Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

NBA star was ‘scared’ by North Korean satellite launch attempt while in Japan for World Cup

Plans for the start of the Basketball World Cup in Okinawa, Japan were unaffected Thursday after a North Korean rocket launch prompted an alert ordering some residents to evacuate

Tim Reynolds
Thursday 24 August 2023 20:44 BST
Koreas Tensions
Koreas Tensions

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Plans for the start of the Basketball World Cup in Okinawa, Japan were unaffected Thursday after a North Korean rocket launch prompted an alert ordering some residents to evacuate.

Press conferences and practices for the eight teams that are beginning World Cup play in Okinawa went on as scheduled Thursday. The tournament begins Friday, also in the Philippines and Indonesia. There were no reports of damage.

“It was a little scary,” Slovenia star Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks said Thursday when asked what it was like to experience the alert, which went out shortly before 4 a.m. local time.

“I didn't sleep much,” Doncic added.

Along with Slovenia, the other nations playing group-stage World Cup games in Okinawa starting Friday are Finland, Germany, Australia, Japan, Cape Verde, Georgia and Venezuela.

North Korea confirmed after the early morning launch Thursday that it was an unsuccessful second attempt to launch a spy satellite. Japanese officials said parts of the rocket fell into the Yellow Sea, the East China Sea and the Pacific Ocean.

“It was crazy,” Doncic said.

___

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba and AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in