The 2024 Summer Olympics are being held this summer in Paris, France, marking the first time the City of Light has hosted the summer games since 1924. It also brings the summer games back to Europe, a central hub for the world’s basketball culture.
This central location is one reason why so many NBA players are representing their countries in the Olympics, including a star-studded Team USA roster featuring titanic all-time players like LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant. Teams around the world are also brimming with talent, each boasting at least one NBA player from last season. Notably, Canada and Australia are filled to the brim with NBA talent.
While the World Cup is the premier event in soccer/football, often overshadowing the Olympics, the opposite is true in basketball. For both the men’s and women’s competitions, the Olympics represent the pinnacle of international play, attracting the best players in the world.
Depending on how you rank the top 10 players in the NBA, as many as nine will be competing in the Olympics this year: Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid, Stephen Curry, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Jayson Tatum, Anthony Davis, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Both Devin Booker and Anthony Edwards are also reasonable candidates for the top 10. This list doesn’t even include Rudy Gobert, last season’s Defensive Player of the Year, or Victor Wembanyama, who may become a top 10 player as early as next season.
As Toronto fans tune into the Summer Olympics and the top tier of men’s basketball, who should they be watching?
List of Toronto Raptors Olympians
For Toronto Raptors fans looking to root for their players in the Paris Olympics, the choice is simple: watch Team Canada.
Team Canada is packed with NBA players; 10 of their 12 players are currently under NBA contracts, including MVP runner-up Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and playoff star Jamal Murray. While their best players are in the backcourt, they have a deep enough team to challenge any opponent and won the bronze medal at last year’s World Cup, beating Team USA.
Two Raptors players will suit up for Team Canada, and both may even start. RJ Barrett is a longtime Team Canada veteran on the wing, and Kelly Olynyk is a stretch-big and a key player at Canada’s thinnest position. Olynyk’s ability to get hot from outside will be crucial to Canada’s chances of securing another medal.
Former Toronto Raptors Competing in 2024 Paris Olympics
If there are only two current players on Olympic rosters, what about former players?
Team Canada features Khem Birch, who played center for Toronto for multiple seasons before being traded to San Antonio in the Jakob Poeltl deal. Spain has two former Raptors in Juancho Hernangomez and Lorenzo Brown, who both had brief stints in Toronto.
Continuing with the “brief stops” theme, France’s Nando De Colo, a European legend, briefly played for the Raptors. Yuta Watanabe is one of two NBA players competing for Japan and played for Toronto early in his career. Dennis Schroder is the top scorer for a Germany team that won the World Cup and could medal in Paris; he started at point guard last year when the Raptors were vying for a playoff spot.
The name most familiar to Raptors fans might be Bruno Caboclo, a former first-round pick famously described by analyst Fran Fraschilla as being “two years away from being two years away.” Caboclo spent four seasons in Toronto and never found his footing in the NBA, but he has emerged as a star in Europe and is the best player on a Brazil team that qualified for Paris by defeating a talented Latvia team in Latvia.
Kawhi Leonard would have been the most prominent Toronto alumnus competing in the Olympics, but he was sent home from Team USA practices after being deemed not 100 percent following his most recent injury.
When to Watch Team Canada
Team Canada is both the national team to root for as residents of Canada and the best way to support Raptors players in Paris. When do they play?
Canada is in the ultra-competitive Group A, fighting with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Greece, Australia, and longtime powerhouse Spain to reach the knockout stage. Their first game is on July 27th at 3:00 PM ET against Greece.
Game 2 is on July 30th at 7:30 AM ET, and they will wrap up group play on August 2nd at 11:15 AM ET against Spain. The knockout stage will begin on August 6th.
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