# Afghanistan men's national basketball team

The Afghanistan men's national basketball team (Pashto: د افغانستان د نارینه وو د باسکېتبال ملي لوبډله Persian: تیم ملی بسکتبال مردان افغانستان) is the men's national basketball team of Afghanistan and is controlled by the Afghanistan National Basketball Federation. Afghanistan joined FIBA and became a member of FIBA Asia in 1968. Afghanistan won the 2010 South Asian Games, becoming the first sports team to win gold in the nation's history.

## History
### Early history

Basketball was first played in Afghanistan in 1936. In 1966, the Afghanistan National Olympic Committee (ANOC) founded the first national basketball team after receiving challenges from India and Pakistan. Tom Gouttierre, an American Peace Corps volunteer and coach of the team at Habibia High School, became the first coach. Using detailed, confidential instructions from John Wooden, the Afghanistan team became the only other to run the famous UCLA zone press.
Although the international games were canceled, in 1969 Gouttierre returned on a Fulbright Fellowship and again became the Habibia coach, and in 1970 Bill Bradley of the New York Knicks tutored the team while visiting the country. That year China challenged the ANOC. Because of the lack of preparation time, Gouttierre decided that current and former Habibia players were the best choice for a second Afghanistan national team. Using the zone press, it defeated a much larger Chinese team in Parwan Province in the Afghanistan team's first international victory.

### FIBA Asia Cup

Afghanistan has failed to qualify for the FIBA Asia Cup, while as well as only entering in the qualification rounds only once in 2013 when they entered in the South Asian Basketball Association Qualifying Round. Afghanistan would defeat Nepal before losing to India and failing to qualify for the Asia Cup. This is their only appearance in FIBA Asia Cup qualification rounds to date.

### Asian Games

Afghanistan has made two brief appearance in the Asian Games in 2006 and 2010. Both times the men's national team would struggle for success and failing to qualify outside the first round in both years respectively. The 2010 edition would be marked as the last time Afghanistan has played any competitive men's national teams games.

### South Asian Games

Afghanistan would see their best success in international competition in the form of the 2010 edition of the South Asian Games. They would defeat India and claim gold in what has been their only appearance in the South Asian Games to date.

## Competitive record
### Summer Olympics

| Year | Position | Pld | W | L |
| 1936 | Not a FIBA member | Not a FIBA member | Not a FIBA member | Not a FIBA member |
| 1948 | Not a FIBA member | Not a FIBA member | Not a FIBA member | Not a FIBA member |
| 1952 | Not a FIBA member | Not a FIBA member | Not a FIBA member | Not a FIBA member |
| 1956 | Not a FIBA member | Not a FIBA member | Not a FIBA member | Not a FIBA member |
| 1960 | Not a FIBA member | Not a FIBA member | Not a FIBA member | Not a FIBA member |
| 1964 | Not a FIBA member | Not a FIBA member | Not a FIBA member | Not a FIBA member |
| 1968 | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter |
| 1972 | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter |
| 1976 | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter |
| 1980 | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter |
| 1984 | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter |
| 1988 | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter |
| 1992 | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter |
| 1996 | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter |
| 2000 | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter |
| 2004 | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter |
| 2008 | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter |
| 2012 | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter |
| 2016 | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter |
| 2020 | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter |
| 2024 | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter |
| Total | 0/21 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

### FIBA World Cup

| Year | Position | Pld | W | L |
| 1950 | Not a FIBA member | Not a FIBA member | Not a FIBA member | Not a FIBA member |
| 1954 | Not a FIBA member | Not a FIBA member | Not a FIBA member | Not a FIBA member |
| 1959 | Not a FIBA member | Not a FIBA member | Not a FIBA member | Not a FIBA member |
| 1963 | Not a FIBA member | Not a FIBA member | Not a FIBA member | Not a FIBA member |
| 1967 | Not a FIBA member | Not a FIBA member | Not a FIBA member | Not a FIBA member |
| 1970 | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter |
| 1974 | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter |
| 1978 | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter |
| 1982 | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter |
| 1986 | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter |
| 1990 | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter |
| 1994 | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter |
| 1998 | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter |
| 2002 | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter |
| 2006 | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter |
| 2010 | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter |
| 2014 | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter |
| 2019 | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter |
| 2023 | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter |
| 2027 | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter |
| Total | 0/20 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

### FIBA Asia Cup

| Year | Position | Pld | W | L |
| 1960 | Not a FIBA member | Not a FIBA member | Not a FIBA member | Not a FIBA member |
| 1963 | Not a FIBA member | Not a FIBA member | Not a FIBA member | Not a FIBA member |
| 1965 | Not a FIBA member | Not a FIBA member | Not a FIBA member | Not a FIBA member |
| 1967 | Not a FIBA member | Not a FIBA member | Not a FIBA member | Not a FIBA member |
| 1969 | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter |
| 1971 | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter |
| 1973 | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter |
| 1975 | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter |
| 1977 | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter |
| 1979 | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter |
| 1981 | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter |
| 1983 | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter |
| 1985 | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter |
| 1987 | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter |
| 1989 | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter |
| 1991 | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter |
| 1993 | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter |
| 1995 | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter |
| 1997 | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter |
| 1999 | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter |
| 2001 | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter |
| 2003 | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter |
| 2005 | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter |
| 2007 | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter |
| 2009 | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter |
| 2011 | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter |
| 2013 | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not qualify |
| 2015 | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter |
| 2017 | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter |
| 2022 | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter |
| 2025 | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter | Did not enter |
| Total | 0/31 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

### Asian Games

* 1970-2002 : Did not qualify
* 2006 : 13th
* 2010 : 13th
* 2014-2022 : Did not qualify

### South Asian Games

| Year | Position | Pld | W | L |
| 1987 | Not part of SAOC until 2004 | Not part of SAOC until 2004 | Not part of SAOC until 2004 | Not part of SAOC until 2004 |
| 1991 | Not part of SAOC until 2004 | Not part of SAOC until 2004 | Not part of SAOC until 2004 | Not part of SAOC until 2004 |
| 1995 | Not part of SAOC until 2004 | Not part of SAOC until 2004 | Not part of SAOC until 2004 | Not part of SAOC until 2004 |
| 2010 | | ? | ? | ? |
| 2019 | Left SAOC in 2016 | Left SAOC in 2016 | Left SAOC in 2016 | Left SAOC in 2016 |
| Total | 0/5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |

## Honours

* South Asian Games
** Gold Medal: 2010

## Coaches

Head Coach:* Mamo Rafiq – 2007-now
Assistant Coach: * Abdul Wasi Pazhman - 2010
Assistant Coach: * Leo Balayon - 2009

## 2010 team

The following twelve players were named to the roster for the 2010 Asian Games.

### Depth chart

| Pos. | Starting 5 | Bench 1 | Bench 2 |
| C | Nafi Mashriqi | Habib Kabir | |
| PF | Haroun Arefi | Qais Haider | |
| SF | Yousof Etemadi | Masseh Tahiry | Sayed Amiri |
| SG | Safi Mojaddidi | Sayed Yussuf Ansary | |
| PG | Ali Noorzad | Abdullah Karimi | Mohammad Soratgar |