Two Washington Wizards Suit Up in FIBA World Cup Qualifying Games

While it may be the offseason, the Washington Wizards had a pair of players suit up in the FIBA World Cup qualifying games on Friday with France and Bilal Coulibaly up first.

Bilal Coulibaly finished with a team-high 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting, including 2-of-6 from three and 1-of-3 from the free throw line, in an eight point win over Belgium on Friday afternoon. Coulibaly added another two steals and two rebounds while playing in just under 21 minutes, the fourth-most minutes by any player in the win. The Wizard forward kicked off the scoring before a steal led to a breakaway dunk in the opening minutes of the game. Coulibaly also finished through contact to draw an and-one opportunity midway through the second quarter, while one of his two made threes helped France maintain its healthy lead in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter.

Alex Sarr was slated to suit up alongside Coulibaly before the Wizards announced last month he was ruled out for the bulk of the offseason after undergoing a successful surgery to repair a fracture in his right foot.

Coulibaly was the first of two players to suit up after Kyshawn George and Canada downed Puerto Rico, 110-84, on Friday night.

Kyshawn George came off the bench where he posted nine points on 4-of-8 shooting, including 1-of-5 from three, while adding three rebounds in just over 21 minutes. One of George's buckets came in transition after Andrew Nembhard picked up the loose ball to find George all alone for a fast break layup.

George was one of a handful of notable players to come off the bench alongside Nickeil Alexander-Walker in the opening game win. Whether he materializes into a starter in game two could be a tall task for the explosive scoring guard given he's on a roster featuring Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Andrew Nembhard, who drew the start in the blowout win.

Will Riley initially joined George among the players tabbed to also suit up for Team Canada, but he did not commit to his first international appearance with the second-year wing likely sticking with the Wizards for the upcoming Summer League slate.

Coulibaly and France are set to face Finland in the next game set for 2:30 PM ET on Monday, July 6. Hours later, Jamaica is set to take on Canada at 7:10 PM ET for each team's final game through the round.

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