PORTLAND, Maine — Editors note: The attached video was originally published July 26, 2024.
Five former Maine Celtics are representing their home countries in the 2024 Paris Olympics in hopes of playing spoiler to the star-studded Team USA.
Four players and one coach are representing their home countries of Canada, South Sudan, France, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
"You look across the Olympic basketball scene and see four or five names that we recognize who played right here in the [Portland] Expo, that's pretty cool for the Maine Celtics," Evans Boston, senior director of public and community relations for the Maine Celtics, said.
Forward Dwight Powell and Assistant Coach Nathaniel Mitchell are on Team Canada.
Guard Marial Shayok is on Team South Sudan. In an exhibition before the Olympics began, Shayok and South Sudan nearly upset Team USA's "Dream Team-esque" squad, which includes LeBron James, Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis, Tyrese Haliburton, Joel Embiid, and three current Boston Celtics players: Jayson Tatum, Jrue Holiday, and Derrick White.
South Sudan just beat Puerto Rico, and former Celtic Tremont Waters, the 2020 G-League Rookie of the Year.
"Back in 1992 when the Dream Team came out and they were just destroying everyone in the Olympic Games—it's not like that anymore. The rest of the world has caught up to the United States," Boston said. "International basketball is huge. There are a lot of international stars in the NBA right now. Most of the best players in the world are playing in the Olympics, so it's really exciting."
Playing in his home country of France is a fan favorite, former Celtic who spent two seasons in Boston in 2017 and 2018: Guerschon Yabusele.
"Everyone says that basketball is a very small community and it really is. These players come here, they play here for a year, maybe two years, and then they move on to bigger and better things. That's the name of the game in the NBA G-League and to see them globally now playing for their teams internationally at the Olympic Games, that's really cool," Boston said.
Team USA plays South Sudan on Wednesday at 3 p.m. On Friday, Canada plays Spain, and France plays Greece. Puerto Rico and the U.S. are scheduled to play on Saturday.