With the Paris Olympic draw being announced, the path for the Australian men’s basketball team, the Boomers, to win their first-ever gold medal has been laid in front of them.
Australia has found itself in a golden period in international basketball over the past decade, with several strong performances, led by senior players such as Patty Mills and Joe Ingles, both of whom are expected to play their last Olympic Games.
The Boomers have been grouped with Canada in Group A for the tournament, with the remaining two teams yet to be decided as they battle it out in Olympic qualifiers in July.
There’s plenty of strong opposition in contention for the remaining two spots in Group A. Among them, Greece, Slovenia, New Zealand, Croatia, Egypt and the Dominican Republic, who are set to compete against each other in Greece. Spain, Lebanon, Angola, Finland and the Bahamas are also in the mix and take part in the other qualifiers in Spain.
Four-time Olympian with the Boomers David Andersen believes it will be a tough road to Gold for Australia, coming up against some of the NBA’s best in Paris.
“Canada is going to be really good and have the potential NBA MVP in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander,” Andersen said following the Olympic draw’s release.
“Then there’s the two teams who will come through the qualifiers so you’re looking at say Greece and Spain, two traditional European powerhouses,” he added.
The Australian Boomers’ road to Gold
Group A – Canada, winners of the Greece and Spain Olympic qualifiers
Before the Boomers can even think about securing a Gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, they must first make it through the tournament’s group stage.
In mid-March, the draw was unveiled for the tournament. Australia was drawn in Group A alongside Canada, with two undecided teams yet to qualify for the Games filling the remaining places.
With so much still to be determined inside the group stage, it’s hard to predict exactly how likely the Boomers progressing to the knockout stages is. Canada – their only confirmed competition – is stacked with talent including OKC’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Toronto’s RJ Barrett, to name a couple.
The teams likely to get through to the Games that are contending in the Olympic qualifiers in early July, are Greece, Slovenia, and Spain — although there are only two spots available.
Spain has been well-known for causing great upsets at Olympic Games or World Cups, and have formed a great rivalry with the United States. They seem destined to take up one of the two spots considering their Olympic qualifier tournament has slightly weaker competition.
Greece, led by Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Slovenia, led by Luka Doncic, will face off in Greece to try and progress. However, only one can make it to the Olympics. This is incredible, considering both are surely medal contenders.
Who are the Boomers players to watch in the Olympics?
The Boomers currently have a squad of players that are all experienced at the Olympic level, led by veterans Patty Mills and Joe Ingles, while fan favourite Matthew Dellavedova is no certainty for selection after being dropped last year.
There’s no denying that the squad has NBA depth as well, it’s just a question of how many will lace up for the Olympic Games. Younger stars such as Josh Giddey, Dyson Daniels, and, to a lesser degree, Ben Simmons, would all be fantastic inclusions for the Boomers. Neither of the three are yet to declare whether they’re playing.
Simmons is always at the centre of Australian basketball fans’ attention when it comes to the Boomers playing, with the 27-year-old yet to play for the Boomers since much earlier in his career.
Supporters can be really excited about Xavier Cooks and Dante Exum, who are both playing incredible basketball entering the tournament.
Cooks has rejoined his Sydney Kings teammates after a brief stint in the NBA with the Washington Wizards. It’s expected he’ll be extra motivated for the Olympics. Dante Exum has also revived his career with the Dallas Mavericks, playing a crucial role alongside Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving in the backcourt.
Who are the teams to watch out for post-group stage?
Australia will be up against some tough opposition throughout the entire Olympic Games competition, from their Group A opponents to potential medal games later on.
The biggest headline entering the basketball tournament at the Olympics is the reports of the United States assembling a ‘Dream Team’, after falling short at the last FIBA World Cup.
Many other teams will be scratching their heads wondering why the States felt they needed to bring out the big guns such as LeBron James, Steph Curry, and Kevin Durant, since they have won gold at 16 of the 20 Olympics basketball has been a part of.
Other strong nations include France and Germany who are both grouped in Group B. France has some of the best defensive players in the world, including 7-foot-plus duo Rudy Gobert and Victor Wembanyama.
Germany always has a decent basketball team, and is the current world champions after winning the World Cup. They are ranked third in the FIBA rankings.
