MIES (Switzerland) - The 2024 Summer Olympics are almost here. The excitement is growing, the Men's Olympic Basketball Tournament is set to be incredible and unpredictable, with nearly all 12 teams hoping they could climb the podium at the end of the event in Paris.
That's because they all have at least one major international basketball star on their roster. We narrowed the list down to 20 players - in no particular order - whose performances could make all the difference between winning or going back home empty handed.
Plus, these players are an absolute show by themselves, and their performances are a must-see.
Jose Alvarado - Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico made it back to the Olympics after 20 years, and their backcourt tandem is a big reason why. Tremont Waters already showed us he can score and pass like the best of them at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023, and bringing in the New Orleans Pelicans guard next to him only made the team better.
Jose Alvarado picked up the TISSOT MVP award at the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament earlier this month, putting up 16.0 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.3 steals per game, all done while shooting 12-of-24 from the three-point range across four games.
Now, the 26-year-old gets the biggest of all stages to remind the world once again how tough Puerto Rico guards can be.
Rui Hachimura - Japan
Throughout his NBA career, the Japanese fortress played more than 30 minutes per game just once, back in 2020-21. With limited time, people tend to forget how powerful the 26-year-old can be when given the leading role.
During the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Hachimura was one of the best players of the entire tournament, getting 22.3 points with 6.7 rebounds per game, trailing only Ricky Rubio, Luka Doncic and Patty Mills in the scoring list.
Rui had a solid campaign with the LA Lakers, scoring 13.6 points on 53.8 percent shooting from the field, including 42.2 percent from beyond the arc. Don't be surprised if Hachimura ends up topping the Olympic scoring chart in 2024.
Franz Wagner - Germany
Sure, Dennis Schroder is the leader of this team, and their MVP. But Franz Wagner is that key cog for coach Gordon Herbert, the one who always shows up when it matters most.
The 22-year-old has improved every year since stepping on a bigger stage with ALBA Berlin back in 2017-18, increasing his role with the Michigan Wolverines in two NCAA seasons, then going from 15.2 points as a rookie to 19.7 points per game in his third season with the Orlando Magic.
Last summer, he was struggling with an injury during the gold medal winning FIBA Basketball World Cup run, but there were no signs of rust in the biggest games.
He had 22 points against the United States in the Semi-Finals, then backed it up with 19 points and 7 rebounds against Serbia to pick up the TCL Player of the Game honors in the Final.
Josh Giddey - Australia
For years, the Boomers had FIBA Patty, a prime example of what a talented NBA player can do when he gets his superpowers by wearing the national team jersey. Now that Patty Mills is reaching the final chapters of his career, it's time to hand the baton over to FIBA Giddey.
Josh Giddey saw his numbers go down with the Oklahoma City Thunder this season, and he struggled to reach double digits in a ten-game NBA Playoffs run. It turned out to be his last one with the Thunder, having been traded to the Chicago Bulls shortly after.
But his confidence is sky high once again with the national team. He nearly posted a triple-double in a narrow defeat against the United States, and this seems like a good time to remind you the 21-year-old had 19.4 points, 6.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game last summer, claiming the Wanda Rising Star award at the World Cup.
LeBron James - USA
Do you really need us to write anything here? Come on.
Jamal Murray - Canada
A lot of time has passed since that 18-year-old kid made his national team debut at the 2015 Pan American Games. He is now finally back with Canada, ready to do his thing on the Olympic stage. And yes, he likes big stages more than anything in the world.
Murray has always managed to get more productive in the NBA Playoffs, whether it's winning games at the buzzer, scoring 50 points twice in the same series against the Utah Jazz in 2020, or just generally being the perfect fit next to Nikola Jokic.
The fact that he missed out on Canada's bronze medal run at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 should make him even more motivated to do something special for his country this year.
Nikola Jokic - Serbia
It's impossible to mention Murray and not think of Nikola Jokic next. Back in 2016, he was still just a 21-year-old and not as big of a difference maker as today, but he still had 9.1 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 22.0 minutes per game, en route to a silver medal in Rio de Janeiro.
The three-time NBA MVP now wants to go one better and come back home with the golden medal around his neck. His FIBA EuroBasket 2022 campaign was his strongest in the SRBIJA jersey, getting 21.7 points, 10.0 rebounds and 4.3 assists in 25.2 minutes each night.
But trust us. He'd trade all those numbers for a new piece of silverware in his trophy collection.
Victor Wembanyama - France
No pressure, kid. Just the eyes of the entire world looking at you to guide the hosts of the Olympics towards the top step of the podium. They were already a finalist without you, and you clearly made them a better team, so it's only logical to win it this time...
When you put it this way, the weight on his shoulders would be unbearable for most players, but Wemby is different, special and a player who'll draw the "oohs" and "ahhs" from the crowd no matter where he's playing.
Playing in front of 27,000 of his own fans at the Pierre Mauroy Stadium will only bring more wind to his sails. Pressure? Nope. He probably thinks of it as an opportunity, a once in a lifetime surrounding.
Bruno Caboclo - Brazil
Prime Bruno Caboclo has finally arrived. Coach Aco Petrovic loves using him as one of the two bigs in his lineups, and Caboclo's endless wingspan and soft touch around the rim made him the TISSOT MVP of the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Latvia, where Brazil upset the hosts to reach the Olympics.
Caboclo is 28 now, reportedly trying to get back to the NBA after a season with Partizan in Belgrade, Serbia, and the way he looked at the OQT, it doesn't sound like a crazy idea.
He averaged 17.8 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.0 blocks, while shooting 66.7 percent from the field and 57.1 percent from the three-point range in those four games in Latvia. Throw in all those dunks, a full court heave and the general intimidation factor, no wonder he's a crowd favorite.
Kevin Durant - USA
History awaits. Carmelo Anthony, Gennadi Volnov and Sergei Belov are the only three players with more Olympic medals (4) than Kevin Durant (3), but if the United States go all the way in Paris, KD is going to be all alone at the top of another list.
He could become the first male player to win four Olympic gold medals.
Carmelo Anthony has three of them, with a bronze from 2004, Durant picked up the top spot in 2012, 2016 and 2020 to tie the all-time score with Melo. They are the only two players with three Olympic titles to their names.
Hopefully the calf injury which made him miss two preparation games will be behind him when he arrives in France.
FIBA