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Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera
Sport
Nadim El Kak

Lebanon’s FIBA World Cup journey is about much more than basketball

Thon Maker and Tyrese Proctor of Australia lay up against Ali Haidar and Sergio El Darwich of Lebanon during the FIBA Basketball Asia Cup 2022 final in Jakarta, Indonesia [File: Ajeng Dinar Ulfiana/Reuters]

Beirut, Lebanon – It’s August 2022 and Lebanon are two points up on the Philippines with 18 seconds left in the game at a packed Nouhad Naufal Stadium in a Beirut suburb, when the ball spills out to Wael Arakji on the left – giving him the chance to sink a game-sealing three-pointer.

If the shot goes in, it will not only guarantee the win but will also help secure Lebanon’s ticket to the 2023 FIBA World Cup taking place this August and September.

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