Men’s Basketball Odds: Canada’s Best Olympic Team Ever?
The Canada Men’s National Basketball team has the second shortest Summer Olympic odds to win the gold medal behind Team USA. Canada has never won gold for basketball in the Olympics. The closest they have ever come was in 1936, when they won the silver medal. Canada has not medaled in basketball since. Despite their history, sportsbooks are showing the 2024 Canada Men’s National Team as a strong competitor in the Olympics. Is this the best Olympic basketball team Canada has produced?
Olympic Basketball Odds
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Olympic Basketball Odds
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USA
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Canada
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France
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Serbia
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Greece
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Germany
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Australia
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Spain
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Brazil
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Japan
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Puerto Rico
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South Sudan
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Canada Basketball Roster Examined
What separates this Canadian team is the amount of NBA talent on the roster. Ten current NBA players, including All-Star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (SGA), are on the roster. Canada has the second-most NBA talent on its roster, only behind the United States in that regard.
SGA, in particular, is a major addition to the team. The Oklahoma City Thunder guard was second behind Nikola Jokić in the MVP vote for the 2023-2024 season. He also led the Thunder to the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference and averaged 30.1 points on 53.5% shooting from the field during the regular season.
Team Canada Roster
| PLAYER | POSITION | TEAM |
|---|---|---|
| Kyle Alexander | Forward | Hapoel Tel Aviv |
| Nickeil Alexander-Walker | Guard | Minnesota Timberwolves |
| RJ Barrett | Guard | Toronto Raptors |
| Trae Bell-Haynes | Guard | Casademont Zaragoza |
| Dillon Brooks | Guard | Houston Rockets |
| Luguentz Dort | Guard | Oklahoma City Thunder |
| Zach Edey | Center | Memphis Grizzlies |
| Melvin Ejim | Forward | Unicaja |
| Shai Gilgeous-Alexander | Guard | Oklahoma City Thunder |
| Kelly Olynyk | Center | Toronto Raptors |
| Dwight Powell | Forward | Dallas Mavericks |
| Phil Scrubb | Guard | Bahçeşehir Koleji |
Canada’s Basketball History In The Olympics
The 1936 Summer Olympic Games in Berlin, Germany, included basketball for the first time. Canada claimed the silver medal after losing to the United States. Despite being home to the inventor of the sport, Canada has not come close to claiming gold since. The 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, was the last time Canada qualified for the Olympics.
Canada qualified for the 2024 Olympics after claiming the bronze medal in the 2023 FIBA World Cup, beating Team USA in the process. The FIBA bronze is Canada’s first medal in an international tournament since the 1936 Summer Olympics. Houston Rockets guard Dillon Brooks was a standout during the FIBA run. He scored 39 points in the decisive game that defeated the U.S. and was named Best Defensive Player of the tournament.
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Canada Early Showings In Exhibition Matches
Canada played Team USA in a pre-Olympic exhibition match on July 10, losing 86-72. Since then, Canada has defeated France 85-73 and Puerto Rico 103-93. In the two exhibition wins, multiple players scored in double figures, showcasing a team of great continuity.
Against Puerto Rico, SGA led the scoring effort with 23 points, and RJ Barrett added another 21. However, Brooks’ defense was the standout, guarding Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama and holding the 7-foot-4 center to just 10 points.
Against Puerto Rico, Brooks was the scoring leader with 21 points. Barrett and SGA both finished with 14 points each.
Canada appears to be a formidable team. Thus far, the continuity from the FIBA run has proven to be a major asset. With the NBA talent on the roster, on paper, Canada basketball may have its best shot at claiming a medal at the Summer Olympics this century.
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