Luka Doncic and Giannis Antetokounmpo are on an NBA collision course for one final spot in Paris for 2024 Summer Olympics
But both things can’t happen at the same time.
Two of the NBA’s biggest stars are set up for a collision course a month before the Olympics began, and only one can emerge from a loaded group of teams that features Greece, Slovenia, New Zealand, Croatia, Egypt and the Dominican Republic.
It’s a fascinating, must-watch subplot as the 2024 Games approach.
Antetokounmpo answered a nearly three-month layoff with 14 points, five rebounds, one assist and a steal in just 15 minutes of action during Greece’s recent 102-75 blowout win in a friendly against the Bahamas.
Doncic is leaning toward going through qualifying with Slovenia, if he clears medical checks and is deemed healthy.
“If it’s good, I’m going to go play,” Doncic said during the NBA Finals, referring to lingering knee issues.
Doncic carried the Dallas Mavericks to the Finals before Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and the Boston Celtics won the series 4-1.
Doncic was listed as one of 16 candidates for Slovenia, which will play in an Olympic qualifying tournament that that runs from July 2-7 in Greece.
There are three other qualifying tournaments (Latvia, Puerto Rico, Spain).
The winning team from each of the four tournaments will advance to Paris, meaning that there will only be one winner in a group that features Doncic and the Greek Freak playing for a single prestigious spot.
Eight teams have already qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics, highlighted by a loaded USA squad that features LeBron James and Steph Curry both playing for America for the first time.
“I just expect them to be what they are: Two of the greatest players that ever touched a basketball,” Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton exclusively told talkSPORT.
France, Canada, Australia, South Sudan, Japan, Serbia and Germany are also already in the Olympics.
For many basketball fans, seeing Doncic’s Slovenia team potentially canceling out Antetokounmpo’s Greece squad — or the other way around — is almost unbelievable, considering they’re among the best basketball players in the world.