The US Men’s Olympic Team is lined up and ready to go with the Opening Ceremony just a day away.
THE LINEUP 🏀
What’s inside today’s edition?
USA Men’s Preview: The Americans pursue a fifth straight gold with a star-studded team
Men’s Preview: Breaking down the field which is filled with NBA stars
USA Women’s Preview: The Americans go for an unprecedented eighth straight gold
USA 3×3 Preview: The men make their 3×3 debut, while the women defend the first-ever gold
Flag Bearers In Photos: LeBron, Giannis and Dennis Schroder join an exclusive club
BUT FIRST … ⏰
A new schedule for Olympic coverage…
The next time you hear from us will be on Friday evening to recap the Olympics Opening Ceremony (1:30 ET). From then on, we’ll be releasing special evening editions to keep you caught up on the Paris Games.
1. USA MEN’S OLYMPIC PREVIEW: STRIVE FOR FIVE
The USA Men’s Basketball Team arrived in Paris on Wednesday, where they’ll look to claim a fifth consecutive Olympic gold medal.
USABMNT has won 16 gold medals in its 19 Olympic appearances, and this year’s roster boasts star power rivaling some of the country’s most legendary squads.
All 12 USA players have either been named an NBA All-Star, crowned an NBA champion or both, and seven have Olympic experience – along with at least one gold medal.
- Olympic Veterans: Bam Adebayo, Devin Booker, Anthony Davis, Kevin Durant, Jrue Holiday, LeBron James, Jayson Tatum
- First-Time Olympians: Stephen Curry, Anthony Edwards, Joel Embiid, Tyrese Haliburton, Derrick White
An elite coaching staff helms the star-studded roster, highlighted by three active NBA head coaches who have all hoisted the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
- Head Coach: Steve Kerr (Warriors)
- Assistants: Tyronn Lue (Clippers), Erik Spoelstra (Heat), Mark Few (Gonzaga University)
The Stars & Stripes’ first step toward gold will be placing second or higher in Group C, which has them opening play against Serbia on Sunday at Pierre Mauroy Stadium in Lille, France – the site of all group-stage games.
- Sunday, July 28: USA vs. Serbia (11:15 a.m. ET, NBC)
- Wednesday, July 31: USA vs. South Sudan (3 p.m. ET, USA)
- Saturday, Aug. 3: USA vs. Puerto Rico (11:15 a.m. ET, NBC)
The Americans beat Serbia and South Sudan on their way to a 5-0 exhibition record in the USA Olympic Showcase. However, South Sudan took them down to the wire, and then Germany did the same in their final tune-up game on Monday.
Now, the real test begins.
“We’ve had every experience,” Curry said after Monday’s win. “Now, it’s obviously a matter of showing up when the lights are bright next week. I think we’re ready. I think we’re prepared. Now we have to perform.”
2. MEN’S OLYMPIC ROUNDUP
USA Men’s Basketball isn’t the only roster riddled with NBA talent.
All 12 Olympic teams feature at least one active NBA player, with 26 of the 30 NBA clubs represented.
Below is a country-by-country breakdown of the current and former NBA hoopers expected to compete, and you can see the full list here.
- Group A: Canada (11), Australia (9), Spain (6), Greece (5)
- Group B: France (8), Germany (5), Brazil (4), Japan (2)
- Group C: USA (12), Serbia (7), South Sudan (6), Puerto Rico (4)
In addition to the United States (12), here are other countries with active NBA players looking to lead their squads atop the podium.
- Canada: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jamal Murray headline a roster that joins USA in double digits with 10 active NBA players
- Australia: Josh Giddey, Josh Green and Dyson Daniels help make up a deep Australian team that’s seeking a second straight medal after taking bronze in 2021
- France: Anchored by big men Victor Wembanyama and Rudy Gobert, the hosts and 2021 silver medalists have the firepower to make another push
- Serbia: Serbia reached the 2023 FIBA World Cup final, and that was without 3x NBA MVP Nikola Jokic, who will lead the charge against the US on Sunday
Giannis Antetokounmpo is also set to make his Olympic debut with Greece. Dennis Schroder and Franz Wagner will look to lead Germany to more hardware after winning the 2023 FIBA World Cup, and Rui Hachimura will represent Japan.
Group play tips off Saturday with a loaded slate following Friday’s Opening Ceremony.
- Australia vs. Spain (5:30 a.m. ET, CNBC)
- Germany vs. Japan (7:30 a.m. ET, Peacock)
- France vs. Brazil (11:15 a.m. ET, CNBC)
- Greece vs. Canada (3 p.m. ET, CNBC)
3. USA WOMEN’S OLYMPIC PREVIEW: DYNASTY DRIVEN
There is dominance. Then there is the US Women’s National Basketball Team at the Olympics.
- Eight Is Great: The US Women enter the 2024 Olympics seeking an unprecedented eighth straight gold medal – a run that began in 1996 in Atlanta
- 55 And Counting: The US Women bring a 55-game Olympic win streak into this year’s competition – their last loss coming in the semifinals in 1992
- Sixth Sense: Diana Taurasi is seeking a sixth gold medal, which would break a tie with Sue Bird for the most by any basketball player
MVP Frontline: A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart – the last two players to win WNBA MVP – are a formidable tandem for other countries to deal with as evidenced in USA’s exhibition win over Germany. They lead a USA squad loaded with accolades.
- 65 All-Star Selections, 43 All-WNBA Selections
- 18 WNBA Titles, 15 Gold Medals (13 5×5, 2 3×3)
- 7 Finals MVPs, 5 League MVPs, 5 ROYs, 4 DPOYs
The US Women begin their gold medal defense on Monday, July 29 against the team they beat in the 2020 gold medal game – Japan – in the Group C opener for both teams.
- July 29: USA vs. Japan (3 pm ET, USA)
- Aug. 1: USA vs. Belgium (3 pm ET, USA)
- Aug. 4: USA vs. Germany (11:15 am ET, USA)
Current WNBA Players On International Olympic Rosters
- Australia: Kristy Wallace (Fever), Stephanie Talbot (Sparks), Rebecca Allen (Mercury), Alanna Smith (Lynx), Ezi Magbegor (Storm), Sami Whitcomb (Storm), Jade Melbourne (Mystics)
- Belgium: Julie Vanloo (Mystics)
- Canada: Laeticia Amihere (Dream), Bridget Carleton (Lynx), Aaliyah Edwards (Mystics), Kia Nurse (Sparks)
- China: Li Yueru (Sparks)
- Germany: Leonie Fiebich (Liberty), Nyara Sabally (Liberty), Satou Sabally (Wings)
- Spain: Megan Gustafson (Aces)
In addition to their six active WNBA players, Australia includes three-time WNBA MVP Lauren Jackson as the 43-year-old legend takes another run at gold to go with three silvers and one bronze in Olympic play.
4. USA 3×3 PREVIEW: MEN DEBUT, WOMEN DEFEND GOLD
3×3 basketball made its debut as an Olympic sport at the 2020 Tokyo Games, which were held in 2021.
The USA Women won the first-ever gold medal and will look to defend that title in Paris, while the USA men make their first Olympic 3×3 appearance.
USA Men’s 3×3 Roster: Guards Canyon Barry, Jimmer Fredette and Dylan Travis, along with forward Kareem Maddox have been part of the USA Basketball 3×3 program for years, building an on-court and off-court chemistry that they’ll bring to Paris.
- Barry On Team Cohesion: “These guys are like my brothers, we love each other. And that’s kind of the Olympic experience that I think we’re very fortunate to have, is being able to compete and not only represent your country, but also do it with three other guys that are family.”
Opening Game: The USA Men open pool play against Serbia on Tuesday, July 30 (4:35 p.m. ET, Peacock).
After winning gold in 2021 behind WNBA stars Stefanie Dolson, Allisha Gray, Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young, the USA Women’s 3×3 team aims to repeat in Paris with a new-look squad.
USA Women’s 3×3 Roster: The US squad features two WNBA stars – 2022 Rookie of the Year Rhyne Howard (Dream) and 2022 WNBA Champion Dearica Hamby (Sparks) – along with 3×3 veteran forward Cierra Burdick and collegiate guard Hailey Van Lith.
- Hamby On The Roster: “We all offer something different. Rhyne [Howard] is an elite shooter and scorer. Cierra [Burdick] brings confidence and experience. And Hailey [Van Lith] brings the feistiness. I’m excited to play with her.”
Opening Game: The USA Women open pool play against Germany on Tuesday, July 30 (11:30 a.m. ET, Peacock).
5. PAST NBA & WNBA OLYMPIC FLAG BEARERS
Three NBA players are set to partake in a prestigious Olympic tradition.
LeBron James (USA), Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece) and Dennis Schroder (Germany) will serve as their country’s flag bearers in Friday’s Opening Ceremony.
Before the festivities begin, check out some of the NBA and WNBA players who have previously held the honor of being Olympic flag bearers.
