The Lebanon national basketball team is in the category of the top teams in the FIBA Asia Championship.
In their course competing in the tournament for years, Lebanon finished 2nd three times last 2001, 2005 and 2007. They played in the 2006 FIBA World Championship in Japan, which is their second time to be qualified for the tournament.
During that competition, they routed against Venezuela and shocked the French national team but lost against Serbia and Montenegro, Nigeria and Argentina while in the first round. They finished 5th out of the six to be eliminated.
The 2006 competition was considered a success because at that time Lebanon were having a lot political problems. Their win over the France has been the upset of the tournament. Fadi El Khatib has carried the weight of the team and whom mostly affected the team’s status because when they win, he is averaging 32 points per game. He is the 7th leading scorer of the tournament averaging 18 points per game.
Lebanon has not yet been qualified in the Olympic games. They are ranked 24th in the FIBA World Rankings.They have three appearances in the FIBA World Championships but no medals. In the FIBA Asia Championship, they have appeared six times and won silver medals in the years 2001, 2005 and 2007.
Steve Kerr
Few only knew that Steve Kerr was born in Beirut Lebanon on September 27, 1965. He is a retired professional basketball player who is popularly known in the NBA. His .454 percent in the three point range over his career has put him as the second most accurate three-point sniper in NBA History.
He won championship 5 times, 3 of them are with the Chicago Bulls in 1996,1997 and 1998 with the greatest of all time Michael Jordan. Two of his titles came from the San Antonio Spurs back in 1999 and 2003. He is the only NBA player in history to win four consecutive championships in a row in the last 30 years. He is also the three point shootout champion in the 1997 All-star weekend.
Steve Kerr became an NBA Analyst prior to his retirement in 2003. He was the broadcast analyst for TNT or Turner Network Television. He was named the Phoenix Suns president of basketball operations and the general manager on June 2, 2007. He retired from the Suns last June 2010.