The 41 Finalists Fighting for the Coveted 12 Spots to Represent Team USA at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games

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With the 2024 Paris Olympic Games only 6 months away, 41 players are vying for the 12 coveted spots to represent Team USA Men’s Basketball. Steve Kerr—who won three NBA titles as head coach of the Warriors and an additional five as a player—will lead this team as head coach. The team is scheduled to play Canada, South Sudan, and Germany in mid-July as practice for their first preliminary round in the following weeks.

*A key to the abbreviations used in this article can be found at the end of the article.

The chosen 41 are (subject to change):

• Bam Abedayo (C, Heat)
• Jarrett Allen (C, Cavaliers)
• Paolo Banchero (F, Magic)
• Desmond Bane (G, Grizzlies)
• Scottie Barnes (F, Raptors)
• Devin Booker (G, Suns)
• Mikal Bridges (F, Nets)
• Jaylen Brown (F, Celtics)
• Jalen Brunson (G, Knicks)
• Jimmy Butler (F, Heat)
• Alex Caruso (G, Bulls)
• Stephen Curry (G, Warriors)
• Anthony Davis (F, Lakers)
• Kevin Durant (F, Suns)
• Anthony Edwards (G, Timberwolves)
• Joel Embiid (C, 76ers)
• De’Aaron Fox (G, Kings)
• Paul George (F, Clippers)
• Aaron Gordon (F, Nuggets)
• Tyrese Haliburton (G, Pacers)
• James Harden (G, Clippers)
• Josh Hart (F, Knicks)
• Tyler Herro (G, Heat)
• Jrue Holiday (G, Celtics)
• Chet Holmgren (C, Thunder)
• Brandon Ingram (F, Pelicans)
• Kyrie Irving (G, Mavericks)
• Jaren Jackson Jr. (F, Grizzlies)
• LeBron James (F, Lakers)
• Cam Johnson (F, Nets)
• Walker Kessler (C, Jazz)
• Kawhi Leonard (F, Clippers)
• Damian Lillard (G, Bucks)
• Donovan Mitchell (G, Cavaliers)
• Chris Paul (G, Warriors)
• Bobby Portis (F, Bucks)
• Austin Reaves (G, Lakers)
• Duncan Robinson (F, Heat)
• Jayson Tatum (F, Celtics)
• Derrick White (G, Celtics)
• Trae Young (G, Hawks)

History of USA Men’s Basketball in the Olympics:

Team USA has received a medal in 19 Olympics, 16 of which were gold medals. They hold the highest win record in the history of the Olympics, with 143 wins and 6 losses, which is about a 96% win percentage. Having won four straight Olympic titles in a row, basketball fans and casual Olympics viewers are expecting the USA Basketball team to get their fifth back-to-back title with their world-class basketball players from the NBA.

Predictions For the Final Roster:

Lebron James has competed in the Olympics three times so far in his career, in 2004, 2008, and 2012. As an Olympic veteran and in his 20th season in the NBA, 39 year old LeBron James will likely make his final, yet impactful appearance in the 2024 Olympics. Averaging 24.8 PPG in the 2023-2024 season, he is a reliable forward that can help lead Team USA to another gold medal.

Kevin Durant is known to be one of the best players in NBA history, and boasts numerous amazing achievements, including but not limited to being a 3x Olympic Games qualifier (in 2012, 2016, and 2020), winning 2 NBA Championships, and being a back-to-back NBA Finals MVP. He is currently ranked second in points scored in the Olympic Games, trailing behind Anthony Davis by only 25 points. He averaged 19.4 PPG in the Olympics overall, and is impressively averaging 29.1 PPG in the 2023-2024 season. He is sure to be an asset to Team USA with his ability to play aggressively and consistently scoring under pressure.

Both LeBron James and Kevin Durant have won Olympic gold before, and are likely top picks for this year’s team because of their stellar PPG average and incredible consistency.

Stephen Curry is deemed by many to be the best 3-point shooter in NBA history. As of 2021, he holds the record for most career 3-pointers, exceeding NBA hall-of-famer Ray Allen. While he has not competed in an Olympic Games yet, he has won 4 NBA Championship titles, led the Warriors to a record-breaking 73-9 (73 wins, 9 losses) season in 2015-2016, which led to his accomplishment of being the first unanimously voted league MVP. He also became the 2022 NBA Finals MVP, and scored an average of 26.8 PPG respectively for the 2023-2024 season. With his show-stopping ball handling skills and uncanny awareness for the game, he is sure to be one of the top picks for the final 12.

The NBA’s reigning MVP, Joel Embiid, has been having a fantastic 2023-2024 NBA season, as he has a PPG average of 36.0, which is the highest in the NBA (as seen in Figure 1 below). As a center for the 76ers, he fulfills his position consistently, with an average of 11.4 rebounds per game (Figure 2). Team USA would benefit greatly from having Joel Embiid as one of the centers, as he excels in his position, as seen from his PPG and rebound stats for this season.

Figure 1: PPG Stats 23-24 Season (Source: NBA)

Figure 2: Joel Embiid Regular Season Averages (Source: ESPN)

The four-time NBA All-Star Donovan Mitchell was one of the finalists for Team USA back in 2020 for the Tokyo Olympics. As a finalist for the Paris Olympics, Donovan Mitchell is determined to make the national team and lead them to victory. For the 2023-2024 season, he is averaging 27.6 PPG, placing 6th in PPG in the league. He is a reliable shooting guard, as he not only consistently scores points in his games, he also has a relatively high number of steals per game as well, where he currently has the second highest number of steals in the NBA, with an average of 1.9 steals per game (Figure 3).

Figure 3: Donovan Mitchell Regular Season Averages (Source: ESPN)

*Key of abbreviations:

• NBA: National Basketball Association
• C: Center
• F: Forward
• G: Guard
• PPG: Points Per Game
• MVP: Most Valuable Player

Sites used:

https://www.nbclosangeles.com/paris-2024-summer-olympics/usa-basketball-reveals-41-finalists-for-2024-olympic-roster/3319817/ https://www.nba.com/news/usa-basketball-mens-national-team-player-pool-2024 https://www.nbcolympics.com/news/basketball-2024-paris-olympic-games-0 https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nba/news/usa-basketball-roster-2024-olympics-paris-players-pool/813dcecd26a66c4762bb1497 https://www.espn.com/nba/player/gamelog/_/id/1966/lebronjames https://www.usab.com/teams/5x5-mens-olympics https://www.sportskeeda.com/basketball/usa-basketball-olympic-records https://www.espn.com/nba/player/gamelog/_/id/3908809/donovan-mitchell https://www.nba.com/stats/players https://www.espn.com/nba/player/stats/_/id/3059318/joel-embiid https://www.nba.com/news/top-moments-durant-back-to-back-finals-mvps