During the basketball competition at the Paris Olympics, many teams can count on their NBA players to make a difference. However, some particularities could hinder them.
Basketball is one of the key events of the Paris Olympic Games this summer. After winning silver four years ago in the final against the United States, the French team has the ambition to do as well this summer during the Olympic tournament. To do this, it is counting on its key players playing in the NBA, and in particular on Rudy Gobert, Evan Fournier and Nicolas Batum. It can also rely on its new star Victor Wembanyama. After having amazed the big league throughout the season, the San Antonio Spurs pivot should indeed be present in Paris this summer.
Opposite, one of the main obstacles for the Blues on the road to an Olympic gold medal will obviously be the United States team. After a completely missed 2023 world championships and a fourth place, Team USA is lining up with its best players in Paris, including Lebron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant.
While European players are used to the peculiarities of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) rules because they apply in national championships, this is not the case for American players. We remember in particular the return to the zone on a throw-in at the end of the game, during the quarter-final of the world championship between France and the United States in 2019. In addition to the regulatory differences between FIBA basketball and NBA basketball, another detail could make all the difference.
Indeed, the dimensions of the court are not the same between the courts that will be found in Lille and Paris for the Games and the “standard” NBA court like that of Madison Square Garden in New York. The NBA court is in fact slightly wider and longer than the international dimensions, 28.65 x 15.25 meters against 28 x 15 m. Above all, and this is the big difference, the three-point line is not located at the same distance from the basket. While the NBA line is 7.24 meters, the FIBA distance for a three-point basket is 6.75 meters from the target. This difference could benefit NBA players, who are used to shooting from further away the rest of the time. Or disrupt their habits by forcing them to move closer to the basket, but also to the defense.
In addition to these different dimensions, the playing time is not the same, since each quarter lasts 10 minutes, compared to 12 in the NBA. This explains a generally less prolific final score during international and Euroleague matches. As a result, players are not allowed five fouls but four.