The last four spots in the 12-team Olympic men’s basketball field for the Paris Games are being decided in winner-take-all qualifying tournaments going on right now in Spain, Latvia, Puerto Rico and Greece.
And one former IU basketball star is making a push to represent his mother’s native country at the 2024 Games.
Eric Gordon’s mother Denise is a Nassau, Bahamas native with a large family of descendants who live on the islands. Eric and his family traveled regularly to the country during his childhood. He also made an appearance there in 2021 when IU basketball played in a foreign tour at the Atlantis.
Although the 35-year-old Gordon is American and grew up in Indianapolis, he was permitted by FIBA to play for the Bahamas. He has also played for Team USA during his lengthy basketball career.
Each site is playing host to a six-team tournament that runs through Sunday, and the four winners get the last four spots in the Olympics field.
The Bahamas has reached the semifinals that will be held on Saturday. Championship games at all four sites are Sunday.
Gordon’s team also features fellow NBA players Deandre Ayton and Buddy Hield, along with Baylor-bound class of 2024 5-star guard V.J. Edgecombe.
Playing in Spain, the Bahamas has already secured a 96-85 win over Finland, and a 90-81 win over Poland to advance to the semifinals. Gordon averaged 14 points in the two games.
Through his entire NBA career, Gordon has recorded 15.7 points, 2.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game. He’s shot 37.1 percent from 3-point range and 43 percent from the field. He has made 2,028 career threes, good for 16th in NBA history.
Gordon has signed to play for Philadelphia in 2024-25, his 17th season in the NBA.
In his lone season at IU in 2007-08, Gordon averaged 20.9 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game while shooting 33.7 percent from 3-point range. He led the Big Ten in scoring and earned first-team all-conference honors.
The Bahamas plays Lebanon at 11:30 a.m. ET on Saturday.
To advance through to the Olympics, Gordon and the Bahamas will likely have to defeat traditional power Spain on Sunday.
If the Bahamas make it to the Olympics, it would be their first appearance for men’s basketball.
All qualifying games are available on Courtside 1891, FIBA’s streaming platform.
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