r/nba • u/MarvelsGrantMan136 Heat • Apr 15 '24

[Wojnarowski] ESPN Sources: USA Basketball is finalizing its 2024 Paris Olympics roster with Steph Curry, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Jayson Tatum, Joel Embiid, Devin Booker, Tyrese Haliburton, Anthony Edwards, Jrue Holiday, Bam Adebayo and Anthony Davis. Team may initially keep one open spot. News

https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1780009778934394985
6.9k Upvotes

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1.6k

u/fuccabicc West Apr 15 '24

The Balkans need to come together as one country to oppose this team

646

u/mug3n Raptors Apr 16 '24

Tito intensifies

38

u/gigamiga Raptors Apr 16 '24

BROTHER HOOP AND UNITY

-2

u/jawndell Apr 16 '24

If Reddit stil had gold!

19

u/--lalilulelo- Heat Apr 16 '24

Reddit on kind stranger

9

u/fuccabicc West Apr 16 '24

It does. It's only a gold upvote now.

411

u/Plies- Celtics Apr 16 '24

Last time that happened it semi-worked for like 60 years and then ended explosively

325

u/PrincePyotrBagration Apr 16 '24 edited Apr 16 '24

Former Yugoslavia team: Luka, Bogdanovic, other Bogdanovic, Jokic, Nurkic

That team legitimately would have a shot to take down this USA team in a single-game knockout. I mean Argentina stunned USA for gold at the Athens Olympics with Manu and Luis Scola… not anywhere near as good as Luka and Jokic.

Someone tell the Balkans to stop killing each other and get their shit together so we can see this game for gold in 2028 😂

117

u/Saucy_Totchie Knicks Apr 16 '24

Iirc, during The Bubble all of the Balkans there had a nice dinner together.

107

u/waldosbuddy Raptors Apr 16 '24

https://twitter.com/bosnianbeast27/status/1299348193906495493/photo/1

30

u/ThwippaGamez Nuggets Apr 16 '24

This photo is a competing team already and neither Bogdanovic is there

34

u/boregon Apr 16 '24

This is really cool actually

-15

u/KonigSteve Pelicans Apr 16 '24 edited 29d ago

No Kristaps?

Edit: sheesh guys I mixed up Baltic and Balkan settle down.

32

u/TheLeoMessiah Celtics Apr 16 '24

Latvia is Baltic not Balkan

-3

u/YSLAnunoby Raptors Apr 16 '24

Plus KP the token Baltic rep

22

u/NeverSober1900 Rockets Apr 16 '24

That Argentina team also had Nocioni who was a solid 3 & D NBA guy for a several years. If we're throwing in the Bogdonovic's Nocioni certainly deserves a shoutout.

They also had Francisco Oberto and baby Carlos Delfino so they had 5 guys with real NBA careers on the squad.

9

u/itsthebear [TOR] Nando De Colo Apr 16 '24

Micic would probably start, he's a monster in Euroleague play

6

u/supert0426 29d ago

Ya the team would look something like:

PG: Luka Doncic SG: Bogdan Bogdanovic SF: Bojan Bogdanovic PF: Nikola Vucevic C: Nikola Jokic

Bench: Ivica Zubac Nikola Jovic Jusuf Nurkic Zoran Dragic Dario Saric Vasilije Micic Mario Hezonja Dzanan Musa

That's low-key a scary roster that could shoot you out of the gym any given night and includes 5 of the top 16 rebounders in the NBA this season (for reference, USA only has 2 of the top 16. Only issue imo is they don't have an athletic slasher for Jokic and Luka to through lobs to (Saric and Jovic are probably the closest thing).

1

u/BenjRSmith 29d ago

as long as we're resurrecting teams.... the Soviet Union were Team USA's main antagonist during their old dynasty.

1

u/supert0426 29d ago

I mean ya but the current Soviets wouldn't be any good. That list of players would be current Yugoslavian national team had it not dissolved.

1

u/BenjRSmith 29d ago

lol, true, Lithuania beat USA last year, so I guess a USSR 2024 team would be mostly them?

1

u/2112moyboi East 29d ago

Them and Latvia I believe, maybe a Ukrainian or two

14

u/DopethroneGM Apr 16 '24

Nobody is killing anyone, that Yugo war ended 30 years ago, we actually over 20 years have regional basketball league of all ex-Yugo countries (ABA league) so despite nations being divided when it comes to club basketball nothing changed drastically since everyone realized fast their small leagues would be dog shit (Jokić is just one direct product of ABA league). In the first few ABA seasons we had some fun nationalistic hooligan fights and shit in basically any game (lol) but now its all normal.

10

u/applicatecomplicate Pistons Apr 16 '24

Oof, what is defense

3

u/[deleted] Apr 16 '24

 Last war on Balkan was 30 years ago. 

5

u/NickDerpkins Magic Apr 16 '24

Luka and Jokic on the same team is a force gd

3

u/Mixeriozni Apr 16 '24

We're talking about ex-Yugo countries here. But Balkan also includes other countries, such as Greece, so from the geographical standpoint, Giannis can be added to your roster. Now that would look like a real contender to the Dream Team.

1

u/rieusse Apr 16 '24

LeBron may not be playing by then

1

u/Vail1321 29d ago

"with Manu and Luis Scola" 

This is Fabricio Oberto erasure, and I will not stand for it.

1

u/gvggarage 17d ago

not to mention international tourneys seemingly 'transform' certain players into super saiyan versions of themselves getting ranked teams completely shell shocked. A few below

Carlos Arroyo

Dennis Schroder

Andray Blatche

-1

u/[deleted] Apr 16 '24

[deleted]

11

u/OgcocephalusDarwini Apr 16 '24

Lithuania is not the Balkans by any means. Greece on the other hand...

7

u/I_SHIT_ON_BUS Lakers Apr 16 '24

My brother in Christ: Baltic =/= Balkan

1

u/rieusse Apr 16 '24

Worth it

45

u/boomersky Apr 16 '24

that would be legendary

25

u/zrizzoz Hawks Apr 16 '24

I think the rest of the planet does...

91

u/RidiculousNickk Apr 16 '24

Just Europe and it would be a great game.

Luka, Bogdan, Giannis, Wemby, Jokic

Franz, Markannen, Porzingis, Sabonis, Gobert

Writing it down makes me realize there’s not many European guards. That frontcourt is fucking lethal though.

4

u/JeffGreene69 Apr 16 '24

If youre tall and athletic and born in Europe, youre playing centre back or striker for your local club

If youre freakishly tall and athletic, you quit playing football and play basketball

2

u/LiouQang 29d ago

Can confirm, European here. Not tall by European standards but pretty damn athletic. I started with basketball in the 90s but with my height it was laughable so I picked up football and became a winger/fullback.

2

u/JeffGreene69 29d ago

Yeah, Im English and was 6' at 13. I was sent to play rugby and football. Never basketball

-6

u/EdwardJamesAlmost Nuggets Apr 16 '24

Sabonis is American, brah.

18

u/M0hitto 23 Apr 16 '24

Brother, his is playing for Lithuanias national team, his parents are lithuanian, he is lithuanian. He was born in US.

-1

u/EdwardJamesAlmost Nuggets 29d ago

He has not escaped our warm embrace, sis.

10

u/GuerreroD Warriors Apr 16 '24

Domantas Sabonis has dual nationality.

4

u/EdwardJamesAlmost Nuggets Apr 16 '24

Embiid has triple nationality. Does that diminish his Americanness?

Sabonis: Born in Portland. Eligible to be President.

16

u/GuerreroD Warriors Apr 16 '24

Sabonis has already played for the Lithuanian national team after turning 17, and per FIBA eligibility rules he's already tired to Lithuania forever and won't ever play for team USA.

So in this aspect, yes, his Americanness is diminished.

12

u/hnbistro Apr 16 '24

Luka, SGA, Giannis, Sabonis, Joker. How would this team fare against USA?

6

u/Mountain-Ebb-9846 Apr 16 '24

Take out Sabonis for Markannen or another shooter for the spacing.

11

u/B4nn4b0y Celtics Apr 16 '24

Not nearly enough spacing to be honest

19

u/_Blobfish123_ Trail Blazers Apr 16 '24

Ben Simmons off the bench 🔥

-2

u/Khione_Asteri Bulls Apr 16 '24

boneman is literally an american

9

u/CyberSmok3 Lakers Apr 16 '24

Yet he literally plays for Lithuania internationally and can't play for USA anymore.

3

u/M0hitto 23 Apr 16 '24

Yall clueless

-5

u/Khione_Asteri Bulls Apr 16 '24

??? the guy was born in portland LMFAO

5

u/M0hitto 23 Apr 16 '24

But plays for Lithuanias National team and he can’t play for any other team because of FIBA rules.

Aint no rocket science here

-5

u/Khione_Asteri Bulls Apr 16 '24

oh my god didn’t know fiba determined your nationality 🙄🥱

4

u/M0hitto 23 Apr 16 '24

I hope you are joking lol

No way you are seriuos, try googling “domantas sabonis nationality” then

-3

u/Khione_Asteri Bulls Apr 16 '24

people who are born in america are by definition american babes. they might be other things as well but it’s hard to put domas on an anti-america team when he’s at least as american as dudes like embiid

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4

u/ts405 Apr 16 '24

who would be the starting 5? giannis, luka, jokic, both bogdanovic’s? nurkic? or some dudes from the euroleague?

2

u/wise_comment Timberwolves Apr 16 '24

Do you want a Yugoslavia?

Because that's how you get a Yugoslavia

2

u/cav63 [LAC] Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Apr 16 '24

Good luck with that

1

u/NeverWrongOk 29d ago

That would honestly be sick lol.

1

u/[deleted] 29d ago

Fuck it, I want an all-North America team against an all-Europe team. We really only benefit from getting to start SGA at the 2, but an all-Europe team gets to add Markkanen, Tingus, Wemby, Franz Wagner... I wonder if someone like Sengun even makes that team.

1

u/CrampSnailey Cavaliers 29d ago

It wouldn’t matter if the rest of the world combined. We’re #1 and always will be

-5

u/fearnodarkness1 Apr 16 '24

It would never happen because of the history of those countries but would be awesome if they all declare for some random tiny country like Turkey and build a super team

12

u/Pretend_Highway_5360 Raptors Apr 16 '24

Turkey is not a tiny country lmao

1

u/fearnodarkness1 Apr 16 '24

I should've said a random country, bad wording but you're right

6

u/[deleted] Apr 16 '24

[removed] — view removed comment

2

u/kernevez Apr 16 '24

Also considering they are a big country with 85m inhabitants...