ESP - Navarro out for defending champs

BARCELONA (EuroBasket/FIBA Basketball World Cup) - Spanish basketball great Juan Carlos Navarro will be one of the headline names at next year's FIBA Basketball World Cup.

The Barcelona star won't be able to help the national team go after a third straight European title this summer in Slovenia, though, with the 33-year-old set to undergo an ankle operation on 19 July.

The surgery, which comes after a year in which Navarro was constantly bothered by various knocks, will keep him out of action for a couple of months.

Barcelona announced on their website on Thursday that Navarro was having surgery.

The club said: "Barca Regal guard Juan Carlos Navarro will be receiving surgery at the hands of ankle specialist Niek Van Dijk in a quest to put an end to the ankle problems that have been bothering him all season. If things go as expected, the player will be sidelined for around two months."

Navarro just finished his 14th season with the club.

Barca won the Copa del Rey, reached the Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four and finished runners-up to Real Madrid in the Liga Endesa Finals.

Spain will play in Group C with host Slovenia, Poland, Croatia, Georgia and the Czech Republic.

Navarro's Barcelona teammate, Erazem Lorbek, was only recently told he needed a knee operation and was ruled out of Slovenia's squad.

In their terrific run of success and for more than a decade, Navarro has been an ever-present in the Spain squad.

He was vital in their gold-medal runs at the 2006 FIBA World Championship and at the last two EuroBaskets.

Navarro also excelled for Spain at the last four Olympics, helping Spain capture silver medals in 2008 and 2012.

FIBA