Paris Olympics: US basketball teams get tough draws for group stage, women open with gold medal rematch against Japan
- US men expected to field team full of NBA stars, with LeBron James, Steph Curry and Joel Embiid all saying they want to play
- Chinese women, who are ranked second in the world, will face Spain, Serbia and Puerto Rico
USA Basketball’s men’s team will face Serbia and South Sudan in two of their three group-stage games at the Paris Olympics, while the women will open their schedule in a gold medal rematch against Japan in France this summer.
China’s women, who are ranked second the world, have been drawn in Group A, alongside Spain, Serbia and Puerto Rico.
Fiba, the sport’s global organising body, held the draw for the Games on Tuesday, and while the women’s field is complete, there are still four spots up for grabs in men’s qualifying tournaments before the Olympics open on July 27.
The US men will be coached by Steve Kerr and are seeking a fifth consecutive gold medal, the US women will be coached by Cheryl Reeve and are seeking an eighth consecutive Olympic title. Both are ranked No 1 in the world, and both programmes have been the dominant force in Olympic basketball since its inception.
“I’m looking forward to the challenge of preparing for and playing in the Olympic tournament,” Kerr said. “The excitement continues to build, especially now that we know we will face both Serbia, who finished second at the World Cup last summer, and South Sudan, who we will get to host in London as part of the USA Basketball Showcase.”
The American men will play South Sudan in London a few days before arriving in Paris as part of a pre-Olympics series of exhibitions.
But particularly on the men’s side, gold for the Americans is no longer assured. The US didn’t medal at the 2019 World Cup in China nor the 2023 World Cup in the Philippines, and although the Americans intend to send a more star-studded roster to the Olympics – LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Joel Embiid and others have said they want to play – that doesn’t guarantee anything.
Carmelo Anthony, who was at the draw as a FIBA ambassador, said it’s clear that international men’s teams “feel confident and comfortable enough to go out there and compete with the USA”.
“It’s all about confidence that these other players and countries have,” said Anthony, one of two three-time men’s basketball gold medallists.
“As far as USA goes, I am praying and hoping that we send the correct team out there. I know what it feels like when you have the right team that’s out there and you go out there trying to win. I’m sure the US will bring the guys that they need to bring in order to get that feeling back.”
The US women will have a gold-medal game rematch from the Tokyo Olympics in the group stage. The Americans open their quest for an eighth consecutive gold medal with group-stage games against Belgium, Germany and Japan – the hosts three years ago who fell to the US 90-75 in the final at Saitama, Japan.
“Obviously, you can never go past the US They’ve proven their dominance and they’re at the pinnacle of the game,” Penny Taylor, a Fiba ambassador and former Australia star, said. “But what I love to see is teams bringing their unique style of play to the Olympics.
“I love watching Japan and what they do and what they do so well. China, obviously, have always been competitive. My heart is always with Australia and I love to see them out there and I hope they know past Opals are right there with them.”
