USA Basketball’s Men’s and Women’s Teams Return to Paris for Redemption Matches

By Ysa Panganiban Last updated Mar 20, 2024 Share with new partner:

Team USA men’s basketball received a favorable draw for the upcoming Olympics in Paris, avoiding what could be the most competitive pool in the event’s history.

The Americans, aiming for their fifth consecutive gold medal, were placed in Group C for the Olympic pool play starting on July 27.

In Group C, Team USA will face World Cup silver medalist Serbia, led by two-time MVP Nikola Jokic, as their toughest opponent. The top two teams from each group will advance to the quarterfinals.

Additionally, Team USA will play against South Sudan, participating in its first-ever Olympics, and the qualifier from a tournament in Puerto Rico, which could be Italy, Lithuania, or Puerto Rico, to be decided on July 7 in San Juan.

Team USA Men’s Basketball’s Quest for Gold

Usa-basketball's-men's-and-women's-teams-return-to-paris-for-redemption-matches — Team USA men’s basketball received a favorable draw for the upcoming Olympics in Paris, avoiding what could be the most competitive pool in the event’s history.

The team is expected to feature numerous top NBA players such as LeBron James, Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, Jayson Tatum, and newly naturalized American Joel Embiid. They will be coached by Steve Kerr with the goal of winning the country’s 17th gold medal.

However, the bigger story was the pool Team USA managed to avoid. Group A, known as the Pool of Death, includes 2021 bronze medalist Australia, along with NBA player-laden Canada, the World Cup silver medalist from 2023, and qualifiers from tournaments in Spain and Greece this summer.

Spain, the second-ranked team in the world, will be vying for a spot against the Bahamas, who are expected to field a collection of NBA talent.

The Greece tournament could see a matchup between Luka Doncic-led Slovenia and Giannis Antetokounmpo-led Greece.

Group A could potentially be loaded with NBA All-Stars, including Canada’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

On the women’s side, Team USA will be aiming for their eighth consecutive Olympic gold. As the top overall seed, they were placed in Group C, alongside Japan, whom they beat in the gold medal game in the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo, as well as Belgium and Germany, making their Olympic debut.

Men’s and Women’s Tournament Overview

Pool play for the Olympics will be held in Lille, France, 200 kilometers from Paris, with the medal round taking place at Accor Arena in central Paris.

The men’s gold medal game is scheduled for Aug. 10, while the women’s final will be on Aug. 11.

In the men’s tournament, Australia, Canada, Spain (OQT winner), and Greece (OQT winner) are in Group A, While Germany, France, Japan, and the OQT winner from Latvia are in Group B.

China, Spain, Serbia, and Puerto Rico are in Group A for the women’s tournament. Australia, Canada, France, and Nigeria in Group B, and the United States, Belgium, Japan, and Germany in Group C.

Both men’s and women’s tournaments will follow the same format, with teams playing three group stage games. The top two finishers in each group, along with the two best third-place teams, will advance to the quarterfinals.