Norway men's national basketball team

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.

This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Norway women's national basketball team.

Norway
FIBA ranking93 Decrease 3 (27 February 2023)[1]
Joined FIBA1968
FIBA zoneFIBA Europe
National federationNBBF
CoachMatthias Eckhoff
FIBA World Cup
AppearancesNone
EuroBasket
AppearancesNone
Championship for Small Countries
Appearances2
MedalsSilver Silver: (1996, 2018)
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)

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

2021
25 November 2021 Norway  86–77  Kosovo Bergen, Norway
19:00 (UTC+1) Scoring by quarter: 17–22, 25–11, 27–19, 17–25
Pts: Ndow 21
Rebs: Ndow 8
Asts: Jawara 7		 Boxscore Pts: Berisha 18
Rebs: Berisha 7
Asts: Berisha 4		 Arena: Haukelandshallen
Attendance: 2,143
Referees: Vilius Mačiulaitis (LTU), Mart Uuehendrik (EST), James Dominique (GIB)

2022
24 February 2022 Denmark  84–68  Norway Næstved, Denmark
19:00 (UTC+1) Scoring by quarter: 18–17, 20–17, 25–20, 21–14
Pts: Klussmann, Zohore 13
Rebs: Zohore 11
Asts: Zohore 4		 Boxscore Pts: Frey 23
Rebs: Jawara 10
Asts: Jawara 5		 Arena: Næstved Arena
Referees: Marko Vučković (SVN), Łukasz Jankowski (POL), Alberto Sánchez (ESP)
27 February 2022 Kosovo  92–950(OT)  Norway Mitrovica, Kosovo
19:00 (UTC+1) Scoring by quarter: 27–15, 19–16, 18–25, 17–25, Overtime: 11–14
Pts: Berisha 27
Rebs: Bamforth 8
Asts: Bamforth 5		 Boxscore Pts: Frey 38
Rebs: Ndow 10
Asts: Jawara 4		 Arena: Minatori Sports Hall
Attendance: 1,500
Referees: Stoica Ciprian (ROU), Zoran Mitrovski (MKD), Stylianos Simeonidis (GRE)
3 July 2022 Norway  62–64  Denmark Oslo, Norway
18:00 (UTC+2) Scoring by quarter: 13–14, 9–24, 12–14, 28–12
Pts: Frey 16
Rebs: Berg, Dolven 7
Asts: Jawara 8		 Boxscore Pts: Zohore 19
Rebs: Zohore 11
Asts: Zohore 4		 Arena: Nye Jordal Amfi
Attendance: 4,350
Referees: Vilius Mačiulaitis (LTU), Zdenko Tomašovič (SVK), Andrea Bongiorni (ITA)
25 August 2022 Slovakia  68–87  Norway Levice, Slovakia
18:00 (UTC+2) Scoring by quarter: 20–21, 13–21, 23–24, 12–21
Pts: Jones 17
Rebs: Körner 5
Asts: Ihring 8		 Boxscore Pts: Frey 37
Rebs: Berg 10
Asts: Jawara 9		 Arena: Športová hala Levice
Attendance: 821
Referees: Mehmet Şahin (TUR), Franko Gracin (CRO), Nemanja Ninković (SRB)
28 August 2022 Norway  99–75  Denmark Bergen, Norway
18:00 (UTC+2) Scoring by quarter: 34–21, 23–23, 26–21, 16–10
Pts: Frey 26
Rebs: Jawara 7
Asts: Jawara 6		 Boxscore Pts: Lundberg 16
Rebs: Larsen 9
Asts: Lundberg 7		 Arena: Haukelandshallen
Attendance: 2,250
Referees: Mihkel Männiste (EST), Mart Uuehendrik (EST), Davíð Tómasson (ISL)
10 November 2022 North Macedonia  58–36  Norway Gevgelija, North Macedonia
19:00 (UTC+1) Scoring by quarter: 16–11, 18–7, 11–11, 13–7
Pts: Krstevski, Stojanovski 14
Rebs: Krstevski 10
Asts: Shorts 8		 Boxscore Pts: Frey, Jawara 11
Rebs: Berg 7
Asts: Frey 3		 Arena: Gevgelija Sports Hall
Attendance: 1,000
Referees: Łukasz Jankowski (POL), Valentin Oliot (FRA), Jan Baloun (CZE)
13 November 2022 Norway  56–68  Slovakia Bergen, Norway
18:00 (UTC+1) Scoring by quarter: 20–16, 13–20, 13–14, 10–18
Pts: Ndow 17
Rebs: Berg 10
Asts: Frey 5		 Boxscore Pts: Brodziansky 20
Rebs: Mokráň 12
Asts: Krajčovič 5		 Arena: Haukelandshallen
Attendance: 2,053
Referees: Gintaras Vitkauskas (LTU), Alberto Sánchez (ESP), Blaž Zupančič (SVN)

2023
23 February 2023 Denmark  69–61  Norway Næstved, Denmark
19:00 (UTC+1) Scoring by quarter: 21–15, 18–14, 12–16, 18–16
Pts: Åris, Midtgaard 13
Rebs: Åris 7
Asts: Darbo 6		 Boxscore Pts: Frey 24
Rebs: Ndow 6
Asts: Jawara 6		 Arena: Næstved Arena
Referees: Radomir Vojinović (MNE), Sergio Rodriguez (ESP), Özlem Yalman (TUR)
26 February 2023 Norway  41–79  North Macedonia Oslo, Norway
18:00 (UTC+1) Scoring by quarter: 12–24, 14–21, 10–15, 5–19
Pts: Frey 10
Rebs: Jawara, Ndow 5
Asts: Jawara 4		 Boxscore Pts: Shorts 22
Rebs: Shorts 6
Asts: Shorts 5		 Arena: Nordstrand Arena
Attendance: 2,500
Referees: Ciprian Stoica (ROU), Can Mavisu (TUR), Javier Torres (ESP)

Team

Current roster

Roster for the EuroBasket 2025 Pre-Qualifiers matches on 23 and 26 February 2023 against Denmark and North Macedonia.[5]

Norway men's national basketball team roster
PlayersCoaches
Pos.No.NameAge – Date of birthHeightClubCtr.
G/F 0 Jørgen Odfjell 22 – (2000-08-03)3 August 2000 1.97 m (6 ft 6 in) Gimle Norway
F 5 Chris-Ebou Ndow 29 – (1993-12-10)10 December 1993 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) Den Bosch Netherlands
PG 7 Harald Frey 25 – (1997-05-27)27 May 1997 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) Göttingen Germany
G/F 8 Bouna Ndiaye 30 – (1992-10-20)20 October 1992 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) Estela Spain
F 10 Karamo Jawara 31 – (1991-06-25)25 June 1991 2.04 m (6 ft 8 in) Estudiantes Spain
G 11 Stian Mjøs (C) 33 – (1989-02-27)27 February 1989 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) Bærum Norway
G 12 Mikkel Kolstad 27 – (1995-05-03)3 May 1995 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in) Gimle Norway
F/C 14 Johannes Dolven 26 – (1996-05-11)11 May 1996 2.06 m (6 ft 9 in) Centrum Tigers Norway
F/C 21 Emil Grosse 19 – (2003-09-05)5 September 2003 2.08 m (6 ft 10 in) Recklinghausen Germany
F 22 Sjur Berg 27 – (1996-01-10)10 January 1996 2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) Bærum Norway
F 24 Torgrim Sommerfeldt 33 – (1989-06-26)26 June 1989 2.00 m (6 ft 7 in) Kongsberg Miners Norway
SG 44 Espen Fjærestad 28 – (1994-03-14)14 March 1994 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) Gimle Norway
Head coach
  • Norway Matthias Eckhoff
Assistant coach(es)
  • Norway Brent Hackman
  • Norway Jeanine Hauan Flaaten
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • Club – describes last
    club before the competition
  • Age – describes age
    on 23 February 2023

Depth chart
Pos. Starting 5 Bench 1 Bench 2
C Karamo Jawara Sjur Berg Marcus Larsson
PF Sjur Berg Emil Grosse Johannes Dolven
SF Chris-Ebou Ndow Bouna Ndiaye Kristian Sjølund
SG Stian Mjøs Jorgen Odfjell Tobias Rotegard
PG Harald Frey Mikkel Kolstad Lars Espe

Head coach position
  • Norway 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 Silver among 7 teams[6]

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

See also

References
  1. "FIBA Ranking Presented by Nike". FIBA. 27 February 2023. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
  2. "55-årsjubileum mot Danmark". basket.no. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
  3. "Norway returns to international basketball". norwegianamerican.com. Retrieved 21 August 2017.
  4. "Norway at the 2018 FIBA European Championship for Small Countries". Retrieved 1 July 2018.
  5. "Norway during the EuroBasket 2025 Pre-Qualifiers in February 2023". Retrieved 23 February 2023.
  6. "Norway at the 2018 FIBA European Championship for Small Countries". Retrieved 1 July 2018.
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