USA Basketball has added former Sixers two-way player Haywood Highsmith to its initial qualifying team for the 2023 World Cup, agent Jerry Dianis confirmed. Highsmith will join the team in time for group training, which is set to take place from Nov. 20-25.
Highsmith signed an Exhibit 10 deal with Philadelphia this past fall, later joining the team’s G League affiliate in Delaware. In four games with the club, he’s averaging 16 points, six rebounds and two steals, while shooting 57% from the floor and 50% from deep.
USA Basketball also recently added former NBA players Isaiah Thomas and Justin Anderson to its roster. The team’s first game is against Cuba on Nov. 28, playing in a bubble format in Chihuahua, Mexico.
Here are some other odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- Speaking of USA Basketball, former No. 8 pick Stanley Johnson received interest to play with the team for the first window of the World Cup qualifiers, according to Marc Stein of Substack. Johnson decided not to play with the group, choosing to join the Lakers’ G League affiliate in South Bay instead. Johnson is working to fast-track a return to the NBA, according to Stein. The 25-year-old holds 371 games of NBA experience and played with Toronto last year.
- Former NBA player Chandler Parsons is still recovering from the serious injuries he sustained during a car crash in 2020, he told TMZ Sports. Parsons, who suffered a brain injury, disc herniation and torn labrum, was allegedly hit by a drunk driver in the collision. “We’ll see,” Parsons said about a potential NBA comeback. “Working out, staying in shape, but trying to still recover from the car crash last year, so we’ll see.” Parsons last played with the Hawks during the 2019/20 season.
Parsons was dealing with serious injuries his last 4 seasons before the accident. I hope he eventually recovers, but his basketball career is definitely over.
Parsons was a known Mark Cuban signing, an ill advised one at that.
Do you just literally hate everyone who used to be on your team after they move? Weird move bro.
How did you perceive any hate there? I said I hope he eventually recovers, but saying his playing career is over is completely obvious.
Parsons played a total of 92 games in three seasons with Memphis from 2016 to 2019. Since then he has played a total of 5 games.
And he is still recovering from injuries he sustained last year, he’s 33.
I know he probably wants to prove he can come back from this and all the other injuries and prove everyone wrong he wasn’t the worst or top-5 worst contracts of all time. I get that. But any comeback will just highlight that he’s in the hall of fame for worst contract ever.