France men's Olympic basketball schedule: How to watch Rudy Gobert in the Paris 2024 Games

Exhibition matches have concluded, and the 2024 Paris Olympics are about to officially begin. When they do, Minnesota Timberwolves fans can look forward to watching Rudy Gobert compete with his home country of France. This year's Olympics will be massive for Team France, considering Paris is the host city.

The French national team will be led by the man who won his record-tying fourth Defensive Player of the Year award this past NBA season will have the opportunity to lead his team to a gold medal in his home country. He'll attempt to do so alongside the reigning NBA Rookie of the Year in Victor Wembanyama, forming one of the most fearsome defensive front lines on the planet.

Of course, Team France will have some tough competition along the way, namely Team USA, where Anthony Edwards will be helping lead the charge for the Americans. If France is to take home the highy coveted title of World Champion, they will in all likelihood have to go through the United States.

France Men's Basketball Team Overview

Team France has seen a resurgence of relevancy ever since the turn of the century. After not qualifying for eight of the previous nine Olympics, France has been a participant in all but two Olympic Games since 2000.

France earned the silver medal at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia. After missing out on the 2004 and 2008 Olympics, they finished sixth in the 2012 London Olympics, as well as sixth in the 2016 Rio Olympics. They also finished as silver medalists at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, setting the stage for an exciting 2024 campaign.

The roster for Team France is of course highlighted by Rudy Gobert and Victor Wembanyama. From there, the roster is filled out by fellow NBA players Nic Batum, Bilal Coulibaly and Evan Fournier, as well as Frank Ntilikina, Nando de Colo, Andrew Albicy, Isaia Cordinier, Mathias Lessort, Matthew Strazel, and Guerschon Yabusele. The team will be coached by Vincent Collet.

France Men's Basketball Schedule

• July 27, 2024 | Brazil | 10:15 AM CT | Pierre Mauroy Stadium | CNBC

• July 30, 2024 | Japan | 10:15 AM CT | Pierre Mauroy Stadium | TBA

• August 2, 2024 | Germany | 2:00 PM CT | Pierre Mauroy Stadium | TBA

How to Watch the Games

Broadcast Channels:

France's first Olympic contest will be broadcast on CNBC, with viewing info on the later games still to come. To watch on the network, viewers can purchase services like Sling TV ($57), YouTube TV ($73), Hulu with Live TV ($77).

Fans watching from Canada can tune in on CBC Gem, and those located in the United Kingdom can watch via BBC.

Streaming Partners:

For fans looking to catch every second of Team France at the Olympics, a subscription to Peacock will give you access to all the action for $8 per month. It is currently the only streaming platform with rights to the Olympics.

Mobile and Online Viewing:

Fans can also watch on their laptops and smartphones at NBCOlympics.com, where live streams of the events will be available.

Key Players to Watch

Of course, Rudy Gobert will stand out as perhaps the most important veteran leader on Team France. The young Victor Wembanyama already rivals him in pure talent, but Gobert's experience will be massive for France as they try to medal for a second straight Olympics.

Rudy has established himself as one of the best defenders in the world. His shot-blocking and shot-altering ability is second to none, and opposing players will reconsider even attempting a shot against him, knowing that he is likely to erase the attempt with swiftness.

Alongside him will be Wembanyama, who is nearly as good of a shot-blocker as Gobert. Victor is a spectacular talent at both ends of the floor with guard-like skills, and his interior defense combined with Rudy's will make France's paint defense nearly impenetrable.

Defense will be the name of the game for France, but Gobert and Wembanyama will need assistance from their teammates on the perimeter as well. An effective interior defense becomes weakened if guards are allowed to enter the paint at will.

Olympic Basketball Tournament Format

Olympic basketball will officially commence with the group phase, which involves all 12 teams that qualified for the event. The teams are divided into three groups of four, and each team within a group will take on their in-group opponents once. Once those games conclude, eight of the 12 teams will advance to the knockout stage.

The top two teams in each group will advance to this phase, along with the two best third-place teams. A drawing will then occur to create the tournament bracket, which guarantees the two highest-seeded teams do not end up on the same side.

It is important to note that the Olympics adopt FIBA rules, meaning that there are several notable changes from the rules NBA fans are used to. Games are divided into four 10-minute quarters, and players officially foul out of a game after committing five fouls, as opposed to six in the NBA.

Goaltending rules are also notably different at the Olympics compared to the NBA. Players still cannot touch a shot attempt that is on its way down, but they are legally allowed to touch the ball while it is above or on the rim under FIBA rules.