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Luka, Giannis To Square Off In Olympic Qualifying
The Australian Boomers team for the 2024 Paris Olympics has been finalised, sources told ESPN, with surprising omissions paving the way for some fresh faces.
The 12-man team will once again be guided by its NBA talent, with Josh Giddey, Josh Green, Danté Exum, Jock Landale, Duop Reath, Dyson Daniels, Patty Mills, and Joe Ingles all included.
A pair of newcomers will enter the fold, with Jack McVeigh and Will Magnay - both members of the NBL Championship winning Tasmania JackJumpers - also named to the team and set to play in their first Olympics.
Matthew Dellavedova and Nick Kay - who were members of the bronze medal winning Boomers squad from the Tokyo Olympics - round out the team that will fly to Abu Dhabi next week for more exhibition games, before continuing on to Paris.
The Boomers' coaching staff, led by Brian Goorjian, informed players of their decisions late on Thursday evening, sources said, following the second of a pair of exhibition wins against China.
The most surprising omission from the final team is Matisse Thybulle, the Portland Trail Blazers wing who was a prominent feature over the Boomers' last two major tournament cycles. Xavier Cooks - who'll play under Goorjian at the Sydney Kings for the next three seasons, and was a standout at last year's World Cup - was also left off the team. Rounding out the final cuts were Chris Goulding, Jack White, and Dejan Vasiljevic.
The final team still needs to be ratified by the Australian Olympic Committee, with an official announcement scheduled for Sunday.
Of the final selections, Green, Exum, Landale, Reath, Mills, Ingles, Dellavedova, and Kay carry over from the team that won a bronze medal in Tokyo in 2021.
Mills and Ingles will feature in their fifth Olympics, tying Andrew Gaze for the most for a men's basketball player. It will be a fourth Olympics for Dellavedova.
This will be a debut Olympics for Giddey, Daniels, McVeigh, and Magnay.
The Boomers were drawn into Group A for the Paris Olympics, alongside Canada and two teams that are still in the midst of qualifying. Australia's first game at the Olympics is scheduled for July 27.
The plan is for the Boomers to fly to Abu Dhabi on July 10 for a pair of exhibition games; one against Team USA on July 16 (AEST), and another against Serbia on July 17. After those games, they'll fly to Paris for more preparations ahead of their first Olympic game.
Australian Boomers team for 2024 Paris Olympics:
Josh Giddey Dyson Daniels Patty Mills Josh Green Danté Exum Jock Landale Duop Reath Joe Ingles Jack McVeigh Will Magnay Matthew Dellavedova Nick Kay
