The USA Basketball Men's National Team (USABNT) started their preparation for the Paris Olympics on a good note. The defending champions won their first warm-up match against Canada by a margin of 80-72. The exhibition match took place in the USA's Las Vegas and the fans came out in good numbers. It was a good way for the USA to kick start their campaign.
The team of the USA had some of the star players like Stephen Curry and LeBron James in their starting 5. After the first few minutes of the game, the players from the NBA who shined in the 2023/24 season got a chance to be in the playing 5. The match turned out to be closer than expected and the USA would be hoping to beat teams like Canada with huge margins.
Kevin Durant did not take part in the warm-up match due to a calf strain. In the upcoming days, the defending champions will face the challenge of teams like Australia and Serbia. They will then travel to London to take part in a couple of friendly matches. The USA will take on Serbia in their first match of the Paris Olympics on the 28th of July. They would be hoping to extend their gold medal-winning streak.
Canada announces its Basketball squad for Paris Olympics 2024
Meanwhile, Canada announced their squad for the major tournament. Ahead of the match against the USA in Las Vegas, Canada's squad was announced. The roster has the likes of Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Andrew Nembhard, Khem Birch, RJ Barrett, Dillon Brooks, Jamal Murray, Melvin Ejim, Luguentz Dort, Trey Lyles, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Kelly Olynyk will be leading the North American team. He has an experience of playing in the NBA. On paper, they look to be a competitive side. "Stand on Guard 🍁 Proud to announce our 1⃣2⃣ senior men's national team athletes who will represent Canada at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games," wrote the Basketball's official handle of Canada on their social media.