2024 Paris Olympics Men's Basketball Power Rankings: Top 5 Teams Ahead of Tournament Tipoff
Set to tip off once and for all on July 27, multiple major nations will be competing for the gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. That is even more true for the basketball event, considering the range of talent from across nations that will be on display in the competition.
With a total of 12 teams competing in the basketball event, the favorites once again are none other than Team USA, considering the wealth of talent that they possess this time around. However, multiple teams are capable of giving them a run for their money.
2024 Paris Olympics Basketball Tournament Power Rankings
1) United States
The United States has ambled into this tournament with some of the best players in the world. LeBron James headlines the group, along with fellow generational talents such as Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry.
The USA men’s basketball team is aiming to bounce back after their disappointing performance in the FIBA Basketball World Cup, where they failed to win a medal. However, they are once again considered favorites for the Paris Olympics, and it would be a major upset if they didn't come back with anything less than a gold medal.
2) Canada
Canada has been placed in Group A for the Paris Olympics and are looking for what will be their first-ever gold medal at the Olympics. Just like USA, Team Canada also boasts plenty of NBA talent, with the likes of Shai-Gilgeous Alexander and Jamal Murray leading them.
Canada also has the likes of Dillon Brooks and Lu Dort, and they will be hoping to build on their bronze-medal finish at the 2023 FIBA World Cup. Canada is the second-strongest team on paper and will be itching to move past their exhibition loss against the USA.
3) France
France, who is placed in Group B, has never won an Olympic gold medal. They won silver medals at 1948, 2000 and 2020 Summer Games.
France boasts of multiple NBA stars, including Nic Batum, Rudy Gobert, and the San Antonio Spurs prodigy Victor Wembanyama. They obviously have the talent to pull off major upsets and should be aiming for a medal finish as well.
4) Germany
Team Germany will be looking for what will be their first-ever medal finish at the Olympics. Their best-ever Olympic finish remains a 7th-place finish at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. However, there are plenty of reasons why fans will be optimistic about a medal-winning finish this time around.
Germany are the dark horses but have obvious talent in their ranks, headlined by Dennis Schroder. They also boast of stars such as Andreas Obst, Franz Wagner, and Mo Wagner who won the gold medal at the 2023 FIBA World Cup.
Germany has a strong core with plenty of international experience and has the talent to pull off a medal finish this time around.
5) Serbia
Finally, we have Serbia, who won silver at the 2016 Rio Olympics, their best-ever finish in the Summer Games. Led by 3-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic, Serbia also boasts of Bogdan Bogdanovic, Filip Petrusev, and Ognjen Dobric.
They have plenty of depth and are coached by the highly rated Svestislav Pesic, who has already enjoyed plenty of success internationally with the team.
Serbia may not be as strong as some of the other teams mentioned above, at least on paper, but Jokic’s presence means that they will certainly be a challenge for all major contenders.