Having NBA players in the Olympics is good

A controversial take on whether the best players in the world should play in the biggest international tournament in the sport.

Good morning. Let’s basketball.

---

In the Valley; Béla Iványi-Grünwald; 1901

As the Olympics get ready to begin again — opening ceremonies on Friday, the men’s 5x5 basketball tournament begins Saturday and the women’s 5x5 tournament begins Sunday — there is again discussion of whether NBA players should be involved, particularly on Team USA, which has won four consecutive gold medals and seven of the last eight on the men’s side. Some suggest that global basketball take a cue from soccer, where the FIFA World Cup and other continental and hemispheric competitions far outweigh the Olympics in terms of importance, leading to roster restrictions for the Games in which most players must be 23 or younger and have not appeared in a World Cup.

I think it’s actually good that NBA players appear in the Olympics, and FIBA, the national federations and the league should all work to continue the practice. This probably doesn’t qualify as a controversial take, but it needs to be said. Having the best players in the world in a particular sport participate in the global centerpiece of athletic competition is good, and should continue.

With no offense to FIBA, the Olympic men’s basketball tournament is the premiere international men’s basketball tournament, and restricting the presence of NBA player participation would not bolster the World Cup. It would just damage interest in the Olympic tournament. In an increasingly fractured media environment, the Olympics can’t afford to lose the star draw of basketball — even though other high-profile sports draw better audiences consistently. The NBA also really should not skip out on opportunities to have its top athletes promoted outside the context of its own product. This takes particular importance as NBC — who holds Olympic media rights in the United States through 2032, and probably beyond — gains NBA rights in 2025-26. Every four years the NBA’s brightest stars get more air time on someone else’s dime. And at least in 2024 and 2028, the competition happens in time zones conducive to American audiences. (Brisbane 2032 is going to be a challenge because, as I just confirmed, they mean Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, not Brisbane, California. Which, frankly, would have been pretty weird.)

This is about much more than Team USA.