Sunday, December 22, 2024

Every NBA Player Competing in the 2024 Olympic Games by Country

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The 2024 Paris Olympics will showcase men’s basketball teams from around the world, including many notable NBA stars representing a total of 11 countries.

The men’s basketball 5×5 competition begins on Saturday, July 27 and runs through Saturday, August 10 with the gold medal game. Countries were placed into three groups (A, B and C) ahead of the Olympics. Four games will take place each day until the quarterfinals begin on Tuesday, August 6.

Team USA’s men’s basketball team in particular has a long history at the Olympics, winning a total of 16 gold medals so far. Team USA won seven consecutive gold medals from 1936–68, establishing an early dynasty in the sport.

Later on, USA basketball became more famous for some of the teams in the 1990s, such as the Dream Team. The 2008 Redeem Team started the current dynasty, as the men’s United States basketball team has won gold in the four Olympics since. Needless to say, Team USA has a huge weight of expecations on its shoulders heading into the Paris Olympics.

While Team USA is often seen as the Olympic powerhouse in men’s basketball, there are some strong NBA players competing for other countries. Here’s a list of which current and former NBA players fans can expect to see at the Paris Olympics later this month.

United States

The United States has the most NBA players represented with the entire 12-man roster made up of players from the NBA.

Five of the 12 players are making their Olympic debut, including Stephen Curry and Anthony Edwards. On the other hand end of the spectrum, LeBron James and Kevin Durant are making their fourth Olympic appearances.

Player

Team

Olympic Experience

Bam Adebayo

Miami Heat

2020

Devin Booker

Phoenix Suns

2020

Stephen Curry

Golden State Warriors

First Olympics

Anthony Davis

Los Angeles Lakers

2012

Kevin Durant

Phoenix Suns

2012, 2016, 2020

Anthony Edwards

Minnesota Timberwolves

First Olympics

Joel Embiid

Philadelphia 76ers

First Olympics

Tyrese Haliburton

Indiana Pacers

First Olympics

Jrue Holiday

Boston Celtics

2020

LeBron James

Los Angeles Lakers

2004, 2008, 2012

Jayson Tatum

Boston Celtics

2020

Derrick White

Boston Celtics

First Olympics

Canada

All but one player on Canada’s Olympic roster has NBA experience. Some of the big stars include Jamal Murray and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. This is the first appearance for Canada’s men’s basketball team since 2000.

Canada will be looking to repeat and further the success they had last summer during the World Cup when they beat the United States in the bronze medal game.

Player

Team

Olympic Experience

Nickeil Alexander-Walker

Minnesota Timberwolves

First Olympics

RJ Barrett

Toronto Raptors

First Olympics

Khem Birch

Former NBA Player

First Olympics

Dillon Brooks

Houston Rockets

First Olympics

Luguentz Dort

Oklahoma City Thunder

First Olympics

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Oklahoma City Thunder

First Olympics

Trey Lyles

Sacramento Kings

First Olympics

Jamal Murray

Denver Nuggets

First Olympics

Andrew Nembhard

Indiana Pacers

First Olympics

Kelly Olynyk

Toronto Raptors

First Olympics

Dwight Powell

Dallas Mavericks

First Olympics

Australia

Two of Australia’s team members—Patty Mills and Joe Ingles—are making their fifth Olympic appearances.

Australia won the bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Player

Team

Olympic Experience

Dyson Daniels

New Orleans Pelicans

First Olympics

Matthew Dellavedova

Former NBA Player

2012, 2016, 2020

Dante Exum

Dallas Mavericks

2020

Josh Giddey

Chicago Bulls

First Olympics

Josh Green

Charlotte Hornets

2020

Joe Ingles

Minnesota Timberwolves

2008, 2012, 2016, 2020

Jock Landale

Houston Rockets

2020

Patty Mills

Free Agent

2008, 2012, 2016, 2020

Duop Reath

Portland Trail Blazers

2020

France

This year’s French men’s basketball Olympic team has a lot of hype around it as one of the NBA’s biggest young stars, Victor Wembanyama, will make his Olympic debut in his home country. Additionally, four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert will represent France in his third Olympics.

France will be looking for revenge against the United States this year after they picked up the silver medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Player

Team

Olympic Experience

Nicolas Batum

Los Angeles Clippers

2012, 2016, 2020

Bilal Coulibaly

Washington Wizards

First Olympics

Nando De Colo

Former NBA Player

2012, 2016, 2020

Rudy Gobert

Minnesota Timberwolves

2016, 2020

Frank Ntilikina

Former NBA Player

2020

Victor Wembanyama

San Antonio Spurs

First Olympics

Guerschon Yabusele

Former NBA Player

2020

Serbia

The Serbian Olympic team will have a lot of eyes on it as three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic will lead the team.

Serbia earned the silver medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics after losing to the United States in the final. Only two of those players are returning to this year’s roster.

Player

Team

Olympic Experience

Bogdan Bogdanovic

Atlanta Hawks

2016

Marko Gudurić

Former NBA Player

First Olympics

Nikola Jokic

Denver Nuggets

2016

Nikola Jovic

Miami Heat

First Olympics

Vasilije Micić

Charlotte Hornets

First Olympics

Filip Petrušev

Former NBA Player

First Olympics

Aleksej Pokusevski

Charlotte Hornets

First Olympics

Germany

Germany has never earned a men’s basketball Olympic medal, but with the help of four current NBA players on the roster, the team is hoping for better results this year.

Player

Team

Olympic Experience

Isaac Bonga

Former NBA Player

2020

Dennis Schroder

Brooklyn Nets

First Olympics

Daniel Theis

New Orleans Pelicans

First Olympics

Franz Wagner

Orlando Magic

First Olympics

Mo Wagner

Orlando Magic

2020

Spain

Spain will be looking to earn a medal after missing out in the gold and bronze medal games at the last Olympics. Before Tokyo, Spain earned three medals in a row—two silvers in 2008 and ’12 and one bronze in 2016.

Spain only has two active NBA players on the roster, Santi Aldama and Usman Garuba, while the other names mentioned below are former NBA stars.

Player

Team

Olympic Experience

Santi Aldama

Memphis Grizzlies

First Olympics

Lorenzo Brown

Former NBA Player

First Olympics

Rudy Fernández

Former NBA Player

2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020

Usman Garuba

Free Agent

2020

Juancho Hernangómez

Former NBA Player

2020

Willy Hernangómez

Former NBA Player

2016, 2020

South Sudan

The biggest NBA name on South Sudan’s Olympic team is Phoenix Suns center Bol Bol. He will be making his Olympic debut for his home country of South Sudan in Paris.

This is the first year in which South Sudan has an Olympic basketball team.

Player

Team

Olympic Experience

Deng Adel

Former NBA Player

2020 (Australia)

Bol Bol

Phoenix Suns

First Olympics

Carlik Jones

Former NBA Player

First Olympics

Thon Maker

Former NBA Player

First Olympics

JT Thor

Charlotte Hornets

First Olympics

Greece

Greece has one active NBA player on its Olympic roster, and it helps that it’s two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. He will be making his Olympic debut, and he was also named the flagbearer for Greece.

Greece has never won an Olympic medal in men’s basketball.

Player

Team

Olympic Experience

Giannis Antetokounmpo

Milwaukee Bucks

First Olympics

Kostas Antetokounmpo

Former NBA Player

First Olympics

Nick Calathes

Former NBA Player

First Olympics

Georgios Papagiannis

Former NBA Player

First Olympics

Kostas Papanikolaou

Former NBA Player

First Olympics

Brazil

Brazil has one active NBA player on its Olympic roster, Gui Santos. While Brazil has three Olympic bronze medals in men’s basketball, they last won a medal in 1964.

Player

Team

Olympic Experience

Bruno Caboclo

Former NBA Player

First Olympics

Marcelo Huertas

Former NBA Player

2012, 2016

Raul Neto

Former NBA Player

First Olympics

Gui Santos

Golden State Warriors

First Olympics

Japan

Japan has two active NBA players on its Olympic roster, including 2019 first-rounder Rui Hachimura. Like some of the other countries mentioned above, Japan has never won a men’s basketball medal.

Player

Team

Olympic Experience

Rui Hachimura

Los Angeles Lakers

2020

Yuta Watanabe

Memphis Grizzlies

2020

Puerto Rico

New Orleans Pelicans’ Jose Alvarado is the one NBA player representing Puerto Rico this year.

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