They call him “Al Raheeb” – “The Fearsome” – and with good reason. Wael Arakji is a force on the basketball court: fast, unrelenting, and captivating.
The lefty point guard helped guide Lebanon to the silver medal at the Fiba Asia Cup in Indonesia last year and was named tournament MVP, thanks to a stream of impressive performances that included a 32-point showing against China in the quarter-finals.
In a tight defeat to Australia in the final, Arakji tallied up 28 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Overall, he averaged a team-high 26 points per game for the Cedars and firmly positioned himself as one of the most exciting players on the Asian continent.
Spearheaded by coach Jad El Hajj, Lebanon notched seven consecutive victories in the Asia qualifiers to secure a spot in the 2023 Fiba World Cup and return to the competition for the first time since 2010.