Olympics betting: Who will challenge USA Basketball in Paris?

Don't get us wrong, Team USA basketball is stacked. Steve Kerr is coaching an absolute dream of a team, and the U.S. hasn't missed out on gold in this event since 2004. But with their odds of winning steep and strong competition in the mix, should you consider betting on someone else?

With so much star power, FanDuel lists the United States at -390 odds to top the podium in the 5x5 competition. Make no mistake, though, there is competition at more appealing odds that you could back to upset them.

Here's a look at some worthy opponents.

Canada (+850)

The USA has won the gold in men's basketball in 16 of 20 Summer Olympics dating back to the 1936 Berlin Games, and the closest Canada ever came to challenging was winning silver that same year in Germany.

So why are our friends north of the border listed as the second favorite at FanDuel to take home gold?

The current squad led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander bested Team USA at the 2023 FIBA World Cup to win a bronze medal . They have defensive depth thanks to players like Houston Rockets small forward Dillon Brooks and SGA's Thunder teammate Luguentz Dort.

At +850 (17-2 odds), Canada is a worthy opponent to take on the U.S.'s star-studded roster and worth backing.

Serbia (+1000)

The Serbians are actually the +185 favorites at FanDuel to win gold in the 3x3 competition. They should put up a good fight in the 5x5 battle as well.

This European squad took home silver at the 2016 Summer Games in Rio — being bested by the U.S. — and more recently took home silver at the 2023 FIBA World Cup after falling to Germany 83-77. With so many close calls in recent years and a roster full of veteran talent, Serbia promises to put up a fight against the heavily-favored Americans.

Serbia opens up the Olympics against Team USA, which means Steph Curry and LeBron James could potentially face reigning NBA MVP Nikola Jokic out the gate. Add Atlanta Hawks small forward Bogdan Bogdanovic and young Miami Heat talent Nikola Jovic, and this team has sleeper potential at 10-1 odds.

France (+1600)

As Yardbarker has mentioned before, the host country often wins the most gold medals at the Olympics. So when you consider the French are playing in their own backyard, they look like a decent opponent at 16-1 odds.

Add in that they were the silver medalists at the 2020 Tokyo Games, and France is a team even hungrier for revenge on Team USA than Canada is.

The Rudy Gobert-led French also have a new weapon this time around: Victor Wembanyama.

Wemby is coming off of an impressive Rookie of the Year campaign where he led the San Antonio Spurs in points (21.4), rebounds (10.6), steals (1.2), blocks (3.6) and field goals made (7.8). That's a nice addition alongside Gobert, who averaged 2.1 blocks last season while scoring 14.0 points per game.

Add "glue guy" Nicolas Batum, and France is more than ready to defend their own backyard against betting favorite Team USA.

"I can’t wait to face them, it will be a very interesting matchup," Wembanyama told reporters at a news conference in Paris. "As a basketball player, it’s also a dream to play against Team USA and even against all those players, all those legends."

Suffice it to say, you should consider Wemby and Team France if you want to back a team to beat Team USA on the court later this month.