The 2024 Paris Olympics are underway, which means that the world’s greatest basketball players will be competing for a chance to bring a gold medal back to their home country.
While the best concentration of basketball talent comes from the United States, many players from the league opted to play for their countries of origin.
Ranging from former NBA MVPs and champions to veterans and role players, here’s a list of all the NBA players to look out for in tomorrow’s Olympic competitions.
Group A: Spain vs. Greece (5 a.m. ET, E!/Peacock/NBCOlympics.com)
Spain
Santi Aldama
A third-year player in the NBA for the Memphis Grizzlies, Aldama had his best year as a pro during the 2023-24 season. With a depleted Grizzlies squad due to injuries, he averaged 10.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 2.3 assists — all career highs. In Aldama’s first game of the Olympics, he led Spain in scoring with 27 points in its game against Australia.
Usman Garuba
Garuba is currently a free agent, but most recently was signed with the Golden State Warriors. He played sparingly, however. During Spain’s match against Australia, Garuba chipped in with three points and seven rebounds.
Greece
Giannis Antetokounmpo
“The Greek Freak” is widely regarded as one of the best basketball players in the world. The two-time NBA MVP is coming off his second straight season averaging over 30 points per game and nearly 12 rebounds as well. Just as he is the face of the Milwaukee Bucks, he is also the face of Team Greece. In the squad’s first game against Canada, Antetokounmpo led his team with 34 points.
Group A: Canada vs. Australia (7:30 a.m. ET, USA/Peacock/NBCOlympics.com)
Canada
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Canada has the second-most NBA players on its roster in the Olympics, but there may be no bigger star on the team than Gilgeous-Alexander. The Oklahoma City guard is coming off a season where he averaged 30.1 points, 6.2 assists and 5.5 rebounds and was runner-up in MVP voting. To start off Olympic competition, Gilgeous-Alexander put up 21 points to go along with seven assists and five rebounds against Team Greece.
Jamal Murray
Murray has already won it all in the NBA, but now he’s looking to do the same with Canada in the Olympics. An NBA champion with the Denver Nuggets last year, Murray has been a steady presence for his squad. This past season he averaged 21.2 points and 6.5 assists for the Nuggets. In the opening game of the Olympics, Murray contributed eight points and three assists.
Dillon Brooks
International basketball has been known for its increased physicality and extra competitive nature compared to the NBA. Luckily for Canada, Brooks plays with those traits day in and day out. After landing with the Houston Rockets in free agency, Brooks has averaged 12.7 points to go along with tough, physical defense on the perimeter. He was the third leading scorer for Canada in their match against Greece, scoring 14 points while also adding five rebounds and an assist.
R.J. Barrett
Barrett is poised to be a key member for Canada during this Olympic run. The forward was traded to the Toronto Raptors midway through the season from New York and he once again showed the promise that had him selected third overall in the 2019 NBA Draft. With averages of 21.8 points, 6.4 rebounds and 4.1 assists along with multiple 30 point nights for his team, he will be called upon to be a main scoring threat for his team. Case in point: Barrett led Canada in scoring against Greece with 23 points.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker
Alexander-Walker is what many would consider to be the prototypical 3-and-D shooting guard in today’s NBA. The 6-foot-5 guard averaged eight points a game while shooting just under 40 percent from 3 for the Minnesota Timberwolves this past season. While he didn’t do much in Canada’s latest game against Greece, he undoubtedly is one of the better shooters on the roster and will get his time to shine eventually.
Luguentz Dort
Dort is coming off of another productive year for the Oklahoma City Thunder. In his fifth year in the league, he averaged 10.9 points and just under a steal per game. While his numbers took a dip due to a much more balanced Thunder roster, his defensive impact has never been more important. Against Greece, he had eight points along with a steal and a block.
Trey Lyles
Lyles has been on five different teams since joining the league back in 2015, but seemingly has found a good fit as a floor-spacing four with the Sacramento Kings. He averaged 7.2 points and 4.4 rebounds while shooting 38 percent from deep. In the contest against Greece, he went scoreless in 14 minutes, but had three rebounds and an assist.
Andrew Nembhard
Nembhard has the least NBA experience out of anyone on Canada’s roster, but he showed he’s as poised as they come in this past postseason. The second-year guard for the Indiana Pacers averaged only nine points during the regular season, but in the playoffs he improved that to 21 points per game by the Eastern Conference finals. He scored two points and dished out an assist, but don’t…
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