LILLE (France) - The first Gameday of the 2024 Men's Olympic Basketball Tournament provided some amazing action and even more spectacular individual performances. Let's look at the Top Performers of Gameday 1.
Giannis Antetokounmpo - Greece
Greece superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo did everything he could to try to beat Canada, but 34 points were not enough in an 86-79 loss. He scored those points on 11-of-17 shooting plus 12-of-15 free throws as he drew 10 fouls - creating absolute havoc for the Canadian defense. Antetokounmpo also delivered 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal for an efficiency of 31. But in the end, Greece just couldn't give him enough help.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander - Canada
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Canada came to Paris on a mission and boy did the NBA superstar deliver in his first game - an 86-79 win over Greece. He tallied 21 points on just 10 field goal attempts as he also converted 9 of 10 free throws, drawing 8 fouls from Greece defenders. Gilgeous-Alexander added 5 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal and 2 blocks with just 2 turnovers for an effiency of 28. If Canada can keep getting performances like this from Gilgeous-Alexander, it wouldn't be a shock at all if the North Americans leave Paris with some hardware around their necks.
Jock Landale - Australia
Australia entered the Olympics as arguably the hottest team except for United States with wins over Serbia, Puerto Rico and France in a span of six days ahead of the Games. The Boomers kept up that momentum by opening Paris 2024 with a 92-80 win over Spain - their first victory over the Europeans since the 2000 Olympics. Jock Landale was a real force for Australia, collecting 20 points on 9 of 14 shots and 1 of 1 free throws. He also grabbed 9 rebounds, dished out 5 assists and swiped 1 steal. The big man showcased his all-around game with an efficiency of 28.
LeBron James - USA
LeBron James showed no signs of slowing down despite being 39 years old. The two-time gold medallist was a massive force for United States in their comfortable 110-84 victory over Serbia to start the Olympics. James scored 21 points, grabbed 7 rebounds, dished out 9 assists and swiped 1 steal for an efficiency of 28. With it, James also climbed the all-time Top 10 leaderboards of three stats - assists, steals and games won.
Kevin Durant - USA
Do we really need to explain why he's in our selection?
You insist? All right, before checking the link below, know this: he scored 21 points without a miss in just under 9 minutes in the first half.
FIBA