The 2024 men’s basketball Olympics will begin with 12 teams in Paris (France) on July 27. The event is divided into three four-team groups and runs until August 11. The top 2 teams in each group will advance to the knockout stage, while the third-place team in each group goes to a qualification stage. The top two teams from the third-place qualification stage also advance to the knock stage.
2024 Olympic Basketball Preview & Betting Guide: USA Seeking 5th Gold Medal, Who Can Beat The Americans?
Men’s basketball has been an Olympic sport since 1936. The US has the most medals, with 19 medals and 16 golds, including four straight and seven of eight since NBA players participated. The Americans defeated France 87-82 in the gold medal game in the 2020 games held in Japan. The French have three Olympic medals, all bronze.
Spain is second on the medal count of countries that still exist, with four, though the Spanish were shut out in 2020. Australia won their first Olympic medal by defeating Slovenia in the bronze game in 2020.
Fifty NBA players are participating in the 2024 Paris Olympics. Can anyone stop the US from capturing their fifth straight Olympic gold medal?
Odds are courtesy of DraftKings and FanDuel.
Group A
Australia
Australia is making its 15th Olympics appearance, including their 13th straight. The Boomers have reached the Olympic Semifinals in the last two Games, earning their first medal (bronze) in 2020.
Australia is 57-54 in the Olympics, including 10-3 over the last two events. But the Boomers struggled to a 10th-place finish in the 2023 FIBA World Cup last summer.
Australia has eight NBA players on its Olympic roster. Chicago Bulls Josh Giddey, free agent Patty Mills, and Dyson Daniels led the way for the Boomers, who went 5-1 in tuneup games.The Australians earned wins over Serbia, Puerto Rico, and France while losing to the US (by 6).
Australia is +4000 to win gold.
The best bet is for Australia (-115) to get eliminated in the quarterfinals.
Josh Giddey (+190) to score most points for Australia.
Greece
Greece took the easy road, but the Greeks ended up qualifying for the Olympics for the first time since 2008. The Greeks are making their fifth-ever appearance and are 13-11 overall, though they have never finished higher than fifth. They are 13-11 all-time in Olympic competition.
Greece went 2-3 to finish 15th in the 2023 FIBA World Cup, but that was without Giannis Antetokounmpo. Greece breezed through the Olympic Qualifying Tournament, defeating Croatia in the Finals to earn one of the final four Olympic spots. While Antetekounmpo is the only NBA player on the squad, the Greeks are loaded with veteran international players and others with some NBA experience.
Vassilis Toliopoulas is a Greek legend, and Georgios Papagiannis is a former first-round pick of the Phoenix Suns. Kostas Papanikolau, Nick Calathes, and Kostas Antetokounmpo have played in the NBA.
Greece went 1-1 in Olympic contests. The Greeks defeated Puerto Rico by two but were then blown out by Serbia on Monday.
Greece is +2000 to win gold.
Canada
Canada has the most NBA players on its squad, besides the US. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the group’s star, though RJ Barrett, Jamal Murray, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker know what to do with the rock.
Canada, which hasn’t medaled in the Olympics since 1936, went 6-2 in the 2023 World Cup and defeated the Americans in the bronze medal contest to claim its first medal in the event. This is the Canadians’ first Olympics since 2000.
Canada went 2-1 in three Olympic tuneup games, defeating France and Puerto Rico after falling to the US.
Canada, the seventh-ranked team in the world, has the second lowest odds at +1100 to win gold.
Best Bet: Canada -115 to medal.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to lead the Olympics in total points (+350).
Spain
Spain has taken a step back after being considered the preeminent Euro powerhouse. The Spaniards, who did win gold in the 2022 EuroBaskets event, finished sixth in the Tokoyo Olympics in 2020. They finished ninth in last year’s World Cup, thus having to go through the Olympic Qualifying Tournament just to reach Paris.
While it wasn’t easy, Spain went 4-0 in OQT to reach the Olympics for the sixth straight time and 14th occasion overall. Spain is 54-45 in Olympic games overall.
Spain is a veteran team. While Usman Garuba and Santi Aldama are the only players currently in the NBA, the Spaniards’ team consists of several former NBA players and top Euro players. The top players are Rudy Fernandez, Juancho Hernangomez, Willy Hernangomez, and Alex Abrines.
Best Bet: Spain to be eliminated in Group Stage -115.
Group B
France
France earned its third Olympic Silver medal in the 2020 Tokoyo game. The French, who earned a spot in the 2024 Games as the host, are making their 11th Olympic appearance, though just their fourth consecutive. The Silvers are their only medals.
France finished 18th in the 2023 World Cup, losing to Australia and Canada. However, Rudy Gobert and Victor Wembanyama will be France’s biggest frontline in the Olympics. Wembanyama, Bilal Coulibaly and Frank Ntilikina did not play in the World Cup.
While only four players on France’s national team currently play in the NBA, they have eight players with NBA experience.
France went 2-4 in the Olympic Tuneup games, splitting with Germany. France also lost to Serbia and Canada, while falling to Australia by a single point.
France is No. 9 in the World Rankings and has the third-best odds to win gold at +1200.
Germany
Germany is the defending World Cup champions, going a perfect 8-0 and defeating Serbia in the Gold Medal contest behind Dennis Schroder and Franz Wagner. It was Germany’s first medal in a World Basketball competition. Moritz Wagner and Daniel Theis are the only other NBA players on the roster.
Germany finished eighth in the Tokoyo Olympics 2020 and is just 11-27 in Olympic history. Germany was 3-2 in Olympic tuneup contests, splitting with France and losing to the US by four.
Germany is ranked third in the world but is +3000 to win Olympic gold.
Long shot medal bet of the tournament: Germany +320
Best Bet: Germany to win Group B (+175)
Japan
Japan is participating in the Olympics for the second straight time, marking the first time they have qualified for consecutive Olympics since the 1970s and the eighth time overall. Their highest finish occurred in 1936 when they finished ninth.
Japan qualified for the Paris Olympics as the top team from Asia, posting a 3-2 record in the 2023 World Cup. This will be the best team that Japan has sent to the Olympics.
Los Angeles Lakers forward Rui Hachimura and Memphis Grizzlues guard Yuta Wantabe lead the way for Japan. But the Japanese also have American-born Joshua Hawkins, who averaged 21 points and nearly 11 rebounds a game during last summer’s World Cup, and former Nebraska Cornhusker guard Kesei Tominaga, who has signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Indiana Pacers.
Brazil
Brazil has been one of the most consistent programs in Olympic play. While Brazil has not earned any Olympic medals since 1964, the Brazilians have three bronze medals overall. They have not finished worse than ninth in their previous 14 appearances. They did not qualify for the Tokoyo Olympics in 2020.
Brazil earned its spot in the 2024 Olympics through the Olympic Qualifying Tournament after finishing 13th in the 2023 World Cup with a 3-2 record. The Brazilians defeated Latvia in the finals of their OQT. 2014 first-round draft pick Bruno Cabocio leads the way, though he does have plenty of help, including 41-year-old point guard Marcelo Huertas and Leo Mendl. Former NBA veterans Cristiano Felicio and Raul Neto are also key players. Additionally, Didi Louzada and Golden State Warriors forward Gui Santos are on the roster.
Group C
Serbia
Serbia has done well in world competitions for which it has qualified. The Serbians are 57-30 in the Olympics and FIBA World Cup, with two golds and four silvers. In their four previous Olympic appearances, the Serbians are 17-12 with a +224 scoring margin with two silvers (1996 and 2016). However, they did not qualify for the 2020 games.
Serbia was the 2023 FIBA Olympics runners-up, though they did lose two games, falling to Italy and Germany by eight points. Under head coach Svetislav Pesic, the Serbians are 11-3 with a +241 point differential in major tournaments (+10 points a game).
Serbia has a good mix of youngsters and veterans. Three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic leads the Serbian Olympic roster that includes four other NBA players. The other key players are Nikola Jovic, Filip Petrusev, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and Vasilije Micic.
Serbia had an uneven Olympics tuneup. The Serbians went 2-2 in their exhibition games, with double-digit wins over France and Greece. They also lost by double digits to the US and Australia.
Serbia is ranked second in the world, with odds of +1600 to win gold.
Best bet: Serbia to finish ahead of France (+110).
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico is back at the Olympics for the first time since 2004 after earning a bid through the recently completed Olympic Qualifying Tournament. Puerto Rico won all four OQT games by double-digits, defeating Lithuania 78-67 in the Finals. They were forced to the OQT after finishing 12th in the 2023 World Cup with a 3-2 record.
While Puerto Rico has missed the last several Olympics, they have generally fared well in the event. The 12 Magnificos have won multiple games in their nine previous appearances, posting a 34-38 record. They dropped all four of their tuneup contests. New Orleans backup point guard Jose Alvarado and former NBA player Tremont Waters lead the way for Puerto Rico. However, they also have a few G-League players, such as Davion Reed, Isaiah Pinerio, and Stevie Thompson.
South Sudan
South Sudan was the surprise of the FIBA World Cup, going 3-2 in their first world event to qualify for their first Olympics. The Bright Stars have existed since 2013.
Despite their lack of international experience, the South Sudanese Basketball Federation, led by former Chicago Bull Luol Deng, has done an excellent job putting together a competitive squad. Former University of Louisville star Carlik Jones spent time on an NBA two-way contract. Charlotte Hornet forward JT Thor, Wenyen Gabriel, and Marial Shayok are others who have NBA experience. However, the most intriguing player is 17-year-old Duke freshman Khaman Maluch. Maluch, a 7-foot-1 center, is considered a top NBA 2025 draft prospect.
United States
The US is the overwhelming favorite to win its fifth straight gold medal and 17th overall. The Americans also have one silver (1972) and two bronze (1988, 2004).
Team USA is 143-6 overall in their previous Olympic games. The US went 6-1 in 2020 and is 58-4 with NBA players; three of the losses came in 2004 when they finished with the bronze medal, with an average scoring margin of 20+ points a game in each of the last seven times they won the gold.
The US went 5-0 in their tuneup games, although they had challenging games against South Sudan and Germany.
Best Bet: LeBron James to win MVP (+275)
Anthony Davis (-190) finished with the most rebounds for a US player.
