France, Wembanyama Favored to Win Gold in 2028?

In most reader's living lifetimes, Team USA has been favored to win gold in every Olympic Men's Basketball tournament. The 2004 Games, where Team USA fell to Manu Ginobili and Argentina and settled for bronze, was seen as a massive upset, but nothing more than a fluke.

As Team USA's core of Kevin Durant, LeBron James, and Stephen Curry age out, and France gets better, the tide might have turned. By the time the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games roll around, the best player in the world will be Victor Wembanyama, and he doesn't wear the stars and stripes.

Aside from boasting the face of the San Antonio Spurs, France has plenty of young talent. Bilal Coulibaly, Alexandre Sarr, Zaccharie Risacher, and Tidjane Salaun were all lottery picks in the last two NBA drafts, and more are on the way in 2025.

America's stranglehold on Olympic basketball is loosening.

"Team USA needs to understand this: You can talk about what Wemby's gonna do right now on Saturday, this is the last Olympics where Wemby will not be the best player that you're gonna have to face when you go into those Olympics," explained David Dennis Jr. on ESPN.

Team USA might see their dominance slip away as soon as today. France and America will play in the gold medal game in the 2024 Games at 2:30 CST later this afternoon. Wembanyama will have to go up against "The Avengers," but the roster the French have trotted out is very, very talented.

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According to Las Vegas sportsbooks, France is the 16-point underdog against the Americans.