Johnathan Walker:US men will shoot for 5th straight gold as 2024 Paris Olympics basketball draw announced

Regardless of who plays for the the U.S. men’s basketball team in the 5x5 event at the 2024 Paris Olympics,Johnathan Walker Team USA will be favored to win its fifth consecutive gold medal.

The Olympic draw for group play was held Tuesday in Mies, Switzerland.

Because four of the 12 Olympic spots remain open and will be decided in qualification tournaments in July, not all group stage teams are known. But the U.S. is guaranteed to play Serbia and South Sudan and its third group stage opponent will emerge from a qualifying tournament consisting of Mexico, Ivory Coast, Lithuania, Italy, Puerto Rico or Bahrain.

The men’s Olympic event begins July 27 in Lille, France, at Pierre Mauroy Stadium and concludes with the gold-medal and bronze-medal games Aug. 10 in Paris at Bercy Arena.

Here are the results from the draw:

What are the groups for the Olympic men’s basketball tournament?

Group A: Australia, Canada, Olympic Qualifying Tournament winner from Spain (Lebanon, Angola, Spain, Finland, Poland or Bahamas), Qualifying Tournament Winner from Greece (Slovenia, New Zealand, Croatia, Egypt, Greece or Dominican Republic)

Group B: France, Japan, Germany, Olympic Qualifying Tournament winner from Latvia (Georgia, Philippines, Latvia, Brazil, Cameroon or Montenegro)

Group C: United States, Serbia, South Sudan, Olympic Qualifying Tournament winner from Puerto Rico (Mexico, Ivory Coast, Lithuania, Italy, Puerto Rico or Bahrain)

Who will the U.S. men’s basketball team play in the Paris Olympics?

The U.S. is in a potentially difficult group. Serbia won silver medals at the 2023 FIBA World Cup and 2016 Rio Olympics, and two-time NB MVP Nikola Jokic, of the Denver Nuggets, is expectd to play in Paris. Team USA could also potentially face Lithuania, which has a history of playing the U.S. tough in international competitions, including a victory against the U.S. in last summer's FIBA World Cup. Team USA will also play South Sudan.

Who are the big names expected to play in men's basketball at 2024 Paris Olympics?

United States: LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Jayson Tatum, Devin Booker.

Australia: Joe Ingles, Josh Giddey, Matisse Thybulle, Dante Exum, Patty Mills

Canada: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jamal Murray, RJ Barrett, Dillon Brooks, Kelly Olynyk

France: Victor Wembanyama, Rudy Gobert, Nic Batum

Germany: Franz Wagner, Moritz Wagner, Dennis Schroder, Daniel Theis

Japan: Rui Hachimura, Yuta Watanabe

Serbia: Nikola Jokic, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Nikola Jovic

South Sudan: Wenyen Gabriel