When the Olympics begin, it’s easy to root for Team USA. But let’s dare to be different. It’s fun to be a contrarian sometimes, right?
USA Basketball enters the tournament in Paris as the favorite to win the gold medal on both the men’s side and the women’s side. That doesn’t leave us with a lot of room for imagination, though. Go ahead and support the Red, White and Blue if you would like. But know there are other options!
Even though many of the players you will recognize from the NBA and WNBA will represent the United States, there are still some exciting players hailing from other nations as well.
Let’s give you a rooting guide if you’re having trouble deciding.
Men’s basketball
Australia: The world would be better if Australia won the gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Think of the content. THINK OF THE CONTENT. — Cory Woodroof
Brazil: It was 2014 when ESPN famously said that former first-round draft pick Bruno Caboclo was two years away from being two years away. Folks, do you know what that means? Based on my calculations, that suggests that Caboclo — who won a championship in German in 2023 and multiple MVP awards in 2022 — has finally arrived. I can’t wait to watch him in the pick-and-roll with former Lakers guard Marcelo Huertas. Força Brasil. — Bryan Kalbrosky
Canada: Our neighbors to the north have SUCH A FUN TEAM! You’ve got SGA, Lu Dort, RJ Barrett, Dillon Brooks and Jamal Murray. This is, theoretically, a team that can make a medal run and make some noise. I’m here for it. O Canada! — Charles Curtis
France: If I have to pick a country, I guess I’d root for France. The host country winning would give Alex Sarr and Bilal Coulibaly some good national pride, which hopefully translates to them playing well for my Wizards. — Prince Grimes
France: I’m still upset Joel Embiid decided to play for the U.S. instead of France, but I guess packing the paint with Victor Wembanyama, Bilal Coulibaly and Rudy Gobert will do. FIBA rules should give this large French team quite a boost, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they win the whole tournament. Lengthy athletes who can shoot well will cover up a lot of deficiencies. — Blake Schuster
Greece: Since I’ll be rooting for France a ton during the NBA’s regular season, I guess I’ll stomp a bit for Greece here. The people are sleeping on Giannis Antetokounmpo, who should still be considered 1B as the best player in the world to Nikola Jokic. I’m excited to watch him ball this summer (plus I’d love to go to Greece someday soon). — Mike D. Sykes
Puerto Rico: You might be surprised to learn that, within the past five years, Georgia Tech won something of significance in men’s basketball. It was in 2021 and a team led by ACC Defensive Player of the Year José Alvarado tore through the ACC Tournament in Greensboro. It was fun and ridiculous and awesome — and I imagine the feeling would be similar if an Alvarado-powered Puerto Rico team won the gold. Go ACC. — Mitchell Northam
Serbia: I want to make clear that I’m rooting for Team Serbia first. Why would I root for Team USA, the Celtics or Lakers of international basketball? They’re so dominant that it’s always more interesting to see someone else win. That aside, Serbia has the best player in the world right now, Nikola Jokic, surrounded by a battle-tested group with plenty of chemistry that won silver at the last FIBA World Cup… without Jokic. Serbia plays together and it plays hard. I’m all in, baby. — Robert Zeglinski
South Sudan: In 1992, a country that had recently won its independence rallied all the way to an Olympic silver on the hard wood (please do not check the final score). South Sudan isn’t in nearly the same situation as Croatia, but its struggle for recognition in a country without an indoor court made it one of the most inspiring competitors at this year’s games. How could you not support that? — Christian D’Andrea
Spain: ALL ABOARD THE SPAIN TRAIN! This strategy worked for me in Euro 2024, so I’m carrying it over to the Olympics. Sure, it’s a different sport and competition, but I still like Spain’s chances to compete for a medal. They have a good mix of NBA talent with one of the strongest domestic leagues outside the NBA. — Andrew Joseph
Women’s basketball
Australia: Have you seen the roster? IT’S LOADED. Former Seattle Storm great Lauren Jackson leads a roster full of sleepers that will block your shot into oblivion and then rain buckets of fury down upon you. Ezi Magbeor. DAWG. Alanna Smith. DAWG. Isobel Borlase. DAWG. Are we serious? Don’t say I didn’t warn you about their potential. — Meghan Hall
Belgium: If you’re new to the WNBA this season, let me introduce you to Julie Vanloo: She’s the 31-year old ROOKIE point guard for the Washington Mystics who, at the Olympic break, is top 10 in the league in assists and 3-pointers made per game. Last year, she and former WNBA Finals MVP Emma Meesseman led Belgium to the gold in the EuroBasket. Vanloo and Meesseman are among the most fun duos to watch at the Olympics. — Mitchell Northam
Canada: Go, Aaliyah Edwards! — Prince Grimes
France: Prince stole my pick. Aaliyah Edwards is my rookie, so of course I’m rooting for her and Canada. But France is super fun, too. I’ve missed watching Marine Johannes in the W this season. Seeing her ball out for her home country is going to be awesome.— Mike D. Sykes
Germany: Likewise, no disrespect to the American women, but they are such a juggernaut that it would be more intriguing to see anyone else pull off the upset. On this side, I’ll go with the Germans. Leonie Fiebich and the Sabally sisters (Nyara and Satou) give the Germans an underrated core trying to make its first real run at an international tournament in well, ever. — Robert Zeglinski
Japan: The Japan women’s national team got close to the gold in 2021, and it’d be awesome to see it actually make it all the way this year. — Cory Woodroof
Serbia: Angela Dugalić has played college basketball for my two favorite schools: Oregon and UCLA. She missed all of the 2022-23 NCAA season after tearing her ACL while representing Serbia during the 2022 FIBA World Cup. I’m looking forward to seeing her redemption this summer. — Bryan Kalbrosky
Spain: The SPAIN TRAIN keeps on going. While Spain lacks WNBA talent, it has consistently competed for a medal since 2010. Nobody is beating the U.S. — let’s be real. But Spain could absolutely contend for silver. — Andrew Joseph
