With the 2024 Olympics set to begin on Friday night, there is much buzz around the basketball tournament which features plenty of NBA players. The United States are heavy favorite, but the competition is catching up and many teams are confident they can ruffle some feathers.
The Denver Nuggets are sending two players to Paris to represent their countries; Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray. Much has been made of Jokic and the Serbian squad, but let’s take a moment to see what’s in store for Jamal and Team Canada in the coming weeks.
Canadian Men's Basketball Team Overview
For Canada, this is a bit of a golden era for men’s basketball. Historically they haven’t been much of a world power, medaling just once - a silver back in 1936. But things are different this year as Canada boasts one of the best players in the tournament with NBA MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander pairing with Jamal Murray in the backcourt.
The team came away with a bronze medal at last year’s FIBA World Cup and they’ll be looking to build on that with a strong performance in Paris. Other NBA players on the squad include Dillon Brooks, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Lu Dort, Kelly Olynyk, Andrew Nembhard, and more.
They’ll also have NBA coaching experience, led by Jordi Fernandez, a long-time assistant and new hire for the Brooklyn Nets. Canada may be a little thin inside, but they have plenty of guards and wing players. They’ll be a major threat in this competition.
Canadian Men's Basketball Schedule
Game 1: Greece vs. Canada, Saturday 7/27/24, 1 PM MDT
Game 2: Canada vs. Australia, Tuesday 7/30/24, 5:30 AM MDT
Game 3: Canada vs. Spain, Friday 8/2/2024, 9:15 AM MDT
This is a very tough schedule for Canada in Group A which has been dubbed “the Group of Death”. Spain and Australia have been international powers for ages and Greece, of course, has Giannis Antetokounmpo. The path is there for the Canadians, but it will not be easy.
How to Watch the Games
All of the games will be broadcast live on the NBC family of networks and streamed on the Peacock App. The first game will be shown live on CNBC, the second game on the USA Network, and game three is solely a digital broadcast. These are subject to change based on viewer interest and the schedule will be updated here accordingly.