NBA stars of Team USA await for China at Tokyo Olympics – if they qualify

Chinese will also face European champions France and Asian No 1 Iran at men’s tournament if they can progress from Canada qualifiers

Men’s team face hosts and NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo-led Greece and hosts Canada in group stage in Victoria in June

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Team USA guard Kevin Durant drives to the Venezuela basket in a group A men’s basketball match at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Photo: AFP

Published: 2:19pm, 3 Feb 2021Updated: 2:19pm, 3 Feb 2021

China’s men’s basketball team will be in a group with Olympic champions Team USA, European champions France and Asian No 1 Iran at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, if they can get past their final qualifying hurdle.

It is a big if for the Chinese, who missed out on automatic qualification after disappointing as 2019 Fiba World Cup hosts.

China travel to Canada to face the hosts and NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo-led Greece in the delayed qualifying tournament in June, with the top two teams qualifying for the semi-finals and one of Uruguay, Czech Republic or Turkey.

The winner of the final joins the Olympics’ “Group of Death”, while the other teams in the final qualifying tournaments also face difficult challenges if they make it to Tokyo.

One of Germany, Russia, Mexico, Tunisia, hosts Croatia and Brazil in the Split qualifiers will join Australia, Nigeria and whoever wins the Belgrade qualifying tournament.

Hosts Serbia welcome Dominican Republic, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Italy and Senegal, while Lithuania hosts the final qualifying group in Kaunas.