Australia announces Olympic Games squad ahead of USA basketball showcase in Abu Dhabi

ABU DHABI: Australia have announced their final squad ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, with the nation calling on a host of the world’s best players. Before arriving in France, the talent-packed squad will take part in a pre-Games preparation camp in Abu Dhabi, organized by the USA Basketball Men’s National Team and featuring three high-profile exhibition games from July 15-17.

The Australian Boomers, ranked No. 5 in the world, are the 2022 FIBA Asia champions and include Tokyo 2020 bronze medalists. Their 2024 roster — featuring Patty Mills (captain), Joe Ingles, Matthew Dellavedova, Dante Exum, Josh Green, Nick Kay, Jock Landale, Duop Reath, Dyson Daniels, Josh Giddey, Will Magnay, and Jack McVeigh — includes eight players from the Tokyo squad.

The Boomers’ first game in the USA Basketball Showcase in Abu Dhabi will be on July 15 against the USA Basketball Men’s National Team, which features 12 athletes with extensive experience. The team includes three-time Olympic champion Kevin Durant and the NBA’s all-time scoring leader LeBron James, who owns a pair of Olympic gold medals. In addition to Durant and James, the NBA’s all-time leader in career 3-pointers, Stephen Curry, will also be on the roster.

The Australians will be playing Serbia, ranked No. 4, on July 16. Serbia, which reached the finals of last year’s FIBA World Cup, recently announced their provisional squad, featuring current NBA MVP Nikola Jokic, who was not part of their World Cup roster. Other key players on Serbia’s provisional roster include Vasilije Micic, Aleksej Pokusevski, Nikola Jovic, and Bogdan Bogdanovic.

The last game of the showcase in Abu Dhabi will see Serbia facing the US inside Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Arena on July 17.

All three games will tip off at 8 p.m. local time, and tickets are on sale now at etihadarena.ae and ticketmaster.ae.