The Biggest Basketball Tournament is Here!

The best basketball teams in the world are gathered in Paris for the Olympics. It's a huge deal just to be one of the 12 teams playing. Many other great teams, like the one with Luka Doncic from Slovenia, wanted to be here but couldn't make it.

 

How the Tournament Works

The 12 teams are divided into three groups of four teams each. Each team plays the other three in its group. The top two teams from each group, plus the next two best teams, will move on to the next round called the quarterfinals.

It's important to win games, but it's also important to win by a big score. This will help teams move on if there's a tie. The quarterfinals will start on August 6th and will be very exciting because all the teams will be really good.

Who Will Win?

The USA team is the favorite to win because they've won the last four gold medals. They have a lot of great players, but they know it won't be easy. Other teams like Canada and Serbia also have very good players.

This tournament will be really close and exciting. It's going to be a lot of fun to watch!

Would you like to know more about a specific team or player?

MORE: Everything to know about Team USA

Team USA: The Gold Standard, But Facing Tough Competition

The United States is the big favorite to win the gold medal in basketball at the Olympics. They've won the last four gold medals and are trying to win their fifth in a row. This team has some of the best basketball players in the world.

But it won't be easy. Even though the US team is really good, they haven't played together very much. Many of the players are new to the team, and others haven't played together in a long time. Plus, other countries have very strong teams too.

One team that could be a big problem for the US is Serbia. They have a really good player named Nikola Jokic, who is one of the best basketball players in the world. Canada also has a strong team with a lot of good players.

The US team knows they have to play hard and smart to win. They've been practicing a lot and are ready for the challenge.

Would you like to know more about another team?

The favorite

Team USA is the betting favorite (-400 at ESPN BET). The Americans have won the past four gold medals and seven of eight since NBA players were allowed to compete in 1992. Team architect Grant Hill has brought arguably the deepest 12-man club in the program's history to Paris. However, Team USA's gold in Tokyo in 2021 was very hard-fought run and illustrated how the margin for error has shrunk. Three years ago, the Kevin Durant-led squad lost to France in the group stage and managed just a five-point victory in the gold medal game.

In the lead-up to the Olympics this summer, three of the team's five exhibition games weren't decided until the final minute or two, including a one-point win over a South Sudan team it will see again next week. Head coach Steve Kerr, who was an assistant three years ago in Tokyo, called on the team to raise its intensity level as it arrived in Paris.

"That's what today is about," he said on Thursday after the team's film session. "It's the reminder. It's time. We're here. So it's got to be 40 minutes of force and attention and focus, and we can't let teams outplay us effort- and energy-wise."

Even by Team USA standards, this team has minimal time to jell. Only two players, Anthony Edwards and Tyrese Haliburton, played in the World Cup last summer. Only five -- Durant, Jrue Holiday, Bam Adebayo, Devin Booker and Jayson Tatum -- played in 2021 in Tokyo, and Durant missed the entire exhibition schedule nursing a sore calf. LeBron James has not played for Team USA since the 2012 Olympics in London, and Stephen Curry is playing in his first Olympics (he did play in the 2010 and 2014 FIBA World Cups).