Paris Olympics: Can anyone dethrone the Dream Team?

When a team wins 80% of all Olympic gold medals in basketball, it has to be the first and biggest favourite. Of course, it's the USA. After the two disappointing appearances at the past two FIBA World Cups (in which they finished medalless!), the Americans brought out the heavy artillery and the team full of NBA superstars led by the King himself - LeBron James. Apart from him, there are Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Jayson Tatum, the Cameroonian-born Joel Embiid... The team that gives chills and strikes fear into the rivals' hearts.

South Sudan will be the only African representative in the tournament. The Bright Stars left an excellent impression at last year's World Cup and now aim for at least the quarter-final. The group with the USA, Serbia, and Puerto Rico is nothing but tough, but the team led by the American-born Carlik Jones and legendary NBA player Luol Deng as an assistant manager hopes for the best. Charlotte's JT Thor, Maccabi Tel Aviv's Wenyen Gabriel, and Khaman Maluach from Duke University are the Bright Stars' biggest strengths.

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Canada probably has the strongest team after the USA, and it would be a miracle if they didn't win a medal. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jamal Murray, RJ Barrett, and Dillon Brooks are only some of the names on their roster, which includes only two players outside the NBA. France is also among the favourites to win a medal. Their combination of experienced and young NBA players like Nicolas Batum, Evan Fournier, Rudy Gobert, and Victor Wembanyama, as well as some renowned Euroleague names such as Nando de Colo, Guershon Yabusele, and Mathias Lessort, makes it a threatening combination.

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Australia, with Patty Mills, Josh Giddey, and Duop Reath, will also be in the mix, as will Serbia, with three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic and Bogdan Bogdanovic. Finally, World Champion Germany, led by captain Dennis Schroder and the Wagner brothers, Greece, with two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, and two-time World Champion Spain, will also have high hopes of securing a medal.

PARIS OLYMPICS - BASKETBALL MEN

Group stage

Saturday

12.00: (1.60) Australia (16.0) Spain (2.65)

14.30: (-) Germany (-) Japan (-)

18.15: (1.20) France (19.0) Brazil (5.50)

22.00: (4.10) Greece (17.0) Canada (1.30)

Sunday

12.00: (1.90) S.Sudan (15.0) Puerto Rico (2.10)

18.15: (9.00) Serbia (23.0) USA (1.10)

***odds are subject to change***