How a North Korean rocket launch scared the hell out of Australia’s World Cup team at 4am as stars get a terrifying message on their phones
How a North Korean missile launch terrified Australia’s World Cup team at 4am as stars received a terrifying message on their phones
- Boomers awakened by rocket launch at 4 a.m
- Stars receive evacuation alerts
- Australians play against Finland on Friday
The Australian national basketball team has had the shock of their lives after being awakened at 4 a.m. by an evacuation alert after North Korea launched a missile.
The twelve-man Boomers squad is currently in Japan to compete in the 2023 FIBA Men’s World Cup, with their opening Group E match against Finland on Friday.
However, their preparations went off the rails Thursday morning when Okinawa residents were awoken at 3:54 a.m. by Japan’s national alert system sounding the alarm via iPhones.
‘Emergency warning: missile launch. Rocket launch. A missile is believed to have been launched from North Korea,” the report said.
Thirteen minutes later, residents received another message saying, “Rocket passed. Rocket over. It is believed that the previous missile hit the Pacific Ocean around 4:00 AM.”
The Boomers are awakened by a rocket launch in the early hours
The alert was sent to all Okinawa residents on their iPhones
Thirteen minutes later, the residents received a second message in which everything was clear
“We will cancel the evacuation call. Never approach anything suspicious and contact the police and fire brigade immediately.’
A siren then sounded over Okinawa before a public alarm followed to announce the details of the incident.
Just last week, North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles into the eastern sea in what appeared to be an expression of defiance as the United States sent a nuclear-armed submarine to South Korea for the first time in decades.
The launches took place just two days after White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said he had been “concerned for some time” about more testing, even though there are no “indications” of an imminent launch.
The Boomers squad is co-led by Patty Mills, who is playing his third FIBA World Cup, and Joe Ingles, who is in his fourth competition.
Rising NBA star Josh Giddey has confirmed he wants to play for Australia in the World Cup – and believes the Boomers have a realistic chance of winning gold.
“I think Australian talent is as good as ever. This World Cup is probably going to be the most real chance we’ve ever had to win a gold medal,” he said.
“I’ll be there for sure and I’m really looking forward to it.”
North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles into the eastern sea last week
North Korea’s recent actions appear an expression of defiance when the United States sent a nuclear-armed submarine to South Korea
Josh Giddey thinks the Aussies have a realistic chance of winning gold
Giddey, who is only twenty years old, has been making a name for himself in the NBA since his debut season with the Thunder.
In his second NBA season, he averaged 16.6 points at a 48.2 percent clip, 7.9 rebounds and 6.2 assists, helping the Thunder qualify for the play-in tournament.
He also tied his career-high with 31 points in a blistering loss to New Orleans, adding 10 assists and nine rebounds in a statement performance for the Thunder in their 123-118 play-in victory.
The Boomers recently recorded wins in Japan’s warm-up games against France (78-74) and Georgia (86-81) and are scheduled to play against Finland, Germany and Japan in the first round of the group stage in Okinawa . , Japan.