Sports
Luka Doncic, Giannis Antetokounmpo among those seeking last-chance Olympic berths – NBA.com
The winners of 4 upcoming qualifying tournaments will round out the 12-team field at the upcoming Paris Games.
Associated Press
Luka Doncic and Slovenia will attempt to earn a berth to the Paris Games at one of 4 upcoming qualifying tournaments.
Luka Doncic and Giannis Antetokounmpo are about to get one last chance at reaching the Paris Olympics. Same goes for Domantas Sabonis and Nikola Vucevic. And Rudy Fernandez is about to get his shot at making history.
The last four spots in the 12-team Olympic men’s basketball field for the Paris Games start getting decided on Tuesday, with the beginning of winner-take-all qualifying tournaments in Spain, Latvia, Puerto Rico and Greece.
Each site is playing host to a six-team tournament that runs through July 7, and the four winners get the last four spots in the Olympic field.
“We are in the best possible place,” Antetokounmpo said when asked about getting to play qualifying games at home in Greece.
It’s likely that he and Doncic will go head to head at some point; Slovenia is in Greece for that qualifier. Meanwhile, in Spain, the perennial Olympic medal contenders aren’t just trying to get to Paris. There’s also a quest to make Fernandez, the Spanish great, the first six-time men’s basketball Olympian.
“We want to see that dream happen,” Spain coach Sergio Scariolo said.
The format has two groups of three teams at each tournament. In group play, which runs Tuesday through Thursday, each nation plays the other two teams in their group. The top two teams in each group advance to semifinals that will be held on Saturday. Championship games at all four sites are Sunday.
A look at the qualifiers:
Spain
Group A: Lebanon, Angola, Spain
Group B: Finland, Poland, Bahamas
Spain is at home and that’s a big edge, but the Bahamas believes it can surprise for three very good reasons: Deandre Ayton, Buddy Hield and Eric Gordon, all of whom are on that nation’s roster for the qualifiers.
Latvia
Group A: Georgia, Philippines, Latvia.
Group B: Brazil, Cameroon, Montenegro.
The host Latvians didn’t get the easiest draw in the world, especially with the Philippines now coached by Tim Cone, a former Miami Heat summer league assistant with more than two dozen championships during his time in the Philippines. Montenegro’s hopes rest largely on Nikola Vucevic.
Greece
Group A: Slovenia, New Zealand, Croatia.
Group B: Egypt, Greece, Dominican Republic.
The potential for a Greece-Slovenia final seems high, and that would be great theater — Doncic vs. Antetokounmpo for a spot in the Olympics. Doncic played through injuries in the NBA Finals for Dallas in its five-game loss to Boston, and the fact that he’s playing here shows how much the Olympics mean to him.
Puerto Rico
Group A: Mexico, Ivory Coast, Lithuania.
Group B: Italy, Puerto Rico, Bahrain.
Danilo Gallinari headlines the roster for a very experienced Italy team, one that has to face host Puerto Rico in the group stage but could still advance to the semifinals even with a loss. Lithuania seems to have the most experience in Group A, and it would be a surprise not to see that squad in the semifinals.
The FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments will decide the final four teams to compete in the men's basketball tournament in Paris.
Find out when Team USA will hit the floor during the Paris Olympics this summer.
Learn more about France's road to the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Check out the players expected to suit up for USA, Canada, Australia and other countries during this summer's Olympic games.
The FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments will decide the final four teams to compete in the men's basketball tournament in Paris.
Find out when Team USA will hit the floor during the Paris Olympics this summer.
Learn more about France's road to the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Check out the players expected to suit up for USA, Canada, Australia and other countries during this summer's Olympic games.
No. 15 pick Kel'el Ware leads Miami with a game-high 26 points while Jordan Ford leads Sacramento with 22 points.
After being waived by Golden State, the 11-time All-Star is teaming up with Victor Wembanyama in San Antonio.
Spain and Puerto Rico join Greece and Brazil in claiming the final spots for the 2024 Paris Games.
Mason Jones and Keon Ellis lead the way as Sacramento cruises past Team China, winning all 4 quarters by double-digit margins.
Golden State gets a tag-team effort against Miami while Adonis Arms lifts Sacramento over Bronny James and Los Angeles.
Mouhamadou Gueye leads Charlotte with 21 points while No. 4 overall pick Stephon Castle leads San Antonio with 12 points.