The 2024 Olympics has kicked off, which means group play for the Men’s Basketball tournament will soon begin.
Most Oklahoma City Thunder fans will root for a second squad beyond the hometown Team USA. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Lu Dort hope to carry Canada’s momentum from its bronze medal finish last year at the 2023 FIBA World Cup.
Gilgeous-Alexander is the face of the program. The 26-year-old is one of the best players in the league and is fresh off a runner-up finish in MVP last season. Canada will go as far as he takes it.
Canada must survive group play first though — which is no easy task. It is placed in the toughest group with Australia, Spain and Greece. Gilgeous-Alexander will face off against the three other squads in the coming days.
The headliner of the group phase for Thunder fans will be when Canada and Australia face off on Tuesday, July 30.
The international contest provides the first chance for Gilgeous-Alexander and former teammate Josh Giddey to square off as opponents. The latter was shipped to the Chicago Bulls earlier this offseason after three seasons in OKC.
The 21-year-old struggled to adjust to an off-ball role last season. He was eventually benched in the NBA playoffs. In Chicago, he returns to a primary ball-handler role that best suits his strengths.
After sharing a backcourt for three years, both players enter the 2024 Olympics as the face of their respective programs. They will likely match up for most of the contest together.
It’ll be fun for Thunder fans to see Gilgeous-Alexander and Giddey duke it out in this high-stakes setting. The former’s ascension played a factor in the latter’s eventual departure.
Both players have come a long way from Gilgeous-Alexander’s infamous “Plan A/B” comments a few seasons ago.
