Actually English is the official language of FIBA. I believe every team must have an english speaking member. All Officials speak english, some just don't have the best grasp of it.

Correction. There are five official languages in FIBA, but English is the language used during the Technical Meetings. Other languages are French, Spanish, Russian and German.

I doubt there is a language requirement for team members. Even if it were as you say, you wouldn't want to delay the game to get that one player to translate information for the rest of the team. You want a signal for pretty much everything that happens....not just the most common stuff.

Le Langage De L'amour ...
 

About a million years ago, three languages were offered to us as incoming junior high school students, French, Spanish, and Latin.

We were advised that the best choice would be French. It was one of the official languages of the United Nations, it was one of the official languages of the Olympics, and it was spoken by our Canadian neighbors a few hundred miles to the north. Sure sounded convincing to me, and to my parents.

I've used my French exactly once, on a side trip to the south of France during a trip to the Costa Brava region of Spain.

It would have been much more useful if I had taken Spanish. Spanish has got to be the second most spoken language in the United States, certainly in Connecticut.

Well, at least I can understand Pepé Le Pew, if that's any consolation.

Way back then, in addition to French, I also took three other subjects, huntin', gruntin' and cave-painting. I got an A+ in gruntin'.