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

The Australian men’s national basketball team has had the shock of their life after being woken at 4am by an evacuation alert after North Korea launched a missile.

The 12-man Boomers team are currently in Japan to contest the 2023 FIBA Men’s World Cup, with their opening Group E game against Finland on Friday.

However, their preparations were derailed on Thursday morning when Okinawa residents were jolted awake at 3.54am by Japan’s national alert system that sounds an alarm through iPhones.

‘Emergency Alert: Missile launch. Missile launch. A missile is believed to have been launched from North Korea,’ the message read.

Thirteen minutes later, residents received another message that said: ‘Missile passed. Missile passed. It is believed that the previous missile passed into the Pacific Ocean at around 4am.’

The alert was sent to all Okinawa residents on their iPhones

Thirteen minutes later residents got a second message giving them the all clear

‘We will cancel the call for evacuation. Never approach anything suspicious and immediately contact the police and fire departments.’

Afterwards a siren sounded over Okinawa before a public alert to announce the details of the incident.

Just last week, North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles into its eastern sea in what appeared to be a statement of defiance as the United States deployed a nuclear-armed submarine to South Korea for the first time in decades.

The launches occurred just two days after White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said he’s ‘been concerned for some time’ about more tests even though there are no ‘indications’ of an impending launch.

The Boomers side will be co-captained by Patty Mills, who is playing his third FIBA World Cup, and Joe Ingles, who will be heading into his fourth competition.

Rising NBA star Josh Giddey has confirmed his commitment to play for Australia at the World Cup – and believes the Boomers have a realistic chance at winning gold.

‘I think Australian talent is as good as it’s ever been. This World Cup is going to be probably the most real chance we’ve ever had to win a gold medal,’ he said.

‘I’ll definitely be there, and I’m really excited for it.’

North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles into its eastern sea last week

North Korea’s recent actions appear to be a statement of defiance as the United States deployed a nuclear-armed submarine to South Korea

Josh Giddey thinks the Aussies have a realistic chance of taking out gold

Giddey, who is just 20 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 clip of 48.2 per cent, 7.9 rebounds, and 6.2 assists, helping the Thunder to qualify for the play-in tournament.

He also equalled his career-high with 31 points in a rousing defeat of New Orleans, adding 10 assists and nine rebounds in a statement performance for the Thunder in their 123-118 play-in win.

The Boomers have recently had wins in warm-up games in Japan against France (78-74) and Georgia (86-81) and have been slated to matchup against Finland, Germany, and Japan in the first round of the Group Phase in Okinawa, Japan.