The Bahamas arrive at the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament chasing history

It all comes down to this.

6 days.

4 games.

1 goal.

From 2 - 7 July, at the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) in Valencia, Spain, the Bahamas men’s basketball team will have the chance to achieve a dream 62 years in the making: a first appearance at the Olympic Summer Games in the nation’s history.

To the casual fan, the chances of the Bahamas earning one of the final four berths for the basketball tournament at Paris 2024 will likely be slim—perhaps even non-existent.

After all, it’s fair to say the Bahamas haven’t accomplished anything of real note on the international stage.

Sure, there are the seven titles won at the CBC Championship, but this is a smaller tournament reserved for teams from the Caribbean. Historically not a hotbed of basketball powerhouses.

The FIBA AmeriCup—the biggest competition for teams throughout the Americas—has only seen one appearance from the Bahamas in its history, which was back in 1995 (an 8th-placed finish).

And yet, despite the weight of history and medal drought, you can bet that the teams preparing to compete at the OQT in Spain this week know that this Bahamian team is dangerous, thanks to the presence of serious NBA talent on the roster.

DeAndre Ayton leads quartet of Bahamanian NBA talent at the OQT

Center DeAndre Ayton of the Portland Trail Blazers, 2017 Sixth Man of the Year Eric Gordon (Phoenix Suns), 2020 Three-Point champion Buddy Hield (Philadelphia 76ers), and Kai Jones (Los Angeles Clippers) will all represent the Bahamas during the OQT.

Every one of these NBA players makes millions, and can easily take the summer off as they recover from a rough and tumble season. But playing for the Bahamas is about showing people back home that life can be bigger than the expectations people have of them.

“There's young kids looking up to guys like me, those from the Bahamas, that want to succeed in the world. We’re being the example just to give them hope that people from our country can make it to the stars,” Ayton said to Olympics.com. “I'm making it as far as where you can represent your country, where people can be proud of you. And I just really want people to be proud of me.”

Hield grew up in Freeport, Bahamas. Jonquel Jones, his fellow Bahamian and now an MVP winner in the WNBA, has been friends with Hield since they were kids. She wrote about how if he missed the bus to practice, he would just run six miles to the gym. He said those humble beginnings made him who he is today.

“It made me hungry. I made me a better basketball player by working, and it made me hungry because of things I never had,” Hield said.

Ayton is grateful for how Bahamian players in the NBA have each other, and are showing the world what the Bahamas can offer.

“It shows that our Bahamian people are truly out here and doing their thing and I'm just happy to be a part of that, coming from a small island. Having NBA players like me, Buddy, Gordon, meeting up with them in the NBA at the highest level possible and representing our country together is insane,” Ayton said.

Golden State Warriors assistant Chris DeMarco brings championship-calibre coaching to the Bahamas

The Bahamas also have NBA experience on the sidelines through Golden State Warriors assistant coach Chris DeMarco, who became the national team's head coach in 2020.

At that time, DeMarco was keenly aware of the challenges he faced in building a team to reach the Olympic Games.

“I don’t think the casual fan understands how hard it is to get to the Olympics,” DeMarco told Olympics.com. “The path is very complicated. And for a country like [the Bahamas], where the population is close to 400,000, it means that our professional basketball pool is not large.

“When our best players can’t play it’s super challenging to get wins in those [qualification] windows.”

To expand his knowledge of the Bahamian player pool, DeMarco set about creating a database. A big database.

“Any Bahamian player you can name, I don’t care what level they've played at, I’ve heard of.

“We’ve had a ton of players from different backgrounds. Some are trying to make a living. Some are in college. This is their life. They go to a [qualifying] window and if they play well it could really help [them]. If they don’t it could hurt them.

With the help of this scouting and research, DeMarco has been able to build a team that can step up and perform, even when the NBA stars can’t play. Performances, De Marco adds, that have been crucial in the Bahamas’ journey to the OQT.

“We’ve had guys like D’Shon Taylor, Domnick Bridgewater, David Nesbitt and Michael Thompson give us massive games to get wins in these [qualifying] windows.

“You need these contributions, or else you can’t get to a place where you have a shot at the Olympics.”

A sleeping giant roars to life at the FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament

With the core of the Bahamian team firmly established, the NBA trio of Ayton, Hield, and Gordon joined the squad for the FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament (OPQT) last August, where their firepower was on full display.

A new system implemented in 2023, the Pre-Qualifying Tournaments provided 40 countries that did not make it to the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 with a way of still reaching the Paris 2024 Games. The Bahamas were placed in the OPQT Argentina, where they not only had to contend with two-time Olympic medallists Argentina (ranked 8th in the world) but also a deafening atmosphere whipped up by a partisan home crowd.

Yet the Bahamas displayed a composure and killer instinct that belied their big-tournament inexperience.

The team topped their group (beating Argentina 101-89 in the process), knocked out Uruguay in the semi-finals and overcame a dogged Argentina again in the final, winning 82-75.

Ayton (15.5 ppg, 13.8 rpg), Hield (19.8 ppg, 2.3 stpg), and Gordon (20.3 ppg) were immense throughout the competition, but the Bahamas relied on key contributions from their supporting cast to secure a spot at the OQT which included a 16-point effort from 29 year old guard Travis Munnings in the final.

All of a sudden the Bahamas, a team ranked 57th in the world that no one expected much from, were headed to the Olympic Qualifying Tournaments.

We can't wait for the summer to get here to experience that team again," Hield says. "And, what we did in Argentina was fun because it’s just never been done against a powerhouse like Argentina. And they say yeah, you guys are three pros, but, Argentina has been doing this for a long, long time. And they know how to play basketball."

The FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament: One last hurdle to clear

It’s hard not to ask DeMarco and his players what it would mean to the Bahamas were they to qualify for the Olympic Games. Their focus is understandably on the impending OQT. Four-time NBA champion Klay Thompson, whose father is from the Bahamas, even joined the team for their training camp in Houston, Texas before the squad left for Spain. Despite his presence in practice, it’s unlikely Thompson will play in the Olympic qualifiers.

“This opportunity is incredible for us,” DeMarco says. “We know that Finland and Poland [the other teams in the Bahamas’ group] are going to be ready to go.

“All we’ve ever asked when we started this was to just get this shot. So to be here is a great feeling, to give our players the opportunity to go to the Olympics in this short time period is really special."

Playing in Spain won’t be easy, but the players feel ready for the task.

"I know that Spain is the host country, so, yeah, it's going to be tough to get in there and they're another powerhouse, too. They have a lot of history with making the Olympics, and they understand basketball. They play basketball the right way. And we just need to go there and get a win,” Hield said.

As the Bahamas prepare to take on Finland in their opening group game on Tuesday afternoon, rest assured that the news of their progress will be closely followed some 4,000 miles away in the Caribbean.

“Bahamians know their sports. We’re not dealing with fans who aren’t informed. I’ve always enjoyed having conversations with people there about the national team and basketball. They’re very passionate. And that’s obviously why we’re all doing this, to bring joy to the Bahamas.”

A multi-year quest to reach the Olympic Games now comes down to one week of basketball. It won’t be easy for the Bahamas; their opponents in Group B, Poland and Finland, are ranked 15th and 20th in the world, respectively. And if they do advance to the final, they’ll likely face Spain, a juggernaut that won EuroBasket gold in 2022 and will be itching to return to the Games after a disappointing showing at the World Cup last year.

But DeMarco and his team are used to being the underdogs. Used to facing intimidating atmospheres. Used to proving that they are, in fact, a team that can win.

If they can overcome the odds just one more time, their reward, at long last, will be a place at the hallowed grounds of the Olympic Games.

The Bahamas begin their OQT campaign against Finland on Tuesday 2 July at 16:30 local time in Valencia, Spain. For more details on this OQT and the three other tournaments taking place this week, check out our FIBA OQT guide and results tracker.