Giannis Antetokounmpo v Luka Doncic: The battle for Paris 2024 at the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament

Giannis Antetokounmpo and Luka Doncic are two of the preeminent stars in world basketball, with multiple All-Star nominations, NBA First Team selections and championships between them.

But only one of these titans will make it to the Olympic Games Paris 2024, as the battle for the last four spots for the men's Olympic basketball tournament is set to begin this week via the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments (OQTs).

The OQTs, set to run from July 2-7 in Greece, Latvia, Puerto Rico and Spain, will determine the four teams that will complete the men's field for the Games this summer.

• FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments: Schedule, scores and standings

The OQT Greece is arguably the pick of the bunch, with the possibility of Antetokounmpo's Greece facing off against Doncic's Slovenia in an almighty clash for the ages - a mouth-watering prospect that already has the basketball world in a frenzy.

Here are the key details of the OQT in Greece.

2024 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament Greece: Which teams are competing?

Six teams, splint into two groups, will compete at the tournament in the port city of Piraeus.

Group A

Slovenia | FIBA World Ranking: 11

Appearances

• Olympic Games: 1
• FIBA World Cup: 4
• EuroBasket: 14 (Gold in 2017)

New Zealand | FIBA World Ranking: 21

Apperances

• Olympic Games: 2
• FIBA World Cup: 7
• FIBA Asia Cup: 2 (Bronze in 2022)

Croatia | FIBA World Ranking: 30

Apperances

• Olympic Games: 4 (Silver in 1992)
• FIBA World Cup: 3 (Bronze in 1994)
• EuroBasket: 14 (Bronze in 1993 & 1995)

Group B

Greece | FIBA World Ranking: 14

Appearances

• Olympic Games: 4
• FIBA World Cup: 9 (Silver in 2006)
• EuroBasket: 28 (Gold in 1987 & 2005, Silver in 1989, Bronze in 1949 & 2009)

Egypt | FIBA World Ranking: 40

Apperances

• Olympic Games: 7
• FIBA World Cup: 7
• AfroBasket: 24 (Gold in 1962, 1964, 1970, 1975 & 1983; Silver in 1972, 1981, 1987, 1989, 1993 & 2013; Bronze in 1978, 1985, 1992, 1999, 2001 & 2003)

Dominican Republic | FIBA World Ranking: 19

Apperances

• Olympic Games: 0
• FIBA World Cup: 4
• FIBA AmericCup: 14 (Bronze in 2011)

Can Giannis Antetokounmpo take Greece back to the Olympic Games?

Greece last competed at the Olympic Games at Beijing 2008, when a squad led by Vassilis Spanoulis and Antonis Fotsis lost to Argentina in the quarter-finals, finishing 5th. They may have reached the podium if they had Antetokounmpo in Beijing.

Of course, Antetokounmpo was only 13 at that time. But his rise to NBA champion and two-time league MVP has already solidified him as the greatest Greek player in history. He last played for the national team at the EuroBasket 2022, where he finished the tournament as the leading scorer after Greece were eliminated in the quarter-finals.

His legend will only grow further if he can take Hellas to Paris 2024.

He will be guided by Spanoulis, now the head coach of the national team, who has surrounded the 7-footer (2.13m) with shooting. When defences inevitably collapse to contain Antetokounmpo as he embarks on his now-iconic power drives to the rim, the Milwaukee Buck will have willing shooters ready and open behind the arc to pass to. He's also deadly in the pick&roll, showing off his elite athleticism and wingspan as a lob threat if his defender elects to switch and cover the penetrating ball handler.

Both aspects of Antetokounmpo's game were on full display on 27 June during a warm-up game against the Bahamas (another team that will be competing in an OQT, this time in Spain).

The 29-year-old tallied 14 points in 15 minutes of action as his teammates converted 12 of 26 three-pointers (46.2 per cent). If Greece and Antetokoumpo can repeat this performance throughout the week in Piraeus, they have a strong chance of confirming their pre-OQT label as tournament favourites and qualifying for Paris.

Luka Doncic and Slovenia have the skill and experience to stop Antetokounmpo

The favourites in Group B are undoubtedly Slovenia, and would be favoured to win the entire OQT were it not for the X-factor that is the Greek crowd.

One need only watch the national team play at home or the league games of Greek giants Olympiacos and Panathinaikos to understand how much of an impact the crowd in Piraeus will have when Greece play.

But in Doncic, Slovenia have a formidable talent who is well-accustomed to performing in intense environments.

Doncic made his pro debut for Real Madrid in the Liga ACB when he was just 16, and won the EuroLeague with the Spanish club in 2018. He was also key in Slovenia winning the EuroBasket 2017—the country's first medal of any kind at an international tournament—and has experience at the OQTs after leading Slovenia to a tournament win in Lithuania back in 2020, ensuring Slovenia earned its first-ever Olympic berth at Tokyo 2020.

Then there are the numerous accolades Doncic has racked up during his time with the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA. In the 2023-24 season alone, the 25-year-old made his fifth consecutive All-Star and All-NBA First Teams, won the scoring title (33.9 points per game), and led Dallas to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2011.

His style of play—slow, methodical, and precise—feels like a perfect counter to the up-tempo style Antetokounmpo and Greece will want to play. Doncic knows how to score, and it's hard to run a fast-break offence when you're constantly taking the ball out of the basket.

Finally, if we return to the X-factor that will be the Greek crowd; just as it can be a boon for Hellas, it will also add a ton of pressure on Antetokounmpo and his teammate's shoulders. They are the tournament favourites and are playing at home, where fans will expect a tournament win. But one need only cast their mind back to 2021 when all four tournament hosts failed to reach the Olympics, to know that home advantage in international basketball may not exist.

We will find out the answer to that question, and who will get a ticket to Paris 2024, once the final wraps up on Sunday, 7 July.

FIBA OQT Greece - full schedule

Tuesday 2 July

• Egypt vs Dominican Republic (Group B)
• Slovenia vs Croatia (Group A)

Wednesday 3 July

• Croatia vs New Zealand (Group A)
• Dominican Republic vs Greece (Group B)

Thursday 4 July

• New Zealand vs Slovenia (Group A)
• Greece vs Egypt (Group B)

Friday 5 July - Semi-finals

• TBD vs TBD (17:30 or 21:00 EEST)
• TBD vs TBD (17:30 or 21:00 EEST)

Sunday 7 July - Final

• TBD vs TBD (21:00 EST)

2024 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments: How to watch

There are several ways for you to watch these games on your TV through local broadcast partners. However, not all broadcasters will show every game from the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments. We recommend checking the specific game pages on the respective FIBA OQT websites to see which broadcasters in your country will be airing the matches.

• FIBA OQT Greece
• FIBA OQT Latvia
• FIBA OQT Puerto Rico
• FIBA OQT Spain

Alternatively, users can stream all the action from the OQTs on Courtside 1891, with live games and on-demand replays. Blackouts may apply in certain territories.