Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games: The Biggest Stories to Watch in Men’s Basketball Tournament | NBA.com Mexico | The Official Site of the NBA

As a medal sport, basketball has been a part of the Olympic Games since 1936 in Berlin, Germany. At that time it was only the male category, as women debuted decades later, in Montreal 1976.

One country has dominated the Games for the most part, but the 12 teams that will be in Tokyo 2020 should present one of the most competitive tournaments in history. There will be heavyweights like the United States, Spain and Argentina, as well as rising teams like Nigeria and Slovenia.

There are many stories that surround each team. Which are the most important? Our NBA.com Staff discusses it.

More | Guide to men’s basketball at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games: groups, rosters, figures, matches and more

Gilbert McGregor (@ GMcGregor21): I have my eye on Luka Doncic and how far he can lead Slovenia. In the Olympic Repechage, Luka put the team on his back. In the final, the 22-year-old recorded a triple-double of 31 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds in the final to lead his country to its first Olympic berth with a win over local Lithuania.

Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games The Biggest Stories to Watch in

And now, what’s next?

Every time Doncic goes out on the court, it is a must to see him. He is one of the few today who can dictate the entire outcome of the game by controlling the pace and manipulating the defenses. I’m excited to see how far you can lead your team, because I would not rule out that it can achieve a miracle.

Slovenia had never made it to the Olympics before this year, which means it has never won a medal. With Doncic not even close to his prime, who’s to say he can’t make even more history by leading this nation to a medal in his first appearance?

It’s that good. And I’ll definitely be tuned in as he looks to make more history.

Yash Matange (@ yashmatange2694): I stay with the search for the Team USA for their fourth consecutive gold.

Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games The Biggest Stories to Watch in

The country that is mentioned to have dominated Olympic basketball is, of course, United States, which has won 15 of the 19 possible gold medals, including the first seven (1936-68). However, since 1968, the most they have won is three in a row. The good news for Team USA? After a non-gold medal finish (1988, 2004), they have a track record of regrouping and dominance.

Having won three consecutive golds,is 2021 the year your most recent domain ends? Considering the lack of Olympic experience on the roster and the chemistry of playing together, it will undoubtedly be his toughest career in recent history.

From their final 12-man roster, three players (Devin Booker, Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday) will not join the team until a few days before the Olympics, without any participation in training camp. Of the remaining nine, Kevin Durant is the most experienced, but he is one of only three players who has had previous Olympic experience. The others are Draymond Green (2016) and Kevin Love (2012).

The remaining players, Damian Lillard, Jayson Tatum, Bam Adebayo, Jerami Grant and Zach LaVine, will either be playing their first Olympics (Tatum) or are preparing to debut in a top international tournament.

All of this is to say that Team USA could have a tough road ahead of them.

Kane Pitman (@KanePitman): I’m obviously biased, but I think one of the main stories will be whether Australia can overcome the eternal glass ceiling to get its first medal in a major tournament for the men’s program.

In both the fourth-place Sydney 2000 Olympics and Rio 2016, the Boomers have fallen desperately short of the podium. In addition to Rio’s anguish, this same group also finished fourth at the 2019 World Cup.

1626385179 472 Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games The Biggest Stories to Watch in

Losing Andrew Bogut from the veteran core will be a blow, as Tokyo looms as a potential last chance for the quartet of Patty Mills, Joe Ingles, Matthew Dellavedova and Aron Baynes to create history with everyone now over 30 years old.

What they do carry is a wealth of experience playing together that will prove invaluable as teams scramble to find chemistry in the run-up to the tournament. They are also driven by young NBA talents, including the dynamic defensive powerhouse Matisse Thybulle. Other NBA players on the team include Dante Exum and Josh Green, while NBL stars Jock Landale and Chris Goulding are expected to feature heavily in the rotation.

The Boomers have a favorable group with Nigeria, Italy and Germany, all competitive nations but not known powerhouses in the FIBA ​​world.

Kyle Irving (@KyleIrv_): I’m curious to see if the hype it’s real with this team of Nigeria. With the second-most NBA players on their roster at all of the Olympics, Nigeria was already attracting me as a potential under-the-radar team. After surprising the United States in a friendly, I begin to believe that they could surprise several people.

I know they suffered a tough subsequent loss to Australia, but with the Australians in their group maybe they were saving something for when the game really counts.

Players like Precious Achiuwa, KZ Okpala, Gabe Vincent (all from Miami Heat), Miye Oni (Utah Jazz) and Chimezie Metu (Sacramento Kings) they have the opportunity to take on much more responsibility than their respective roles in the NBA. Josh Okogie (Minnesota Timberwolves) and Jahlil Okafor (Detroit Pistons) they are playing with a special load. Nigeria will also have a strong scoring forward with Milwaukee Bucks rookie Jordan Nwora, once the Finals are over.

That’s already an impressive roster that could make some noise in Tokyo, and Nigeria will compete without two certified starters at OG Anunoby (Toronto Raptors) and Monte Morris (Denver Nuggets). Imagine if that tandem was also preparing for the Olympics. The future is bright for basketball in Africa.

Leandro Fernandez (@FernandezLea): The Olympics will be a great opportunity to watch and appreciate some of the legends we will probably never see again, especially two standouts: Luis Scola and Pau Gasol, who will probably retire at the end of the tournament. Yes, a kind of “The Last Dance” for both of us.

At 41, Scola will once again put his incredible longevity on the table. After all, with 39, averaged 17.9 points and 8.1 rebounds to lead Argentina to the runner-up in the 2019 World Cup. It will be his fifth Olympic Games, and He will seek his third medal after gold in 2004 and bronze in 2008.

Pau also arrives in Tokyo at the age of 41, although in a different context than Scola, having to overcome a long inactivity before being able to finalize this farewell that he expected with Spain. It will also be his fifth Games, and until now he has two silver (2008 and 2012) and one bronze (2016).

With all that they represent for the sport, winning a medal for anyone would be an ideal closure to their legendary careers.

1626385179 733 Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games The Biggest Stories to Watch in

Agustin Aboy (@AboyAgustin): the eaves selection of Washington Wizards, Rui Hachimura, to be one of the flag bearers for Japan at the opening ceremonyDespite being his first Olympic Games, it shows how important it is for Japan. He and his teammates face an uphill battle when it comes to medals, but Rui’s stardom and example of multiculturalism mean so much more.

In general, the Japanese men’s team has not been very successful on this stage. These will be their first Olympics since 1976, they finished last in the 2019 World Cup and the last time they were successful was in 1997 when they finished second in the Asian Championships. Nonetheless, they enter the Tokyo Olympics with two young players who are probably their biggest stars: Hachimura and Yuta Watanabe.

If Japan beat Spain, Argentina or Luka Doncic’s Slovenia, each of whom is in their group, it would be one of the biggest upsets in basketball history at the Olympics.

Carlan Gay (@TheCarlanGay): There are so many intriguing stories heading into the Olympics, but the one that interests me the most is Yes, the Czech Republic can continue to surprise the basketball world.

I was lucky enough to be on the court broadcasting play-by-play for most of their career up to a surprising sixth place at the 2019 World Cup. I was back on the court when they qualified for the Olympic Games in the Victoria Repechage. In both cases, no one expected the Czechs to go far, but they defeated everyone.

The team is led by Chicago Bulls point guard Tomas Satoransky and former NBA Jan Vesely, but the core has been together for years and has developed the necessary chemistry in tournaments like this. They have been in pressure situations before and have also felt very comfortable in the role of underdogs they will surely have in most of their games in Japan.

Their coach, Ronen Ginzburg, has the perfect combination of calm, risk management and IQ that gives the team a real air of confidence that they can compete with whoever is in front of them.

The Czechs have been writing the history of basketball in their country for the past few years and what a storybook ending it would be if they could surprise one more time and return home with an Olympic medal.

The opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of the NBA or its organizations.