Ireland men's national basketball team

The Ireland men's national basketball team () represents the island of Ireland in international basketball. It is governed by Basketball Ireland with players from both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Ireland plays their home matches at the National Basketball Arena in Tallaght, Dublin.

Ireland has little history on the international stage, as they have yet to qualify for top tournaments such as the EuroBasket or the FIBA World Cup. However, the national team did participate at the Summer Olympics once, in 1948.

History

The Amateur Basketball Association of Ireland (ABAI; now Basketball Ireland) was formed in 1945 and affiliated to FIBA in 1947. An indoor version of basketball had been played in the Irish Army from 1936, but using non-standard rules to create an indoor winter substitute for Gaelic football; until 1943, the Army Athletic Council officially recognized only Gaelic games. The ABAI sent a team of the best Army players to the 1948 Olympic tournament in nearby London, despite the refusal of Army command to release the players for intensive training. The team coaches were officers unfamiliar with the sport, who outranked the players and ignored their advice. Although many top sides were absent from the London Games in the aftermath of World War II, the Irish team finished last, losing every match heavily; the worst a 71–9 loss to Mexico, who finished fourth. Only two members of the team were over tall.

The team's standard improved gradually from the 1970s to the 2000s, as more school leavers won scholarships to play US college basketball, and some Irish American professional players took up eligibility to compete for their ancestral country. Ireland entered European-zone Olympic qualification tournaments in 1972, 1976, 1984, and 1988, losing every match each time. In 1988, Ireland finished runner-up in the inaugural Promotion Cup, the third tier of EuroBasket, later named EuroBasket Division C, and now the FIBA European Championship for Small Countries. In 1993, the National Basketball Arena opened in Dublin, which became the team's new permanent home. Division C was hosted there the following year, and Ireland beat Cyprus 81–78 in the final to gain promotion to EuroBasket Division B. Ireland narrowly failed to win promotion to Division A in FIBA EuroBasket 2005 Division B, losing to Denmark by four points after having won the first game in Dublin by ten.

In February 2010, during the Irish financial crisis, Basketball Ireland announced that it was €1.2m in debt and was deactivating its senior international squads to cut costs. In December 2015, the team was reactivated for 2016.

In December 2015, it was announced that Ireland would play at the 2016 FIBA European Championship for Small Countries. The team finished in the fourth position overall.

Ireland played in the 2018 FIBA European Championship for Small Countries, held in San Marino from 26 June to 1 July. Ireland finished (1–1) in group play, losing to Malta then defeating Andorra. In the semi-finals Ireland lost to Norway, sending the team to the bronze medal match where they defeated Gibraltar to finish in third place.

Three years later, Ireland hosted the 2021 FIBA European Championship for Small Countries in Dublin. The national team would go undefeated during the tournament at (4–0), to capture their second title at the competition all time.

After Ireland's 2021 European Championship for Small Countries triumph, they entered EuroBasket 2025 Pre-Qualifying, where they earned a victory in their first match away to Cyprus 73–81. Although following the win, Ireland would go (3–6) during the rest of their pre-qualifying campaign, to eventually be eliminated.

Ireland then put their focus into the 2027 FIBA World Cup European Pre-Qualifiers. However, they began their campaign with two demoralising losses, before sweeping their doubleheader in November 2024 against Azerbaijan and Kosovo. Ultimately, a heavy defeat at the hands of Switzerland 85–54 in February 2025, ended Ireland's hopes of progressing to the next round.

Competitive record

FIBA World Cup World CupQualificationYearPosition 1950Did not enterDid not enter 1954 1959 1963 1967 1970 1974 1978Did not qualifyEuroBasket servedas qualifiers 1982 1986Did not enterDid not enter 1990 1994 1998Did not qualifyEuroBasket servedas qualifiers 2002 2006 2010 2014Did not enterDid not enter 2019 2023 2027Did not qualify633 2031To be determinedTo be determinedTotal0/20 6 3 3

Olympic Games Olympic GamesQualifyingYearPosition 1936No national representative 194823rd606 1952Did not enter 1956 1960Did not enter 1964 1968 1972Did not qualify404 1976505 1980Did not enterDid not enter 1984Did not qualify303 1988404 1992505 1996Did not enterDid not enter 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024 2028Total1/2160621 0 21

Championship for Small Countries FIBA European Championship for Small CountriesYearPosition 1988541 19904th532 19924th523 1994550 20164th532 2018422 2021440Total332310

EuroBasket EuroBasketQualificationYearPosition 1935No national representative 1937 1939 1946 1947Did not enter 1949 1951 1953 1955 1957 1959 1961 1963Did not enter 1965 1967 1969 1971 1973 1975 1977Did not qualify514 1979Did not enterDid not enter 1981Did not qualify404 1983505 1985Did not enterDid not enter 1987Did not qualify404 1989Did not enterDid not enter 1991 1993 1995 1997Did not qualify523 1999844 20011138 2003211011 2005Division B853 2007Division B615 2009Division B826 2011Did not enterDid not enter 2013 2015 2017 2022 2025Did not qualify1046 2029Qualification in progress624Total0/38 101 34 67

Results and fixtures

2025

2026

Team Current roster Roster for the EuroBasket 2029 Pre-Qualifiers matches on 2 and 5 July 2026 against North Macedonia and Azerbaijan.

Depth chart

Head coach position Enda Byrt – (1990–1999) / Jay Larrañaga – (2008–2010) Mark Keenan – (2014) Colin O'Reilly – (2015) Pete Strickland – (2016–2018) Mark Keenan – (2019–2025) Michael Bree – (2025–present)

Notable players Cal Bowdler – NBA player for the Atlanta Hawks, but not born in Ireland Pat Burke – Only Irish-born to have played in the NBA, played for the Orlando Magic & Phoenix Suns. Also a Euroleague and ULEB Eurocup winner with Panathinaikos and Real Madrid Marty Conlon – NBA player for the Seattle SuperSonics, Sacramento Kings, Charlotte Hornets, Washington Bullets, Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics, Miami Heat, and Los Angeles Clippers, but not born in Ireland Billy Donlon – former head coach of the Wright State University men's basketball team and as of 2019 head coach of UMKC. Aidan Igiehon – former Louisville and current Grand Canyon player Jay Larrañaga – former captain of the Ireland national team Donnie McGrath – Irish American, he played for Anadolu Efes, Spartak St. Petersburg and Žalgiris Kaunas amongst others Darren Randolph – Irish football goalkeeper and player for the Republic of Ireland national team, father Ed Randolph was an American who played basketball in Ireland. He taught his son basketball and Darren has since represented the national team

Past rosters 1948 Olympic Games: finished 23rd among 23 teams

4 Donald O'Donovan, 5 Frank O'Connor, 6 Paddy Crehan, 7 Jimmy McGee, 8 Bill Jackson, 9 Harry Boland, 10 Tommy Keenan,12 Dermot Sheriff, 13 Danny Reddin, 14 Paddy Sheriff, 15 Jim Flynn, 16 Christy Walsh (Coach: Donald McCormack)

2016 FIBA European Championship for Small Countries: finished 4th among 8 teams

2018 FIBA European Championship for Small Countries: finished among 7 teams

2021 FIBA European Championship for Small Countries: finished among 5 teams

Kit Manufacturer 2013–2016 Macron 2016–2024 Kappa 2024–present Nike

Ireland men's national basketball team

Bron en licentie