The United States has swept the men’s and women’s basketball gold medals in the last four Summer Olympics.
They’re both strong favorites again this time around in Paris, but are up against stiffer competition with more NBA players on international teams than ever before.
Following we take a look at the current basketball gold medal odds and key Paris storylines for the U.S. men’s and women’s squads.
2024 Men’s Olympic basketball odds: USA seeking 17th gold medal as favorites in Paris
Following are the top five in the consensus Paris men’s hoops gold medal odds, as of midweek, culled from three of the top online sportsbooks (DraftKings, BetMGM and Caesars):
- United States -617 (-500 odds at DraftKings)
- Canada +1067 (+1100 odds at Caesars)
- France +1233 (+1400 odds at BetMGM)
- Serbia +1600
- Greece +2533
Team USA has been the gold standard, coming out on top in 16 of the 20 Olympic men’s basketball competitions held since the sport’s Games debut in 1936.
The U.S. failed to win in 1972 (ending a streak of seven straight titles), 1980 (U.S. boycott of the Moscow Games), 1988 and 2004, with the former Soviet Union coming out on top in two (’72 and ’88) of those four competitions.
After Argentina surprised with the gold in Athens in 2004 while the U.S. settled for the bronze — the U.S. also took the bronze in ’88 and a silver in ’72 — the Americans have since reeled off four consecutive Olympic titles.
LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Co. are now heavy favorites to make it five straight golds.
Canada, led by the potent NBA backcourt of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jamal Murray, is viewed as the top threat to the Americans. But Canada’s only Olympic basketball medal — men’s or women’s — was a men’s silver garnered in the sport’s inaugural Olympic year of 1936 in Berlin.
Host France, the silver medalist from the 2020 Games in Tokyo and currently led by talented NBA big men Victor Wembanyama and Rudy Gobert, has the third-best consensus gold medal odds while Serbia, anchored by three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic, is No. 4.
Men’s group play gets underway at 5 a.m. ET Saturday with the gold medal game scheduled for 3:30 p.m., Aug. 10.
2024 women’s Olympic basketball odds: US overwhelming favorite to win eighth straight title
The U.S. women have enjoyed more Olympic hoops success than their male counterparts of late, capturing seven straight gold medals, beginning with the 1996 Games in Atlanta.
Women’s Olympic basketball debuted at the 1976 Games, and the former Soviet Union won the first two championships with the Unified Team snaring the gold in 1992.
Like the U.S. men, though, the American women have medaled in all 11 Games they’ve participated in, capturing the silver in ’76 and a bronze in ’92.
Team USA, led by WNBA stars A’ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart and Diana Taurasi, is an overwhelming favorite in Paris with pre-tournament leading sportsbook consensus odds of -1733.
Australia and France fall next on the Paris odds board, but they’re far off the pace as seen in the top five listed below (odds as of midweek):
- United States -1733
- Australia +2400
- France +2500
- Spain +2667
- Belgium +3167
The U.S. teams are such prohibitive favorites on both sides that the real Paris basketball betting intrigue might be found on Caesars’ “Winner Without United States” silver medal odds board where the Canada and France (men) and Australia, France and Spain (women) were the midweek favorites at odds of +175 and +400, respectively.
Women’s group play tips off at 7:30 a.m. Sunday, and the gold medal game is set for 9:30 a.m., Aug. 11.
