Antetokounmpo among candidates for Olympic spot in Paris | News, Sports, Jobs

Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo, center, reacts during the first half of Game 4 of an NBA first-round playoff series against the Indiana Pacers, Sunday, April 28, 2024, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Luka Doncic and Giannis Antetokounmpo get one last chance to reach the Olympic Games in Paris. The same goes for Domantas Sabonis and Nikola Vucevic. And Rudy Fernandez gets his chance to write history.

Today, the last four spots in the 12-team men’s basketball tournament for the Paris Olympics will be awarded. Qualifying tournaments in Spain, Latvia, Puerto Rico and Greece will begin.

A tournament with six teams will be held at each location through July 7. The four winners will receive the final four spots in the Olympic field.

“We are in the best possible place,” Antetokounmpo said the following when asked if he would be allowed to play qualifying matches at home in Greece:

It’s likely that he and Doncic will face off directly at some point; Slovenia is in Greece for that qualifying match. Meanwhile, the perennial Olympic medal contenders in Spain aren’t just trying to get to Paris — they’re also on a mission to make Fernandez, the Spanish great, the first six-time men’s basketball player.

“We want to see that dream come true,” Spanish coach Sergio Scariolo said:

The format features two groups of three teams at each tournament. For group play, which runs from Tuesday to Thursday, each country plays against the other two teams in their group. The top two teams in each group — for a total of four from each location — advance to the semi-finals, which are held on Saturday.

Championship matches will be played at all four locations on Sunday.

A look at the qualifications:

Spain

Location: Valencia, Spain.

Group A: Lebanon, Angola, Spain.

Group B: Finland, Poland, Bahamas.

Outlook: Spain are playing at home and that’s a big advantage, but the Bahamas think they can surprise for three good reasons: Deandre Ayton, Buddy Hield and Eric Gordon, who are all on that country’s roster for the qualifiers.

Latvia

Location: Riga, Latvia.

Group A: Georgia, Philippines, Latvia.

Group B: Brazil, Cameroon, Montenegro.

Outlook: Hosts Latvia didn’t get the easiest draw in the world, especially with the Philippines now coached by Tim Cone — a former Miami Heat Summer League assistant who won more than two dozen championships during his time in the Philippines. Montenegro’s hopes largely rest on Nikola Vucevic.

Greece

Location: Piraeus, Greece.

Group A: Slovenia, New Zealand, Croatia.

Group B: Egypt, Greece, Dominican Republic.

Outlook: The odds of a Greece-Slovenia final seem high, and that would be great theater — Doncic vs. Antetokounmpo for an Olympic spot. Doncic played through injuries in the NBA Finals for Dallas in their five-game loss to Boston, and the fact that he’s playing here shows how much the Olympic opportunity means to him.

Puerto Rico

Location: San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Group A: Mexico, Ivory Coast, Lithuania.

Group B: Italy, Puerto Rico, Bahrain.

Outlook: Danilo Gallinari is the frontrunner for the selection of a very experienced Italian team, a team that will face hosts Puerto Rico in the group stage but could still advance to the semi-finals even with a loss. Lithuania looks to have the most experience in Group A, and it would be a surprise if they don’t make the semi-finals.