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Brian Windhorst, ESPN Senior Writer
Team USA men got a reasonable draw Tuesday for the Olympics, avoiding what might be the most competitive pool in the event’s history as they seek a fifth consecutive gold medal this summer in Paris.
The Americans were drawn into Group C for the Olympic pool play that starts on July 27. They will face World Cup silver medalist Serbia, which is expected to have two-time MVP Nikola Jokic, as the toughest opponent in the group.
The top two teams in each group will advance to the quarterfinals.
The Americans also will play South Sudan, playing in its first-ever Olympics and the qualifier from a tournament in Puerto Rico. Italy, Lithuania and Puerto Rico are candidates to get that spot, which will be determined on July 7 in San Juan.
Numerous top NBA players including LeBron James, Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, Jayson Tatum and newly-naturalized American Joel Embiid have said they hope to take part in the Steve Kerr-coached team this summer and win the country’s 17th gold medal.
But the bigger story was what pool Team USA didn’t fall into. The unquestioned Pool of Death turned out to be Group A. It includes 2021 bonze medalist Australia, technically the highest-ranked team in the pool. But it’s also loaded with NBA player-laden Canada, the World Cup silver medalist from 2023, and qualifiers from tournaments in Spain and Greece this summer.
Spain, which hasn’t yet qualified for the Olympics, is the second-ranked team in the world. They will be fighting for the spot against the Bahamas, who are expected to have a collection of NBA talent. The Greece tournament, meanwhile, could pit Luka Doncic-led Slovenia against Giannis Antetokounmpo-led Greece.
That means Group A could end up loaded with NBA All-Stars including Canada’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Meanwhile, the Team USA Women will be seeking their eighth consecutive Olympic gold.
As the top overall seed, they were drawn into Group C. Also in the group was drawn Japan, which the Americans beat in the gold medal game in the Olympics in Tokyo in 2021. Belgium and Germany, which is making its Olympic debut, are also in Team USA’s group.
Pool play for the Olympics will take place in Lille, France, which is 200 kilometers from Paris. The medal round will take place at Accor Arena in central Paris.
The men’s gold medal game is set for Aug. 10, the women’s is set for Aug. 11.
MEN’S GROUPS Group A: Australia (world ranking 5), Canada (7), Spain OQT winner, Greece OQT winner.
Group B: Germany (3), France (9), Japan (26), Latvia OQT winner.
Group C: United States (1), Serbia (4), South Sudan (33), Puerto Rico OQT winner.
WOMEN’S GROUPS Group A: China (world ranking 2), Spain (4), Serbia (10), Puerto Rico (11).
Group B: Australia (3), Canada (5), France (7), Nigeria (12).
Group C: United States (1), Belgium (6), Japan (9), Germany (19).
FORMAT It is the same for the men’s and women’s tournaments. Teams will play three group stage games. The top two finishers in each group, plus the two best third-place teams, will advance to the quarterfinals.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.