The group stage games for Men’s Basketball at the Paris Olympics get underway on July 27th with Australia taking on Spain. The U.S. men’s team will be going for a sixth consecutive gold medal and is heavily favored to do so. However, after finishing fourth in last year’s FIBA World Cup, Team USA will be seeking redemption.
A few teams that will be looking to spoil Team USA’s run and finally break through for their own historic moments include Canada, France, and Serbia. In this piece, we will be covering players to know on each team, starting with the U.S. team’s group, Group C.
Group C
Notable players you are likely familiar with: Nikola Jokic and Bogdan Bogdanovic (Serbia)
Serbia
Filip Petrusev — 6’11 Center
Filip Petrusev played two seasons collegiately at Gonzaga in the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons. As a sophomore, he was named West Coast Conference Player of the Year after he averaged 17.2 points and 7.9 rebounds per game on a Gonzaga team that went 31-2. Over the next two seasons, he spent time in the Adriatic- LIGA ABA and Turkish Super League. Most notably, he averaged 23.6 points and 7.6 rebounds per game for Mega MIS.
Petrusev was a second round pick of the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2021 NBA Draft. He would not debut with the 76ers until last season. However, it was for only one game, as he was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers in the James Harden trade. The Clippers then redirected him to the Kings, who waived him last November. Afterwards, Petrusev signed with Olympiacos in Greece, where he averaged nine points and four rebounds last season.
Petrusev was a member of the Serbian national team that failed to qualify for the 2020 Summer Olympics (played in 2021) after losing to Italy in the final of the 2020 FIBA Men’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament). He was the team’s leading scorer at 15.5 points, adding five rebounds and a block per game through four games in the event.
Aleska Avramovic — 6’4 Guard
Aleska Avramovic has played professionally internationally since the 2013-14 season with Borac Mozzart of the Serbian First League. In 2016, he won league MVP after averaging 20.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 5.8 assists per game while shooting 54.1% from the field and 40.2% from three. He went undrafted in the 2016 NBA Draft.
Most recently, he has been a double digit scorer and 40% 3-point shooter over the last three years with Partizan Belgrade of the Adriatic League. Avramovic was a part of Serbia’s silver medal run in last year’s FIBA Basketball World Cup. In seven games, he averaged 11.3 points and 2.1 assists.
Vanja Marinkovic — 6’6 Shooting Guard/Small Forward
Vanja Marinkovic played for Partizan Belgrade in both the Adriatic League and for the senior club in the Serbian Super League. Between the junior and senior club, he was apart of three Serbian championship teams (2014, 2018, and 2019). He was the final pick of 2019 NBA Draft to the Sacramento Kings, but he is yet to debut in the NBA.
Marinkovic has spent the last five years in the Spanish Liga ACB with Valencia and Baskonia. He averaged 11.6 points and shot 39% from 3 in 24 minutes per game for last season. However, he resigned with Partizan Belgrade last month.
Most known for his jumpshot, he will be a strong Catch-and-Shoot option for Serbia’s playmaker. His NBA comparison was Bogdanovic, his teammate on the national team.
Vasilije Micic — 6’3 Point Guard
With the exception of Jokic, Vasilije Micic may be the most decorated player on the Serbian national team. Between the Turkish Super League, EuroLeague, ABA League, Serbian League, and Lithuanian League, Micic has won eight championships in the last 10 years. He also won EuroLeague MVP in 2021 after averaging 18.2 points and 4.6 assists per game with Anadolu Efes.
He was a second round pick of the 76ers in 2014, but he did not debut in the NBA until last season with Oklahoma City. The Thunder traded him to Charlotte at the trade deadline, where he finished the season averaging 10.8 points and 6.2 assists in 30 games with LaMelo Ball sidelined. In the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup, he averaged 5.6 points and 3.3 assists in eight games.
Puerto Rico
Jose Alvarado — 6’0 guard
After going undrafted out of Georgia Tech in 2021, Jose Alvarado has carved out a role as a spark plug and pesky defender off the bench for the New Orleans Pelicans. Last season, he averaged 7.1 points, 2.1 assists, and 1.1 steals in 18.4 minutes per game while shooting 37.7% from deep. However, he has a much bigger role on the Puerto Rican national team.
In the 2024 FIBA Men’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament earlier this month, Alvarado helped Puerto Rico claim the final Olympic bid by defeating Lithuania 79-67. Alvarado was named tournament MVP after he averaged 16 points, 3.8 rebounds, three assists, and 2.3 steals per game, including 29 points against Italy and 23 points against Lithuania. He is joined in the backcourt by Tremont Waters.
Tremont Waters — 5’10 Guard
Waters was a big-time scorer at LSU as he averaged 15.6 points per game in two seasons in addition to 5.9 assists and 2.4 steals per game. He was a second round pick of the Celtics in the 2019 NBA Draft. He spent two years with the Celtics and spent time with the Raptors and Wizards over the next seasons. He then signed with Metropolitans 92 in France, where he was a teammate of Victor Wembanyama.
Waters has become a key cog on Puerto Rico’s national team. He averaged 20 points, nine assists, and 2.6 steals per game in last year’s World Cup and 15.3 points, 5.5 assists, and 1.5 per game in the Qualifying Tournament. With Alvarado and Waters, Puerto Rico will be undersized in the backcourt. However, they will also look to pressure opposing guards into turnovers.
Jordan Howard — 5’11 Guard
In four years at Central Arkansas, Jordan Howard was one of the most prolific scorers in the country. He averaged 20.4 points per game for his career, including 25.1 points per game as a senior, which ranked third nationally behind Trae Young and Kendrick Nunn. After going undrafted in 2018, he spent two seasons in the NBA G-League. Since he has played in Korea, France, Italy, and Spain.
He has brought his scoring prowess to Puerto Rico’s national team as he has been a double digit scorer when playing for the club in World Cup qualifiers, the World Cup, and the Qualifying Tournament over the last four years. Most recently, he averaged 11.3 points, 1.8 assists, and shot 72.7% from the field and 66.7 from deep in 15 minutes per game.
George Conditt IV — 7’0 Center
George Conditt IV was a role player during his four seasons at Iowa State and most notably averaged seven points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game in his sophomore season. In 2022, Conditt was the second overall pick in the 2022 Baloncesto Superior Nacional draft by the Gigantes de Carolina in Puerto Rico. With the Gigantes, he has emerged into a double-double threat, averaging 14.1 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game last season. For his efforts, he was named BSN Defensive Player of the Year.
Conditt is the only player above 6’8 on the Puerto Rico national team. In the Qualifying Tournament, he averaged 10.8 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.
Conditt also played last season with the Rip City Remix, the G League affiliate of the Portland Trail Blazers, where he averaged 14.4 points, 9.2 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 34 games before returning to the BSN.
South Sudan
Carlik Jones — 6’1 Guard
Carlik Jones was a double-digit scorer in all three seasons at Radford, including averaging 20 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 5.5 assists as a junior that earned him Big South Conference Player of the Year. He transferred to Louisville for his final collegiate season and he proved he was up to the task of playing in the ACC. With the Cardinals, he averaged 16.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 4.5 assists.
Jones would go undrafted in the 2021 NBA Draft. Over the next two years, he spent time with the Mavericks, Nuggets, and Bulls as well as the Texas Legends and Windy City Bulls in the NBA G-League. Last season, he played in the CBA where he averaged 16.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game while shooting nearly 40% from 3 for the Zhejiang Golden Bulls.
However, the best play of his career may have come in a South Sudan uniform. In last year’s World Cup, he averaged 21 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 10.4 assists on 48.7% shooting from the field and 44% from 3 while South Sudan went 3-2 in the event. He will need to be the team’s catalyst once again in Paris.
Nuni Omot — 6’9 Forward
Nuni Omot spent his final two collegiate seasons at Baylor after transferring in from JUCO. As a senior, he averaged nearly 10 points and 3.6 rebounds per game. He went undrafted in the 2018 NBA Draft, but has since spent time in the NBA G-League with the Long Island Nets, Westchester Knicks, and Lakeland Magic.
Since beginning his international career, Omot has developed into a consistent scoring threat. In the last four years, he has averaged at least 15 points per game in Poland, Germany, Puerto Rico, China, Israel, and Egypt. In 2023, he was named MVP of the Basketball Africa League after averaging 19 points and four rebounds per game with Al Ahly Sporting Club.
He has played for the South Sudan national team in the last three years, typically averaging between 14-15 points per game and four rebounds. He also shot nearly 53% from 3 in last year’s World Cup. He will be a primary floor spacer for South Sudan in the Summer Olympics.
Marial Shayok — 6’5 Shooting Guard/Small Forward
Marial Shayok played his first three seasons in college at Virginia on Tony Bennett’s typically stingy defensive teams. His best season in Charlottesville came as a junior when he averaged 8.9 points and 2.4 rebounds per game. His offensive breakout would not come until he transferred to Iowa State for his final season of eligibility.
With the Cyclones, Shayok averaged 18.7 points, nearly five rebounds, and a steal per game while shooting nearly 39% from deep. He was a First-team All-Big 12 selection and AP Honorable Mention All-American. The 76ers selected Shayok in the second round of the 2019 NBA Draft and signed him to a two-way contract. He spent most of the season in the NBA G League where he averaged 23 points, six rebounds, and 3.8 assists, earning him on a place on the All-NBA G League Third Team and and NBA G League All-Rookie Team. However, his efforts would not earn him another in the 76ers organization as he was released in the offseason.
He spent the next two seasons in Turkey before returning to the G League with the Maine Celtics. He spent last season in the CBA, where he averaged 18.7 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 3.5 assists for Shandong. Shayok averaged 13.2 points and 3.6 rebounds while shooting 50% from the field and 47% from 3 for South Sudan in last year’s World Cup.
Majok Deng — 6’10 Center
After transferring in from JUCO in 2014, Majok Deng played two seasons at Louisiana-Monroe where he averaged 10.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game as a junior and 18.4 points, seven rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game as a senior. He was an All-Sun Belt selection both seasons, earning First Team honors in 2016.
He has spent the past eight years playing in the NBL in Australia. He won the NBL1 North’s scoring title in 2021 and was an All-NBL1 North First-Team selection in 2023. Last season, he helped the Tasmania JackJumpers win the NBL Championship. Following that season, he joined Al Alhy in the BAL, where he earned 15 points, 7.3 rebounds, and made the All-BAL Second Team.
Like the majority of South Sudan’s core, Deng has played on the national team for the last three years. In last year’s World Cup, he averaged 10.2 points and 4.6 rebounds per game.
Wenyen Gabriel — 6’9 Forward
Wenyen Gabriel is the most heralded player on the South Sudan roster as he was a five-star recruit in the 2016 recruiting class. Gabriel committed to Kentucky, where he played two seasons and was teammates with Bam Adebayo on Team USA and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of Team Canada among other future NBA players. Most known for his energy, effort, and defense, Gabriel averaged 6.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game as a sophomore.
Gabriel went undrafted in 2018, but signed a two-way deal with the Kings, where he sent the first three years of his career in their organization before being traded to the Trail Blazers in 2020. He has since seen time with the Pelicans, Nets, Clippers, Lakers, and most recently with the Grizzlies last season.Earlier this month, he signed a two-year deal with Maccabi Tel Aviv of the Israeli Basketball Premier League.
He debuted for South Sudan’s national team in the World Cup last year. He averaged 9.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks per game, finishing as the tournament’s blocks leader.
Group A
Notable players you are likely familiar with:
Canada: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jamal Murray, R.J. Barrett and Dillon Brooks
Greece: Giannis Antetokounmpo
Australia: Josh Giddey, Joe Ingles, and Dyson Daniels
Spain: Santi Aldama
Canada
Kelly Olynyk — 7’0 Center
In a dominant final season at Gonzaga, Kelly Olynyk averaged 17.8 points, 7.3 rebounds, and shot 62.9% from the field. He was a Consensus First-Team All-American as Gonzaga went 32-3. He was the 13th overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft by the Mavericks, who traded his rights to the Celtics.
Olynyk spent four years in Boston and has spent time in Miami, Houston, Detroit, Utah, and Toronto. For his career, he is averaging 10.3 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. That numbers popped to 12.7 points and 5.6 rebounds after a midseason trade to the Raptors and a return to his native country.
Olynyk figures to play heavy minutes on a Canada team that is heavy on guards. As a career 37% 3-point shooter, his ability to stretch the floor will provide spacing for Gilgeous-Alexander, Murray, and Barrett. Olynyk averaged 10.9 points and 4.6 rebounds for Canada in last year’s World Cup.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker — 6’5 Guard
Nickeil Alexander-Walker is overshadowed by his cousin, but he has carved out a solid career for himself in his own right. He played two seasons at Virginia Tech and was a double-digit scorer both years. That includes a breakout sophomore year in which he earned Third Team All-ACC Honors after averaging 16 points, 4.1 rebounds, and four assists per game.
Alexander-Walker was the 17th pick in the 2019 NBA Draft by the Brooklyn Nets, who traded his rights to the Pelicans. Alexander-Walker spent two and a half years with the Pelicans and averaged a career-high 12.8 points with them in the 2021-22 season. However, I would argue the best season of his career came last season. Alexander-Walker averaged 8 points per game with Minnesota and emerged as one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA off the bench as the Timberwolves advanced to the Western Conference Finals.
Alexander-Walker averaged 9.4 points per game in last year’s World Cup. He figures to be a pivotal player off the bench for Canada in the Summer Olympics.
Khem Birch — 6’9 Center
Khem Birch played a season at Pitt before transferring to UNLV. With the Runnin Rebels, he won Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year in 2013 and 2014. As a junior, he averaged 11.5 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 3.8 blocks per game before declaring for the NBA Draft.
Birch went undrafted and signed with the Sioux Falls SkyForce in the then-NBA D-League. Birch spent a year in Turkey and Greece before signing the Magic in 2017. He spent 3.5 years in Orlando before being waived and signing with Toronto.
He closed the 2021-22 season by averaging 11.9 points and 7.5 rebounds with the Raptors, which is the best professional stretch of his career to date. Birch played another two years in Toronto as a reserve and has averaged five points and 4.4 rebounds per game in six seasons. He spent the past season in Spain with Basquet Girona and averaged 8.8 points and 5.6 rebounds per game.
Greece
Nick Calathes — 6’6 Guard
With the exception of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nick Calathes is the most decorated on the Greek National Team. He was a McDonald’s All-American out of high school and signed with Florida, where he won SEC Rookie of the Year and was First-team All-SEC as a sophomore. In 2009, Calathes averaged 17.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 6.6 assists and was the only player in the country to do so.
Calathes was selected in the second round of the 2009 NBA Draft by the Timberwolves, but bypassed the NBA to sign with Panathinaikos Athens in Greece. Calathes spent three years with Panathinaikos in his first stint from 2009-2012 and five more years 2015-2020. With Panathinaikos, Calathes won a EuroLeague championship in 2011, six Greek League championships, and four Greek Cups.
He became known as one of the best passers playing outside of the NBA. From 2016-2020, he led the Greek League in assists and earned MVP honors three consecutive years from 2017-19. He led the EuroLeague in assists from 2018-2020 and again in 2022, and is the EuroLeague’s all-time leader in assists. Additionally, Calathes has spent two years in Russia with Lokomotiv Kuban, two seasons with the Grizzlies, two seasons with FC Barcelona, and the last seasons with Fenerbahce Istanbul in Turkey.
Calathes has represented Greece in EuroBasket and the FIBA World Cup, but this will be his first opportunity to do so in the Summer Olympics. He averaged 10 points and 10.5 assists per in Greece’s four Olympic Qualifying Tournament games.
Thomas Walkup — 6’4 Guard
A Texas native, Thomas Walkup played four seasons at in-state Stephen F. Austin. As a junior, he averaged 15.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 3.7 assists and then 18.1 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game as a senior. The Lumberjacks made the NCAA Tournament in his final three seasons and pulled off upsets off fifth-seeded VCU and third-seeded West Virginia.
Walkup went undrafted in the 2016 NBA Draft, but spent the year with Chicago’s NBA D-League affiliate, the Windy City Bulls. He has spent the last seven seasons in Germany, Lithuania, and Greece. Walkup has always excelled at filling up the stat sheet with his best professional season coming with MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg in 2017-18 when he averaged 11.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.5 assists while shooting 40% from deep. However, he has found a lot more team success in the last six years.
Walkup helped Zalgris Kaunas win the LKL three consecutive years from 2019-2021, winning LKL Defensive Player of the Year in all three seasons as well. With Olympiacos Piraeus, Walkup helped the club win the last three Greek Cups as well as the Greek League championship and Greek Super Cup in 2022 and 2023. He won Greek League best defender in 2022 and 2023 and led the Greek League in assists in the latter season. He led the EuroLeague in steals in 2023 and won EuroLeague Best Defender the following year.
With Calathes and Walkup, Greece will have two playmaking guards that are high-level defenders and Antetokounmpo will be one of their primary assist targets.
Georgios Papagiannis — 7’3 Center
Georgios Papagiannis is certainly familiar with Calathes as they have been teammates on both Panathinaikos and Fenerbahce. Papagiannis has won three Greek League championships and four Greek Cups. He is a three-time Greek All-Star and three-time All Greek League selection, earning First Team honors in 2021 and 2022. For most of those years, he was between 10 points and six to eight rebounds per game.
Papagiannis was also the 13th overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft by the Phoenix Suns, who traded his rights to Sacramento. Papagiannis was productive in the D-League while with the Kings, averaging 13 points and nine rebounds per game. However, he could not find much playing time behind DeMarcus Cousins. In 39 career games with the Kings and Trail Blazers, he averaged 4.1 points and 3.2 rebounds per game.
Papagiannis is a long-time member of the Greece senior national team. He averaged 8.4 points and 4.4 rebounds per game in last year’s World Cup and 12.8 points and five rebounds in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
Konstantinos Mitoglou — 6’11 Forward
Konstantinos “Dinos” Mitoglou played three seasons collegiately at Wake Forest and averaged 9.3 points and 5.4 rebounds in 96 career games. Mitoglou gave up his final year of eligibility to sign a four-year deal with Panathinaikos. He was apart of four Greek League championships and two Greek Cups. He was a Greek All-Star in 2020 and earned All-Greek League First Team honors in 2021, when he also led the league in rebounding.
His best season came in 2019-2020 when he averaged 11.6 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. In 2021, He signed a two-year deal with Olimpia Milano in Italy. However, he only played one of the two years as he was suspended for 16 months by FIBA for his involvement in a doping scandal.This past season, he returned to Panathinaikos, where he averaged 10.9 points and 6.2 rebounds per game, winning both EuroLeague and a fifth Greek League Championship.
Mitoglou has played on Greece’s senior national team for the past eight years. He averaged nine points and five rebounds in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament and 11.5 points and 5.5 rebounds in two preparation games.
Australia
Patty Mills — 6’0 Guard
Patty Mills has had a long NBA career, playing 10 years with the Spurs, two with Portland, two Brooklyn, and this past season with Atlanta and Miami. Mills has hit several big shots in the playoffs and helped the Spurs win the 2014 NBA Finals. For his career, he is averaging about nine points per game and shooting 39% from deep. However, when Mills puts on an Australia uniform, he is often the focal point of its offense.
He averaged 14.2 points per game for Australia in the 2008 Summer Olympics. Since then, he has averaged over 20 points per game in his last three Olympic appearances, 22.8 points in the year’s 2019 FIBA World Cup, and 18.6 points per game in last year’s World Cup. Even at 35 and on a roster with 9 current or former NBA players, expect Mills to lead the way again. He led Australia to a bronze medal in the 2020 Summer Olympics, their first ever in basketball. It will go for its second this time around.
Christopher Goulding — 6’3 Guard
Christopher Goulding has spent much of his basketball career in the NBL with Brisbane Bullets, Perth Wildcats, and primarily with Melbourne United. It was with Melbourne United that Goulding broke out as a pro. In the 2013-14 season, Goulding averaged 23 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game, winning the NBL scoring title. After a year in Spain, he returned to Melbourne United, where he averaged 18.6 points, four rebounds, and three assists and he has been a regular double digit scorer since.
Goulding is a three-time NBL champion- 2007, 2018, and 2021- playing a prominent role in the latter two. He has earned All-NBL six times, with three First Team (2014, 2016, 2024) and Second Team (2021-23) selections each. This will be his third time representing Australia in the Summer Olympics
Jock Landale — 7’0 Center
Along with Mills, Jock Landale is part of Saint Mary’s Australian pipeline. Landale played four seasons with the Gaels, averaging 16.9 points and 9.5 rebounds per game as a junior. He followed that up by averaging 21.5 points and 10.2 rebounds as a senior, winning WCC Player of the Year in 2018 and being named a Consensus Second-Team All-American.
He went undrafted in the 2018 NBA Draft, but signed in the Adriatic League with Partizan Belgrade. Landale spent a year in each in Serbia, Lithuania, and Australia, averaging 16.3 points and 7.8 rebounds with Melbourne United and helped them win the 2021 NBL title.
In 2021, Landale signed with the Spurs and played a season in San Antonio before being sent to Atlanta in the Dejounte Murray trade. The Hawks redirected Landale to the Suns a week later and he spent the last seasons with the Suns and Rockets. He has averaged 5.6 points, 3.3, and is shooting 51.5% from the field in his three NBA seasons.
Landale averaged 12.8 points and 4.7 rebounds per game in Australia’s run in Tokyo.
Duop Reath — 6’9 Center
After two seasons in JUCO, Duop Reath committed to LSU for his junior season. In two seasons with the Tigers, he averaged 12.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.2 blocks per game, and shot 52.7% from the field and 37.5% from behind the arc. He went undrafted in the 2018 NBA Draft and signed a three-year contract in the Adriatic League with FMP. He played two seasons with the club and another with Crvena Zvezda.
Reath spent a year each in the NBL and CBA, averaging 15 points and 7.1 rebounds and then 18.2 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. That earned him a spot on Portland’s summer league team, earning a one-year deal with the organization in October. He played one game with the Rip City Blazers in the G-League, scoring 37 points and pulling down nine rebounds. That earned him a call up to Portland where he averaged 9.1 points and 3.7 rebounds.
Reath played sparingly for Australia in Tokyo. However, he averaged 8.6 points and 2.4 rebounds for Australia in last year’s World Cup.
Spain
Willy Hernangomez — 7’0 Center
Willy Hernangomez began his professional career with Real Madrid in Liga ACB. He won Liga ACB championships with Real Madrid in 2013 and 2016, averaging 6.6 points and 3.8 rebounds per game in the latter year. Hernangomez was a second round pick of the 76ers in 2015 before being traded to the Knicks on draft night.
Hernangomez signed with New York the following summer. He made an immediate impact, averaging 8.2 points and 6.9 rebounds per game, which earned him NBA All-Rookie First Team honors in 2017. Hernangomez was traded to the Hornets to February of 2018 and spent two and a half years with the Hornets before signing with the Pelicans for his last three NBA seasons. Hernangomez averaged 7.3 points and 5.8 rebounds in seven NBA seasons.
He returned to Spain last summer to sign a three-year deal with FC Barcelona. He averaged 12.8 points and 6.7 rebounds, setting new career-highs for him. He has been a member of Spain’s senior national team since 2015 and has won three gold medals (2015 and 2022 EuroBasket and 2019 FIBA World) and a bronze medal in the 2020 Summer Olympics. He has taken a bigger role offensively with the club in recent years, averaging 18.2 points and 5.8 rebounds in last year’s World Cup and 18.3 points and 7.3 rebounds in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
Lorenzo Brown — 6’6 Guard
Brown played three seasons at NC State and averaged 11.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 5.8 assists in his college career. He earned All-ACC honors as a sophomore and junior and helped the Wolfpack reach the NCAA tournament in both seasons. Following his junior year, Brown declared for the 2013 NBA Draft and was selected by the Timberwolves. However, Brown was waived by Minnesota and made his NBA debut with 76ers. He spent parts of five NBA seasons with the 76ers, Timberwolves, Suns, and Raptors.
Brown has spent the past five years in China, Serbia, Turkey, Russia, and Israel. His best season came in the CBA where he averaged 25 points, five rebounds, and 5.3 assists with the Guangzhou Long Lions. Next season, he will add Greece to his list as he signed a three-year deal with Panathinaikos last month.
Brown was granted Spanish citizenship in 2022 and led Spain to a gold medal in EuroBasket 2022. He averaged 15.2 points and 7.6 assists as the Spainards went 8-1 on their run. This will be his first time representing Spain in the Summer Olympics. He averaged 12.3 points and 7.5 assists in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
Rudy Fernandez — 6’5 Guard/Forward and Sergio Llull — 6’4 Guard
Rudy Fernandez was a first round pick in the 2007 NBA Draft of the Portland Trail Blazers. He joined the club in 2008 and played three years in Portland before a year in Denver and then returning to Spain to play for Real Madrid. Llull was a second round pick of the Nuggets in 2009, but never came to the NBA. He has played with Real Madrid since 2010 and has been teammates with Fernandez for the last 12 years. They helped Real Madrid win EuroLeague championships in 2015, 2018, and 2023.
I am lumping them together here because Fernandez is 39 and Llull is 37 and they represent the last of Spain’s golden era that featured Ricky Rubio, the Gasol brothers, and Serge Ibaka. Combined, Fernandez and Llull have won seven EuroBasket gold medals, three FIBA World Cup gold medals, three silver and two bronze medals at the Summer Olympics.
In his prime, Fernandez was explosive and offered 3-and-D capabilities. While he has lost some of his athleticism, he remains a high-level shooter, having shot over 40% from 3 in two of the last four seasons with Real Madrid. Fernandez typically has been a double-digit scorer on the Spanish national team, providing spacing for the Gasol brothers and now Hernangomez. He shot 43% from 3 in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
Llull is a heady point guard that has averaged around 10 points and four assists when playing for the Spanish national team. He averaged 6.3 points and two assists per game in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
Group B
Notable players you are likely familiar with:
France: Victor Wembanyama, Rudy Gobert, and Nicolas Batum
Germany: Franz Wagner, Moritz Wagner, Daniel Theis and Dennis Schroder
Japan: Rui Hachimura
France
Evan Fournier — 6’6 Shooting guard
Evan Fournier is a 12-year NBA veteran, who has spent time with the Nuggets, Magic, Celtics, Knicks, and most recently the Pistons. For his career, he is averaging 13.6 points per game and is a 37.4% 3-point shooter. While Fournier is a player you may be familiar with if you are an avid NBA fan, I am including here for one reason: he steps up when playing for France.
Since the 2017-18 EuroBasket and preparation games, Fournier has been a consistent double-double scorer for the French national team. That includes averaging 19.8 points per game in the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup, 18.7 points in the 2020 Summer Olympics, and 13.8 points in last year’s World Cup. Fournier sparked France’s group stage victory over the United States in Tokyo with 28 points.
Now 31 and with the emergence of Victor Wembanyama, Fournier may not be relied on as heavily. However, playing for his home country and for his next NBA contract, Fournier will be highly motivated. He is certainly someone that Steve Kerr and Co. will have circled on the scouting report.
Guerschon Yabusele — 6’8 Forward
Guerschon Yabusele was a first round pick of the Celtics in the 2016 NBA Draft. He would not debut with the Celtics until 2017 as he remained in the CBA with the Shanghai Sharks and averaged 20.9 points and 9.4 rebounds per game. Yabusele spent two seasons with the Celtics before being waived in July of 2019. He returned to the CBA, spent two years in France, and has spent the last three years with Real Madrid in Liga ACB.
Over the last three years, Yabusele is averaging about 11 points and four rebounds per game with Real Madrid, shooting 50% from the field. He helped Real Madrid win the Liga ACB champion in 2022 and 2024 as well as the EuroLeague championship in 2023. He has been a consistent presence on the French national team over the last five years. He averaged 6.3 points and 3.7 rebounds per game in Tokyo and 10.8 points and 3.2 rebounds per game in last year’s World Cup.
Mathias Lessort — 6’9 Forward/Center
Mathias Lessort has long been one of France’s top prospects. He played on Chalon’s U-21 team for three and a half years before being promoted to the senior club. Then, he signed with Nanterre where he averaged 10.3 points, 7.2 rebounds, and a block per game.
That attracted the interest of the 76ers, who selected him in the second round in the 2017 NBA Draft. Lessort has yet to play in the NBA. However, his rights have been traded three times, most recently to the Knicks in November 2020.
Last season, Lessort played with Panathinaikos Athens in Greece and averaged 8.9 points and 4.5 rebounds. He typically plays the center position, any Olympics minutes he gets will likely be at the four with Gobert and Wembayanama on the roster.
Nando De Colo — 6’5 Guard
Nando De Colo was second round pick of the Spurs in 2009 and came over to the United States three years later. He spent parts of two seasons with the Spurs and Raptors as well as their G-League affiliates. De Colo spent the next five years with CSKA Moscow in the VTB United League where his international legend began to grown.
De Colo averaged 16.4 points per game in five seasons with the club. He helped CSKA Moscow win five consecutive VTB United League championships, winning Playoffs MVP in 2017. He won League MVP in 2015, 2016, and 2018 and earned All-VTB United League First Team honors in all five seasons. He also helped CSKA Moscow win the EuroLeague championship in 2016, winning EuroLeague MVP and Final Four MVP.
He spent the next three years in Turkey before returning to France for the last two seasons. He won another EuroLeague championship with Fenerbance Istanbul of the TBSL in 2019. He helped the club win the TBSL championship in 2022 and Turkish Cup in 2020 as well. De Colo was named to the EuroLeague All-Decade for 2010-2020. He became the all-time leading scorer in European continental competitions in 2023.
De Colo has been a regular member of the French national team for the last 15 years. He averaged 14.7 points and 2.5 assists in the 2016 Summer Olympics and 13.5 points and 6.2 assists in the 2020 Summer Olympics.
Germany
Andreas Obst — 6’3 Guard
Andreas Obst went undrafted in the 2018 NBA Draft, but he has enjoyed a solid career in the German Basketball Bundesliga. He has won two BBL championships in 2016 and 2024 as well as two German Cups in each of the last two years with Bayern Munich.
Obst was a BBL All-Star in 2018. He has been a consistent double-digit scorer over the last six seasons, averaging a career-high 13.4 points per game in 2020-21. He does most of his damage from the perimeter as he has shot 40% from 3 in four of the last five years.
Obst averaged 12 points for the German national team in the 2020 Olympics and 10.4 per game in last year’s World Cup. He scored 14 points against the United States in Monday’s exhibition.
Johannes Voigtmann — 6’11 Center
Johannes Voigtmann began his professional career with the Fraport Skyliners in the BBL. He averaged 12.2 points and 8.6 rebounds with the junior club before earning a promotion in the 2012-13 season. He earned German All-Star appearances in 2015 and 2016 after averaging 12.5 points and six rebounds per game followed by 12 points and 5.7 rebounds.
Over the last eight years, he has played in Spain, Russia, and Italy. He won a VTB United League title with CSKA Moscow in 2021 and nearly averaged 10 points and six rebounds per game.
At 6’11, Voightmann gives Germany a third big man (along with M. Wagner and Theis) that can shoot the ball from the perimeter. In 249 career EuroLeague games, Voightmann is shooting 38% from deep. He shot 40% from 3 in German’s World Cup run last year. He has averaged eight points and 8.4 rebounds per game in Germany’s five Olympic preparation games.
Johannes Thiemann — 6’9 Forward
Not to be confused with Voightmann, Johannes Thiemann also can shoot the ball from the perimeter, but he prefers to bang inside. The best statistical season of his career came with the Baunach Young Pikes of Germany’s national second division. In 2015-16, he averaged 15.3 points and 9.6 rebounds. His strong play earned him a two-year deal with Riesen Ludwigsburg.
Thiemann has spent the last six seasons with Alba Berlin where he won three BBL championships, a BBL Finals MVP in 2022, and earned two BBL All-Star appearances in 2017 and 2018. He will spend next season in Japan with the Gunma Crane Thunders.
Thiemann averaged 6.5 points and six rebounds playing for the German national team in the 2020 Summer Olympics. He averaged seven points and 4.1 rebounds per game in last year’s World Cup.
Brazil
Bruno Caboclo — 6’9 Forward
You may recall Bruno Caboclo as the player that Fran Fraschilla famously declared is “two years away from being two years away” during the 2014 NBA Draft. Caboclo was selected 20th overall by the Raptors. He spent four seasons in the Raptors organization, but played in just 25 games with the club. He also spent time with the Kings, Grizzlies, and Rockets, most significantly seeing time with Memphis in the 2018-19 season when he averaged 8.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, and a block per game.
Over the last four years, Caboclo has played in France, Brazil, the G-League, Germany, and Serbia. In Brazil, he helped Sao Paulo FC win the 2021-22 BCL Americas championship. He averaged 23.9 points and 11.1 rebounds and was named Tournament MVP as well as 2022 NBB MVP. He averaged 15.1 points and 6.8 rebounds per game with Ratiopharm Ulm of the BBL and earned 2023 All-Bundesliga First Team honors. He spent last season with Partizan Belgrade.
Caboclo has been a member of Brazil’s senior national team for the last seven years, participating in the last two World Cups and Olympic Qualifying Tournaments. He averaged 16 points and 9.2 rebounds per game while shooting 56% from the field in last year’s World Cup and 17.8 points and seven rebounds per game in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament earlier this month.
Leo Meindl — 6’7 Forward
Leo Meindl has spent much of his professional career in the NBB. In 2013, he averaged 9.1 points and 2.8 rebounds per game with Franca to win NBB Sixth Man of the Year. Since he has been a consistent double digit scorer. In the 2019-2020 season, he averaged career-highs 17.9 points and 7.2 rebounds with Sao Paulo. Meindl can shoot the 3 as well and is a capable passer, typically averaging between two and three assists per game. He spent two years in Spain and spent last season in Japan with Alvark Tokyo.
Meindl struggled in last year’s World Cup, averaging just 7.4 points per game and shooting 26.9% from the field. He bounced back in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament as he averaged 14 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. He figures to be the second option for Brazil in the Summer Olympics.
Marcelinho Huertas — 6’3 Guard
Now 41, Marcelinho Huertas has played in Spain, Italy, and spent two seasons with the Lakers from 2015 to 2017. He averaged 3.9 points and 3.1 assists in 76 career games with the Lakers.
Huertas is a three-time Liga ACB champion, two-time FIBA Intercontinental Cup champion, and FIBA Champions League champion. He led the Liga ACB in assists three times, most recently last season, and is the Liga ACB all-time leader in assists. He has earned All-Liga ACB seven times, with five First Team selections. Over the last five years, he has been around 13 points and six assists per game with Tenerife.
Huertas played for Brazil in the 2012 Summer Olympics, averaging 11.3 points and six assists per game, and in the 2016 Summer Olympics, averaging 10.4 points and 6.6 assists per game. He averaged 11.5 points, four rebounds, and 5.3 assists in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
Lucas Dias — 6’10 Forward
Lucas Dias has spent his entire career in the NBB with Pinheiros, Paulistano, and Franca. In the 2015-16 season, he broke out, averaging 15.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, and shooting 47% from the field and 43% with Pinheiros. Since he has averaged 15 points or more in six of the last eight seasons, including a career-high 23.3 points per game in 2020-21 with Franca.
With Franca, Dias has won 3 NBB Championships- 2018, 2022, and 2023- winning Finals MVP in 2022. In 2023, he won NBB MVP after averaging 16.9 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. He averaged 9.3 points and five rebounds per game in the Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
Japan
Yuki Togashi — 5’6 Guard
Yuki Togashi will be one of the shortest players in the Summer Olympics, but his game speak volumes. He plays for the Chiba Jets Funabashi in the B. League in Japan. He has led the league in assists twice in 2020 and 2022. He has also won Emperor’s Cup MVP in 2019, 2023, and 2024. He has typically averaged around 14 points and six assists per game. Togashi played for Japan in the Tokyo Olympics, averaging 6.3 points and 1.7 assists in front of his native country.
Keisei Tominaga — 6’3 Guard
Nicknamed the “Japanese Steph Curry”, Keisei Tominaga has been one of the best shooters in the Big Ten for the last two seasons. He averaged 13.1 points per game and shot 40% from 3 as a sophomore and 15.1 points per game and shot 37.6% from 3 as a junior. He earned Second-team All-Big Ten honors from the coaches as a junior and helped Nebraska snap a nine-year NCAA Tournament drought.
Tominaga went undrafted in the 2024 NBA Draft, but he signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Indiana Pacers this summer. He helped Japan qualify for the Olympics by averaging 11.4 points and shooting 37.5% from 3 in last year’s World Cup.
Josh Hawkinson — 6’10 Center
Josh Hawkinson played four seasons at Washington State, becoming a starter in his sophomore season. He averaged a double-double in each of his last three seasons, averaging 15.1 points and 10.6 rebounds per game in those seasons. He was a honorable mention All-Pac 12 selection in 2015 and 2016 before earning All-Pac 12 Second Team honors as a senior.
Hawkinson went undrafted in the 2017 NBA Draft and he has been playing in the B.League ever since. He spent three years with the Toyotsu Fighting Eagles, three years with the Shinshu Brave Warriors, and last season with the Sun Rockers Shibuya. He has typically averaged 18 points and nine rebounds per game with his best season coming in 2019-20 when he averaged 20.6 points and 10.3 rebounds with the Fighting Eagles.
Hawkinson kept the double-doubles coming for Japan, when he averaged 21 points and 10.8 rebounds per game in last year’s World Cup.
