Basketball Olympics 2024: Schedule, Team Previews, and Previous Winners

12 Men’s and Women’s teams have qualified for the ultimate basketball showdown at the Paris Olympics. With all the 24 teams aiming to set the court ablaze, it’s going to be an exhilarating journey for the players and spectators.

Men’s basketball matches kick off on 27th July and the first women’s team match will be played on 28th July. Below, we give you the previous winners and the schedule for Basketball Olympics 2024.

Men’s Basketball Olympics 2024: Teams Preview and 2020 Winners

Team USA is riding high on four consecutive Olympic gold medals. Star player, Le Bron James has played 21 NBA seasons and is a two-time Olympic gold medalist. Another Team USA player, Stephen Curry, has played 15 NBA seasons. Le Bron is even expected to lead Team USA’s delegation at the opening ceremony.

Team USA has already beaten its fiercest competition in tune-up games against Australia, Canada, and Serbia. However, South Sudan gave them tough competition at a recent warm-up match. The tense match ended with a score of 101–100 as LeBron James scored a crucial basket in the last 20 seconds, to save the match.

Being the host nation, France will be looking to impress their home crowd. Players like Rudy Gobert, Victor Wembanyama, and Evan Fournier of France have an impeccable and fearsome defense that an Olympic team should have. They won the Silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics 2020. They had a stunning clash with Team USA, losing a tight game of 87–82.

Australia was the Bronze medal winner at the 2020 Games, and are currently the World No. 5 team. The ‘Boomers’, as the Australian team is called, defeated France in a close 83–82 game. However, their victory was marred by an injury. Point guard Dante Exum dislocated his finger during the match. Captain Patty Mills and Josh Giddey led the Boomers’ fightback in the second half.

Team Canada is also enjoying a good season. This confidence comes from their performance at the World Cup where Canada won the Bronze medal. They have 10 players on the roster with NBA experience, including All-Star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Women’s Basketball Olympics 2024

Just as the men’s team competing at the Basketball Olympics 2024 is making headlines, women’s teams are not far behind.

Team USA has won seven Olympic gold medals since 1992. They have WNBA MVPs Breanna Stewart and A’ja Wilson, and Olympic veterans Brittney Griner and Diana Taurasi.

Japan made it to the global stage at the Tokyo Olympics when they won the Silver medal. Rui Machida was the breakout star at the Tokyo Games, where she earned the single-game Olympic record of 18 assists to guide Japan past France 87–71 in the semi-finals. In 2022, she became the fourth Japanese player to make it to the WNBA. Veteran Asami Yoshida is also a skilled ball handler with excellent passing skills. The Japanese team is ranked No. 9 in the world.

France will be going into the basketball Olympics 2024 with a blend of experienced veterans and young talented players. Gabby Williams, who led France to their Bronze victory at the Tokyo Olympics, is taking a break from the NBA this season to focus on the Paris Games. Players like Marine Fauthoux, Janelle Salaun, and Iliana Rupert are also enjoying a good season.

Belgium finished 7th at the Tokyo Olympics, 5th at the FIBA World Cup 2022, and 1st at the EuroBasket 2023. Belgium’s progress is going off the charts with every passing year.

How to Bet on Basketball Olympics 2024

Consider all the available information before betting on basketball in the Olympics 2024. Here are the most common bet types for basketball;

Moneyline: A simple wager you place on the team that will win the game. For this, you need to know the odds, so make sure to check sportsbooks carefully before placing a bet.
Point Spread: It’s a handicap betting system where bet points are added or subtracted from the team’s final score. The bet is placed on the fact that the favored team will win by more than the spread or if the opponent (in most cases, the underdog team) will cover the spread or win straight away.
Over/Under (Totals): This type of bet explains whether the total combined score of both teams will be higher or lower than a prefixed set number.
Prop Bets: These bets are placed on specific events and instances when the game is being played. Wagers are put on a player’s points, rebounds, assists, and other outcomes.

The way this works is that sportsbooks or bookmakers assign odds to all possible outcomes. These odds represent the likelihood of an outcome potentially happening. Bettors place a bet on specific outcomes with a wager amount and a hope that their bet winds. Winning bets receive the pre-decided payout, which is their original wager plus the winning amount.

More info: 7Bet

Note: Betting is only available to participants above 18 years. Bet responsibly and verify the latest odds.