We are just two and a half weeks away from the opening ceremonies of the 2024 Olympics from Paris, France. Once of the most anticipated events will be the Men’ 5×5 Basketball where superstars blanketed all over the world are set to go head to head as everyone tries to knock off the United States.
Some stars missing in Paris
The world is starting to catch up to Team USA, and it’s been showing in the NBA over the last few years. Two European players have won five of the last six NBA MVPs and there is a shift in the scales as the LeBron James and Steph Curry generation is coming to and end. Now it’s time for guys like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokic to take the torch and time will tell if that translates to the International tournaments.
There were only eight teams automatically qualified for Paris 2024, which meant teams had to go through a prelim tournament before getting to the big show in France later this month. Superstars like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic and Domantas Sabonis all had to get through the qualifiers and there will be some massive stars missing from the Olympics after a grueling qualifying round left some of the world’s best teams out of the tournament.
Countries like Slovenia and Lithuania will miss out the Olympics after failing to get it done over the prelims. Doncic and Sabonis will have to watch the Paris games from home after being knocked out, while Giannis returned Greece to the Olympics for the first time in 16 years. This is how each of the three groups look after qualifiers.
Group A
1) Australia
2) Greece
3) Canada
4) Spain
Known as the Group of Death, this is going to be the toughest groups to advance from. All teams have NBA players that have been here before. Australia has proven players like Josh Giddey, Joe Ingles, and Dante Exum while Greece is led by a Giannis Antetokounmpo and a handful of Euroleague stars like Giorgios Papagiannis and Kostas Papanikolaou. Canada is one of the dark horses of the tournament, but when you take a look at their squad, they should be one of the favorites. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the star of the show, but Kyle Alexander, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Lu Dort and Jamal Murry are gong to make them a tough out. Spain round the group out after winning the qualifier in Valencia, and that’s a team full of veterans who are on the last leg of their international careers. Guys like Rudy Fernandez and Sergio Llull know what it’s like to win international tournaments, and will try to pull one last surprise in the Olympics.
Group B
1) France
2) Germany
3) Japan
4) Brazil
We have seen the French Revolution touch down in the NBA with Victor Wembanyama amplifying the state of French basketball around the globe. It’s not just Wemby who is going to make this team dangerous in Group B and beyond. They have a great mix of NBA and Euroleague talent with experience and athleticism that can compete with teams in their group and the top teams around the tournament. Germany are the defending World Cup champions led by Dennis Schroder and the Wagner Brothers. German basketball is starting to emerge, and this could be another opportunity to announce they are here to stay. Japan might have it tough in this group, but there are some known names on the squad. They have Rui Hachimura and Yuta Wantanabe, but not much else. Brazil may not have any players in the NBA, but they have a rich culture and a handful of Euroleague stars. Bruno Caboclo, Yago dos Santos and Raul Neto are a few of the guys who will hope to lead their team out of Group Stages.
Group C
1) Serbia
2) South Sudan
3) Puerto Rico
4) USA
The three time NBA MVP will lead Serbia in a group that has two teams eyeing gold in Paris. Serbia have the greatest player in the world at the moment, Nikola Jokic, and he is surrounded by fantastic talent from the NBA and Euroleague. The Bogdanovic brothers have been making their mark on the league for a long time, and Vasilje Micic is going to get a chance to impress for people who may not have seen him in Oklahoma City or Charlotte. South Sudan have one of the “biggest” players in the NBA, Bol Bol. Outside of him there aren’t too many known names, and they might have a tough time in a group chalked with talent. Puerto Rico qualified for the Olympics over the weekend thanks to their leader Jose Alvarado and a group of scrappy players who are more known in Europe than anything else. Then of course is Team USA. Maybe the best team ever assembled since the Dream Team of the 1992 Olympics. Led by LeBron James and Steph Curry, the depth and talent on this team is endless. Will any team be able to give the USA a run for their money and keep them from winning a fifth straight gold medal?