Basketball has been part of the Olympics as a medal sport since 1936. The 2020 Summer Olympics to be held in Tokyo, was postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The sporting extravaganza is set to take place from July 25 to Aug. 7. The USA has dominated the gold medal tally in both the men's and women's categories.
List of the teams participating -
Group A
Iran
France
United States
Czech Republic
Group B
Australia
Germany
Italy
Nigeria
Group C
Argentina
Japan (host)
Spain
Slovenia
Japan Team Roster (host nation)
| Player | Position |
| Yuki Togashi | Point guard |
| Makoto Hiejima | Shooting guard |
| Rui Hachimura (C) | Power forward |
| Leo Vendrame | Point guard |
| Yuta Watanabe | Small forward |
| Kosuke Kanamaru | Small forward |
| Yudai Baba | Small forward |
| Gavin Edwards | Forward - center |
| Daiki Tanaka | Shooting guard |
| Avi Schafer | Center |
| Hugh Watanabe | Power forward |
| Tenketsu Harimoto | Small forward |
Among the final 12, host nation Japan is the lowest-ranked squad from the FIBA men's rankings. Since 1976, where they finished 11th of 12 without a win,. this is their first participation in Olympic men's basketball. The team is coming off a winless 0-5 record in the 2019 FIBA World Cup.
NBA players in the team
Rui Hachimura - Washington Wizards
Yuta Watanabe - Totonto Raptors
Argentina Team Roster
| Player | Position |
| Luca Vildoza | Point guard |
| Luis Scola (C) | Forward - center |
| Facundo Campazzo | Point guard |
| Nicolás Laprovíttola | Point guard |
| Nicolás Brussino | Small forward |
| Máximo Fjellerup | Guard |
| Marcos Delía | Center |
| Gabriel Deck | Forward |
| Juan Pablo Vaulet | Small forward |
| Patricio Garino | Guard/Forward |
| Tayavek Gallizzi | Center |
| Lautaro Berra | Center |
| Leandro Bolmaro | Shooting guard |
| Francisco Cáffaro | Center |
| Juan Fernández | Power forward |
Ranked fourth in the FIBA Men's ranking, the Argentina national men’s basketball team is coming off a silver-medal finish at the 2019 FIBA World Cup. Apart from the USA, they are the only nation to have won a basketball gold medal in the men's category. They won the gold medal in the 2004 Athens Olympics, and have also won the bronze at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
NBA players in the team
Facundo Campazzo - Denver Nuggets
Leandro Bolmaro - Minnesota Timberwolves
Gabriel Deck - Oklahoma City Thunder
Lucas Vildoza - New York Knicks
Luis Scola (former)
Australia Team Roster
| Player | Position |
| Aron Baynes | Center |
| Matthew Dellavedova | Guard |
| Dante Exum | Guard |
| Chris Goulding | Guard |
| Josh Green | Guard |
| Joe Ingles | Forward |
| Nick Kay | Forward |
| Jock Landale | Forward - center |
| Patty Mills | Guard |
| Duop Reath | Center |
| Nathan Sobey | Guard |
| Matisse Thybulle | Guard/Forward |
Australia has one of the talented rosters in this year's Olympics. At the 2016 Rio Olympics, they lost the bronze medal to Spain by just one point (89-88). Three years later, at the FIBA World Cup in 2019, they finished fourth which allowed them to directly qualify for the Tokyo Olympics.
NBA players in the team
Patty Mills - San Antonio Spurs
Aron Baynes - Toronto Raptors
Joe Ingles - Utah Jazz
Dante Exum- Houston Rockets
Josh Green - Dallas Mavericks
Matisse Thybulle - Philadelphia 76ers
Matthew Dellavedova (former)
Czech Republic Team Roster
| Player | Position |
| Patrik Auda | Forward - center |
| Tomáš Vyoral | Point guard |
| Patrick Samoura | Guard |
| Tomáš Satoranský (C) | Point guard |
| Blake Schilb | Forward |
| Ondřej Balvín | Center |
| Jakub Šiřina | Point guard |
| Martin Peterka | Center |
| Jaromír Bohačík | Shooting guard |
| Ondřej Sehnal | Guard |
| Lukáš Palyza | Forward |
| Jan Veselý | Center |
Czech Republic finished sixth in the 2019 FIBA World Cup. They won their qualifying tournament in Victoria, Canada, rebounding from an opening game loss at the hands of Turkey. They also demonstrated a dominant performance over Greece, leading them to the finals eventually. Their tournament win meant it was their first-ever appearance at the Olympics since the separation of Czechoslovakia.
NBA players in the team
Tomas Satoransky - Chicago Bulls
France Team Roster
| Player | Position |
| Andrew Albicy | Point guard |
| Nicolas Batum (C) | Guard/Forward |
| Nando de Colo | Guard |
| Moustapha Fall | Center |
| Evan Fournier | Guard/Forward |
| Rudy Gobert | Center |
| Thomas Heurtel | Point guard |
| Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot | Guard/Forward |
| Amath M'Baye | Power forward |
| Frank Ntilikina | Point guard |
| Vincent Poirier | Forward/Center |
| Guerschon Yabusele | Power forward |
France finished third in the 2019 FIBA World Cup, directly qualifying them for the Tokyo Olympics. This is their third consecutive Olympics, their longest such streak since 1960. They finished sixth in the - 2012 London Olympics and 2016 Rio Olympics, and will be keen to get a podium finish. France has only two Olympic basketball medals, both Silver (1948, 2000).
NBA players in the team
Rudy Gobert - Utah Jazz
Nicolas Batum - LA Clippers
Evan Fournie - Boston Celtics
Frank Ntilikina - New York Knicks
Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot - Brooklyn Nets
Nando de Colo (former)
Guerschon Yabusele (former)
Vincent Poirier (former)
Germany Team Roster
| Player | Position |
| Isaac Bonga | Guard |
| Joshiko Saibou | Guard |
| Maodo Lô | Guard |
| Niels Giffey | Forward |
| Jan Niklas Wimberg | Forward |
| Johannes Voigtmann | Center |
| Robin Benzing | Forward |
| Moritz Wagner | Forward |
| Lukas Wank | Forward |
| Danilo Barthel | Forward |
| Johannes Thiemann | Forward |
| Andreas Obst | Guard |
This will be Germany's sixth appearance at the Olympics men's basketball tournament. It is their first since the Beijing Olympics in 2008, and the 2019 FIBA World Cup. They finished 18th out of the 32 participating teams in the World Cup. To seal their 2020 Summer Olympics berth, they won a qualifying tournament against Brazil.
NBA players in the team
Moritz Wagner - Orlando Magic
Isaac Bonga - Washington Wizards
Iran Team Roster
| Player | Position |
| Mohammad Sina Vahedi | Guard |
| Philip Jalalpoor | Point guard |
| Mohammad Hassanzadeh | Power forward |
| Saeid Davarpanah | Small forward |
| Mohammad Jamshidi | Small forward |
| Samad Nikkhah Bahrami (C) | Small forward |
| Hamed Haddadi | Center |
| Navid Rezaeifar | Shooting guard |
| Mike Rostampour | Power forward |
| Aaron Geramipoor | Center |
| Arsalan Kazemi | Power forward |
| Behnam Yakhchali | Shooting guard |
Iran is the only team from Asia qualified for the Tokyo Olympics. It’s their third appearance in the Olympics with the previous qualifications in 1948 and 2008. The three-time Asia Cup Champions (2007, 2009, 2013) finished 23rd in the 2019 FIBA World Cup. It was their third consecutive World Cup, and the most they have played in a row.
NBA players in the team
No NBA players
Italy Team Roster
| Player | Position |
| Marco Spissu | Point guard |
| Nico Mannion | Point guard |
| Stefano Tonut | Shooting guard |
| Danilo Gallinari | Power forward |
| Nicolò Melli (C) | Power forward |
| Simone Fontecchio | Small forward |
| Amedeo Tessitori | Center |
| Giampaolo Ricci | Power forward |
| Riccardo Moraschini | Small forward |
| Michele Vitali | Shooting guard |
| Achille Polonara | Power forward |
| Alessandro Pajola | Point guard |
Italy are currently ranked 12th in the FIBA world rankings. They qualified for the Olympics by winning the Qualifying Tournament against Serbia. One of the founding nations of FIBA, Italy is making its first Olympic basketball appearance since their Silver medal finish in 2004 at Athens. In a total of 12 Olympics appearances, they have won two Silver medals (1980, 2004).
NBA players in the team
Nicolo Mannion - Golden State Warriors
Danilo Gallinari - Atlanta Hawks
Nigeria Team Roster
| Player | Position |
| Ike Iroegbu | Point guard |
| Stan Okoye | Shooting guard |
| Ekpe Udoh | Center |
| Chimezie Metu | Power forward |
| Josh Okogie | Shooting guard |
| Gabe Vincent | Point guard |
| Jordan Nwora | Small forward |
| Precious Achiuwa | Forward/Center |
| Caleb Agada | Point guard |
| Obi Emegano | Shooting guard |
| Michael Gbinije | Guard/Forward |
| Chima Moneke | Power forward |
| Jahlil Okafor | Center |
| KZ Okpala | Guard/Forward |
| Miye Oni | Guard/Forward |
The rising basketball power in Africa, Nigeria is making its third appearance in the Olympics. Their first being at the 2012 London Olympics. Ranked 22nd in the world, Nigeria is the only country from Africa to qualify for the 2020 Olympics.
NBA players in the team
Precious Achiuwa - Miami Heat
KZ Okpala - Miami Heat
Miye Oni - Utah Jazz
Josh Okogie - Minnesota Timberwolves
Jordan Nwora - Milwaukee Bucks
Chimezie Metu - Sacramento Kings
Jahlil Okafor - Detroit Pistons
Gabe Vincent - Miami Heat
Slovenia Team Roster
| Player | Position |
| Luka Rupnik | Point guard |
| Aleksej Nikolic | Guard |
| Klemen Prepelic | Guard |
| Edo Muric | Forward |
| Mike Tobey | Center |
| Jaka Blazic | Shooting guard |
| Gregor Hrovat | Small forward |
| Ziga Dimec | Center |
| Zoran Dragic | Forward |
| Vlatko Cancar | Small forward |
| Jakob Cebasek | Guard/Forward |
| Luka Doncic | Guard |
The Slovenian national basketball team could be the next rising giant, not just in Europe, but on the global stage, with Luka Doncic leading them. The reigning EuroBasketball champions clinched their ticket to their first-ever Olympics since the separation of Yugoslavia by winning the qualifying tournament against Lithuania.
NBA players in the team
Luka Doncic - Dallas Mavericks
Vlatko Canca - Denver Nuggets
Spain Team Roster
| Player | Position |
| Xabier López-Arostegui | Shooting guard |
| Pau Gasol | Center |
| Rudy Fernández | Shooting guard |
| Sergio Rodríguez | Point guard |
| Darío Brizuela | Shooting guard |
| Ricky Rubio | Point guard |
| Victor Claver | Small forward |
| Carlos Alocén | Point guard |
| Marc Gasol | Center |
| Willy Hernangómez | Center |
| Usman Garuba | Power forward |
| Pierre Oriola | Power forward |
| Alberto Abalde | Small forward |
| Álex Abrines | Small forward |
| Sergio Llull | Guard/Forward |
| Juancho Hernangómez | Power forward |
The reigning World Cup champions will be heavy favourites to secure a medal in this year’s Olympics, having done so in three of the previous Summer Olympics (Silver in 2008 & 2012, and Bronze in 2016). Currently world no. 2, Spain is making their sixth straight appearance at the Summer Olympics and will be definitely keen to extend their medals tally.
NBA players in the team
Ricky Rubio - Minnesota Timberwolves
Marc Gasol - LA Lakers
Willy Hernangomez - New Orleans Pelicans
Alex Abrines (former)
Rudy Fernandez (former)
Pau Gasol (former)
USA Team Roster
| Player | Position |
| Bam Adebayo | Forward/center |
| Keldon Johnson | Forward |
| Devin Booker | Guard |
| Kevin Durant | Forward |
| Jerami Grant | Forward |
| Draymond Green | Forward |
| Jrue Holiday | Guard |
| Zach LaVine | Guard |
| Damian Lillard | Guard |
| Javale McGee | Center |
| Khris Middleton | Forward |
| Jayson Tatum | Forward |
With three straight gold medals, Team USA’s dominance might seem to fade with the rise of talent around the world. They finished seventh in the 2019 FIBA World Cup which snapped their 12-year run of dominance of winning gold in every international tournament they participated in (Olympics: 2008, 2012, 2016; FIBA World Cup: 2010, 2014 and the 2017 FIBA Americas). So it’s only a matter of time that’ll tell if they are far from being the gold medal favorite or not.
NBA players in the team
Bam Adebayo - Miami Heat
Keldon Johnson - San Antonio Spurs
Devin Booker - Phoenix Suns
Kevin Durant - Brooklyn Nets
Jerami Grant - Detroit Pistons
Draymond Green - Golden State Warriors
Jrue Holiday - Milwaukee Bucks
Zach LaVine - Chicago Bulls
Damian Lillard - Portland Trail Blazers
JaVale McGee - Denver Nuggets
Khris Middleton - Milwaukee Bucks
Jayson Tatum - Boston Celtics
