ANGOLAN international Eduardo Mingas made his debut at a FIBA Basketball World Cup in 2002 and hasn’t missed one since, a feat that puts him in a very select group.

Along with Argentina great Luis Scola as well as the Brazilian trio of Alex Garcia, Anderson Varejao and Leandro Barbosa, Mingas is one of five players who saw their relationship with FIBA’s flagship competition begin in Indianapolis, the United States, 17 years ago.

As one of few players that are active for his national team in his late 30s or early 40s, he helped Angola in the African Qualifiers clinch the country’s place at the first World Cup to be staged in China, one that will feature a record 32 teams.

Following the retirement of his fellow Angolan Joaquim Gomes last year, Mingas stands as the lone active African player with four World Cups under his belt.

“As a young boy, I used to hear that in order to become great you have to play against the best teams. And the best players and teams always played at World Cups and Olympic Games. These two competitions clearly shaped me as a player and as a man,” he told FIBA.

“The 2002 World Cup was clearly a turning point in my national team career. I had been called up to represent my country before, but it was in Indianapolis that I really felt the meaning of representing my country internationally.

“After a disappointment of not playing Team USA in Indianapolis, my dream came true two years later at the Athens Olympics.

“Facing the likes of Allen Iverson, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Tim Duncan was an experience I will cherish for the rest of my days.

“By the time we faced Team USA again at the 2010 World Cup in Turkey, I was a more experienced player. And although the tournament was my poorest World Cup performance, I learnt a lot from that.

“In 2014 I made my fourth World Cup appearance, and the lessons I keep from it is that I became a better player year after year. That’s one of the positives from my World Cup experiences.”(FIBA)