiaye	Mikkel Kolstad	Tobias Rotegård
PG	Harald Frey	Stian Mjøs	Lars Espe

Head coach position

• Matthias Eckhoff – (2018–present)

Notable players

• Torgeir Bryn – the first Scandinavian, and the only Norwegian who has played in the NBA; 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^[7]

Norway men's national basketball team roster
Players	Coaches
Pos. No. Name Age – Date of birth Height Club Ctr. PG 4 Magnus Midtvedt 28 – (1990-04-07)7 April 1990 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) Centrum PG 5 Harald Frey 21 – (1997-05-27)27 May 1997 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) Montana State G 6 Stian Berg 27 – (1991-04-04)4 April 1991 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) Asker PG 7 Lars Espe 19 – (1998-09-26)26 September 1998 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) Barry Buccaneers G/F 8 Bouna Ndiaye 25 – (1992-10-20)20 October 1992 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) GET Vosges G 9 Nikolas Skouen 28 – (1990-01-29)29 January 1990 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) Frøya F 10 Karamo Jawara 27 – (1991-06-25)25 June 1991 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in) Palma G 11 Stian Mjøs 29 – (1989-02-27)27 February 1989 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) Bærum G/F 12 Eivind Lamo 21 – (1996-10-23)23 October 1996 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) Gimle G/F 13 Alex Dakin 25 – (1993-01-02)2 January 1993 1.97 m (6 ft 6 in) Bærum F 14 Sjur Berg 22 – (1996-01-10)10 January 1996 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) Alaska Anchorage F/C 15 Johannes Dolven 22 – (1996-05-11)11 May 1996 2.06 m (6 ft 9 in) Barry Buccaneers	Head coach Matthias Eckhoff Assistant coach(es) Audun Eskeland Legend (C) Team captain Club – describes last club before the competition Age – describes age on 26 June 2018

See also

• Norway women's national basketball team
• Norway men's national under-20 basketball team
• Norway men's national under-18 basketball team
• Norway men's national under-16 basketball team

References

External links

• Official website (in Norwegian)
• Norway FIBA profile
• Norway National Team – Men at Eurobasket.com