Connect with us

Sports

USA basketball Olympic men’s team roster: Who made the cut for Paris Olympics

Published

2 weeks ago

on

play

The U.S. men’s national basketball team fell short of the medal podium at the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Manila, but they have a chance at redemption at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

USA men’s basketball is vying for its fifth consecutive Olympic gold medal and the U.S. is in more than capable hands with an Olympic roster filled with 12 NBA All-Stars, six NBA champions and four NBA MVPs.

Phoenix Suns All-Star Kevin Durant will lead the charge for the red, white and blue. Durant, USA men’s basketball’s all-time leading Olympic scorer (435 points), will suit up for his fourth Games and can become the first male basketball player in Olympic history to win four gold medals if the Americans win it all in Paris.

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is making his fourth Olympic appearance, while Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry will be a first-time Olympian.

Here’s who made the cut for the 2024 Paris Olympics:

SUBSCRIBE TO USA TODAY’S NEWSLETTER: Chasing Gold: Your guide to the 2024 Paris Olympics

USA men’s basketball national team roster

The 5×5 team roster was selected by USA Basketball Men’s National Team managing director Grant Hill, who won a gold medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta as a player. The men’s national team representing the U.S. has a combined 10 Olympic gold medals between them heading into Paris:

*Each asterisk represents an Olympic appearance

  • **Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers
  • *Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves
  • **Bam Adebayo, Miami Heat
  • **Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns
  • **Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
  • *Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers
  • **Jrue Holiday, Boston Celtics
  • *Kawhi Leonard, Los Angeles Clippers
  • ****Kevin Durant, Phoenix Suns
  • ****LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers
  • *Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
  • *Tyrese Haliburton, Indiana Pacers

Who is the head coach of USA men’s basketball?

Steve Kerr, the head coach of the Golden State Warriors, will serve as the head coach of the 2024 USA Men’s National Team. Mark Few (Gonzaga), Tyronn Lue (Los Angeles Clippers) and Erik Spoelstra (Miami Heat) will serve as Kerr’s assistant coaches. Kerr, along with Few, Lue and Spoelstra, previously led the U.S. men’s national team to a fourth-place finish at the 2023 FIBA Men’s World Cup in Manila. 

“My staff and I are honored to coach this amazing group of players in our quest to win Olympic gold in Paris,” said Kerr, who served as an assistant coach on the 2020 U.S. men’s national team that won gold in Tokyo. “We plan to represent USA Basketball with the utmost class and we hope to make our country proud.”

How many gold medals does USA men’s basketball have?

USA men’s basketball has earned 19 Olympic medals since the first Games were held in 1936, including 16 gold, one sliver and two bronze. The U.S. won its fourth consecutive gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. 

Here’s how the American men have performed in the past four decades:

  • 2020, Tokyo: Gold (87–82 win over France)
  • 2016, Rio: Gold (96–66 win over Serbia)
  • 2012, London: Gold (107–100 win over Spain)
  • 2008, Athens: Gold (118–107 win over Spain)
  • 2004, Athens: Bronze (104–96 win over Lithuania in bronze medal game)
  • 2000, Sydney: Gold (85–75 over France)
  • 1996, Atlanta: Gold (95–69 win over Yugoslavia)
  • 1992, Barcelona: Gold (117–85 win over Croatia)
  • 1988, Seoul: Bronze (78–49 win over Australia in bronze medal game)
  • 1984, Los Angeles: Gold (96–65 win over Spain)

2024 Paris Olympic Games Men’s Basketball schedule

The U.S. men’s national team will kick off the 2024 Paris Olympics with group play in Lille, France. The top two teams from each group will advance to the quarterfinals, in addition to the next two best third-place teams.

USA men’s basketball is in Group C. Here’s the dates for the U.S. games:

  • July 28: USA vs. Serbia (11:15 a.m. ET)
  • July 31: USA vs. South Sudan (3 p.m. ET)
  • Aug. 3: USA vs. the winner of the Olympic Qualifying Tournament (11:15 a.m. ET)

2024 PARIS OLYMPICS: Men’s basketball draw announced

How many Olympic gold medals does Kevin Durant have?

Kevin Durant and Carmelo Anthony (2008, 2012, 2016) are the only two U.S. men’s basketball players to have won three Olympic gold medals. Durant can become the first to earn four gold medals.

Here’s how everyone else’s medal count stacks up:

  • Kevin Durant: 3 golds (2012, 2016, 2020)
  • LeBron James: 2 golds (2008, 2012), 1 bronze (2004)
  • Anthony Davis: 1 gold (2012)
  • Bam Adebayo: 1 gold (2020)
  • Devin Booker: 1 gold (2020)
  • Jayson Tatum: 1 gold (2020)
  • Jrue Holiday: 1 gold (2020)
  • Anthony Edwards: 0
  • Joel Embiid: 0
  • Kawhi Leonard: 0
  • Stephen Curry: 0
  • Tyrese Haliburton: 0
Related Topics:
Continue Reading