Several NBA players are interested in playing for the USA at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Star players such as Kevin Durant, LeBron James, and Steph Curry are expected to feature. The concept of the “Dream Team” was first implemented in 1989. The USA Basketball formed a committee whose mandate was to select a team that would represent the U.S. in the 1992 U.S. Olympic men’s basketball team.
The team picked by the committee became the first American Olympic team that featured active NBA players. It earned the title “Dream Team” after winning an Olympic gold medal with an impressive 8-0 record at the 1992 Barcelona Games. Some of the big names that were part of the first Dream Team include Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, Karl Malone, Charles Barkley, Magic Johnson, and Chris Mullin, among other top names. Looking at the team sheet, every sport betting fan on Betway would wager on this team to win all its games. As an icing on the cake, Chuck Daly coached the team.
The 2024 Dream Team
As Paris 2024 beckons, all USA basketball fans are eager to know which top names will be included in this year’s dream team. Additionally, the USA’s performance at the FIBA World Cup 2023 has made the news surrounding the U.S. Olympic team news more intriguing.
In April, reports from sports outlet ESPN suggested that Team USA was working hard behind the scenes to finalize their men’s basketball team roster. The reports indicate that fans should expect to see big names such as Steph Curry, Joel Embiid, Kevin Durant, and LeBron James.
Additionally, the reports suggest that managing director Grant Hill will keep one roster slot open to allow the coaches to explore their options at the July training camp. Nonetheless, fans should expect to see big names like Anthony Edwards, Jrue Holiday, Devin Booker, Bam Adebayo, Jayson Tatum, and Tyrese Haliburton on the 11-player roster.
USA’s Group Fixtures Revealed
As the USA works on the Dream Team, it already knows the teams it’ll be competing against in the Olympic Games group stages. After the Draw Ceremony held on 19 March, the U.S. will be in Group C together with Serbia and South Sudan, and the third team has not received a quota spot yet.
This means that the USA will kick off the tournament with a game against Serbia, led by Nikola Jokovic, before playing South Sudan. The third team in the group will be the team that wins the Olympic Qualifying Tournament, scheduled for 2-7 July in Puerto Rico. The tournament’s participants are Puerto Rico, Mexico, Lithuania, Italy, Côte d’Ivoire, and Bahrain.
USA and Canada to Face Off in an Exhibition Match
USA Basketball and Canada Basketball revealed that the two nation’s men’s national teams will play an exhibition match before the Olympics. The game will be played on 10 July at Las Vegas’ legendary T-Mobile Arena. It will be an excellent match for basketball betting fans on Betway to watch the Dream Team in action ahead of the Summer Olympics.
Final Thoughts
Are you excited about the Summer Olympics? Which NBA player would you want to see in this tournament’s Dream Team?
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