5 Best Basketball Rosters Heading Into The Paris 2024 Olympic Games (2024)

The Paris 2024 Olympic Games are just around the corner! National pride is about to be at an all-time high for the next little while, with sports fans tuning in to watch their nations compete in a bevy of athletic competitions.

One of the headliners of the Summer Games is always Men's Olympic Basketball. The sport has a massive global audience and is always filled with stars well-known to the casual viewer.

Players like LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo , who will both be competing in the event, will even be the flag bearers for their respective countries this year. One would imagine that it would be a big honor for both of those men.

This year's tournament to decide the best basketball nations on the planet should be a particularly interesting one. The days of the USA having a death grip on the sport are fading away.

Make no mistake about it, the USA is still the betting favorites to win the event. There is a lot of talent on this year's roster. However, the rest of the world is starting to catch up and make the competition a lot more interesting.

In recent days, nothing showcases that better than the nail-biting 101-100 victory that the USA had against South Sudan in the Olympic tune-up games. It took a game-winning layup from LeBron with less than 10 seconds in the game to secure the victory.

The 2024 Olympic Games are sure to provide some fantastic basketball for fans of the sport. The talented rosters that some of these teams are bringing into the competition are one of the main reasons to stay glued to one's seat. Breaking down who has the five best rosters heading into the tournament feels more challenging this year than many others.

5 Germany

The defending FIBA Basketball World Cup champions are up against a challenging road to medaling

Germany will enter this tournament confident after winning the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup. They knocked off Serbia 83-77 in the finals to secure the gold medal for their country.

Germany will hope to build on their success at the FIBA World Cup by bringing back a lot of the same names that got them the win in the first place. There will be plenty of returning faces.

Dennis Schroder was the catalyst for the Germans' World Cup victory. The Brooklyn Nets guard was named the MVP of the tournament after the European nation's win in 2023.

Another key component of that winning team was the Wagner brothers. Franz Wagner and Moritz Wagner of the Orlando Magic will both be back with Team Germany for this run.

New Orleans Pelicans big man Daniel Theis is another name most NBA fans will be familiar with. He should provide a reliable presence for the Germans at the tournament.

The problem for Germany is not who they are bringing to the tournament, it is more a matter of whom the other teams will have available to them this time. Their roster is very good, and they should be able to compete admirably at the Olympics. However, the other teams around them have bolstered their teams since 2023.

Germany should be considered a threat to capture a medal at the event. Group B will offer them a competitive, yet fair opportunity to advance to the knockout stages. They just are not as imposing of a threat by comparison to the teams above them.

4 Serbia

The inclusion of the best player in the world goes a long way for this roster

Germany's run at the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup was impressive, but Serbia's may have been even more eye-catching when considering the circ*mstances. They lost in the finals of the event, but they were able to make that run without the best player in the world.

Now, Nikola Jokic will be available for the 2024 Olympics. The boost he provides to this team makes them a lot more imposing of a threat than before.

Serbia is the only nation on this list that does not have a twelve-man roster. The relatively small country boasts a powerful collection of basketball players.

The Denver Nuggets superstar will be the name everyone is familiar with. Jokić's presence means that Serbia should be considered a relatively safe bet to qualify for the knockout stages after securing one of the top spots in Group C.

Players that NBA fans will also immediately recognize include Atlanta Hawks wing Bogdan Bogdanovic and Miami Heat youngster Nikola Jovic .

Serbia runs a good brand of team basketball that should make them a tough out for anybody. The three rosters ahead of them, though, are just a little more loaded with talent.

3 France

There should be a great opportunity for France to secure a medal on home soil

France will be hosting this year's Olympic Games. As such, they earned an automatic qualification spot in the basketball tournament. However, that does not mean they would not have earned a spot without such luxuries.

France won a silver medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. They will be looking to repeat that success on home soil. Their chances should be significantly boosted by the presence of young phenom Victor Wembanyama .

Having to go through a defense led by Wembanyama and Rudy Gobert will be a tough ask for any team. This is especially true when one considers the differences between the FIBA rules versus the NBA rules.

France's biggest concern about their roster would have to be the guard positions. It feels somewhat surprising that they did not reach into the pipeline to include a talented, young guard like Nolan Traoré to help stabilize the backcourt.

In general, France left a lot of talented youngsters off the team. To some extent, one has to question whether this was the best course of action for their podium aspirations.

2 Canada

The Canadians will bring the second-most NBA players to the tournament

This is, by far and away, the best roster that Canada has ever brought to the Olympic basketball stage. There are serious aspirations of not only securing a spot on the podium but winning the whole tournament.

Canada will feature the second-most NBA players in this tournament behind the USA. There should be plenty of unique lineups and combinations that Canada can use to try and secure their first-ever gold medal.

This team could have been even more talented had the Golden State Warriors not blocked Andrew Wiggins from competing in the Olympics. Zach Edey stepping away from the team in favor of Summer League did not help the cause either.

In spite of that, the headliners of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander , Jamal Murray , RJ Barrett , and Dillon Brooks will hope to make a major splash for the team in Paris.

Canada's lack of size will be the biggest issue that the team will face at the tournament. If they can overcome their relative lack of quality depth at the big man spot, they will be a major threat to win the event.

1 USA

Unsurprisingly, the Americans will feature the strongest roster

After a disappointing run at the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup, the Americans came in locked and loaded for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. The team failed to secure a medal at that tournament, losing to Canada in the bronze medal game. Now, the Avengers are here.

Derrick White was a late inclusion to the team after Kawhi Leonard departed. Jaylen Brown was not happy with the decision, but one really can not go wrong with this team.

Regardless, the USA boasts an absolute superteam heading into this tournament. They will be everyone's tournament favorite by a mile.

One area of concern for the USA could be an overreliance on their aging stars like James, Stephen Curry , Kevin Durant , etc. However, that feels like more of a problem for future iterations of the team than this one.

The USA will easily have the best roster at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.