The world’s best basketball teams will compete at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games from 27 July to 11 August.
In both the men and women’s competitions, 12 teams are split into three groups of four, with the initial group phase of the tournament taking place at the Pierre Mauroy Stadium in Lille.
The knockout rounds will be held at the Bercy Arena in Paris.
The Olympic tournament begins with Spain versus Australia on 27 July (10am BST). The Men’s gold-medal game will take place on 10 August.
In the Women’s competition, Spain also open against China on 28 July (12:30pm BST), with the gold-medal game on 11 August.
The Paris 2024 5v5 basketball schedule can be found here.
The star-studded United States of America have dominated Olympic men's basketball, winning 16 gold medals out of a possible 20.
While the USA Men are the heavy favourites in Paris, hosts and 2021 silver-medalists France, along with 2023 World Cup champions Germany, are among the leading challengers for the gold medal at the Games.
The States must defeat a strong pool of opponents that includes both the hosts and the Germans, rising power Canada and a Serbia team led by three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokić.
The US Women are looking to become the first-ever team to win an eighth-straight gold medal, but it won’t be easy.
Belgium were one last-second shot from taking the US to overtime at the Antwerp Olympic Qualifying Tournament back in February, while FIBA World Cup 2022 silver medallists China will also be in the mix.
France’s strong team won bronze at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 and also have home advantage on their side.
Who are the players to watch?
Joining Jokić in Paris, the USA Men's roster is replete with NBA All-Stars, MVPs, and Olympic champions.
The squad is led by two-time Olympic gold medallist LeBron James, as the 39-year-old returns to international action for the first time since winning gold at the London 2012 Olympics.
James is joined by four-time NBA champion Steph Curry, three-time gold medallist Kevin Durant and Jayson Tatum, fresh off of winning the 2024 NBA title with the Boston Celtics.
The hosts, meanwhile, boast NBA Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama, while Giannis Antetokounmpo will be suiting up for Greece.
Team USA Women is headlined by two Olympic gold medallists and multiple WNBA MVPs Breanna Stewart and A’ja Wilson and are joined by Olympic veterans Brittney Griner and Diana Taurasi, with the 42-year-old recently announcing that her sixth Olympics in Paris would be her last.
Belgium have two-time EuroLeague MVP and a WNBA champion Emma Meesseman in their ranks, while France’s Gabby Williams and Marine Johannes are not to be missed.
Yueru Li was a star for China at the FIBA World Cup, and she will be joined by WNBA favourite Xu Han.
The 3x3 edition at Paris 2024 will run from 30 July to 5 August, held at the iconic Place de la Concorde in the heart of Paris.
Eight men’s and eight women’s teams make up the pool stages each with four athletes, and all teams play each other in a single pool over the first three and a half days. On day four, a play-in will be introduced for teams that finish 3rd to 6th.
The top two teams advance directly to the semi-finals, while teams placing 7th and 8th will be eliminated. The remaining six teams compete in the play-in, with the semi-finals and medal games all taking place on the last day of competition, on the 5 August.
The full 3x3 schedule can be found here.
The reigning champions across the men and women’s competition will be tough to beat.
Latvia created history by winning the first men's gold medal in Tokyo 2020 after superstar Karlis Lasmanis hit an epic two-point buzzer beater to down China in the decider.
But top seeds Serbia have been unbeatable of late, winning three-straight Europe Cups and back-to-back World Cups.
USA Women, full of WNBA talent, were too good for China in the 2020 women's gold medal decider, as they continued their country's tradition of delivering at the Olympics regardless of the format.
China are one of only three women's teams returning from Tokyo, though, and have three players with Olympic experience - more than any other team.
For the men, a refreshed Latvia have have superstars Nauris Miezis and Lasmanis leading their gold medal defence.
Netherlands star Worthy de Jong is dubbed the ‘best pure scorer 3x3 has ever seen’ ahead of his Olympics debut, while Serbia have settled on a winning formula of Ub Huishan NE stars Strahinja Stojacic, Dejan Majstorovic and Marko Brankovic alongside Liman big man Mihalio Vasic.
Canada women’s superstar twins Michelle and Katherine Plouffe are ranked first and third respectively in the format and will be a must-watch this summer.
China’s Lili Wang has spectacularly returned to her brilliant best after suffering a serious knee injury last year.
In the UK, the BBC will broadcast the 2024 Games on its free-to-air channels across BBC One, BBC Two and BBC iPlayer.
Not all basketball games will be aired, though, with a more comprehensive coverage available via Discovery+.
