Three former and future Michigan basketball players you can watch at the Olympics

Three Michigan basketball players – two former players on the men’s team and one who has committed to the women’s team for 2024 – will represent their respective countries at the XXXIII Olympic Games in Paris, France, later this month.

Syla Swords was named to the Canadian team, becoming the second Michigan basketball player to compete in the Olympics, the first being Krista Phillips, who played for the Canadian team in 2012. At just 18 years old, Swords is the youngest woman to ever play for the Canadian team in the Olympics.

Swords will come to Ann Arbor as one of the most accomplished high school basketball players in the program’s history. She was named a McDonald’s All-American, selected to the Jordan Brand Classic Game and played for the World Team at the 2024 Nike Hoop Summit. She is also the headliner of Michigan’s 2024 recruiting class, which has the highest ranking in program history. She has represented Canada in previous world championships at the junior and senior levels, the AmeriCup and Olympic qualifying in FIBA. Swords, currently ranked fourth by ESPN, is the highest-ranked women’s basketball player to commit to Michigan. There is a lot to be excited about when it comes to the future of Kim Barnes Arico’s program, and Swords is a big reason why.

You can watch Swords and Team Canada play host France starting Monday, July 29 at 11:15 a.m. ET. A few days later, they’ll also face Australia (Thursday, August 1 at 7:30 a.m. ET) and then Nigeria (Sunday, August 4 at 7:30 a.m. ET) to complete group play before the tournament begins.

Last week, the Michigan men’s basketball program announced that Moritz and Franz Wagner would represent Germany at the Olympics.

For Mo, it will be his second Olympic Games after his participation in Tokyo 2021, and for Franz, it will be his first Olympic Games. The Wagner brothers helped Germany win its first ever gold medal at the FIBA ​​World Cup last summer. The brothers live together and both currently play for the Orlando Magic.

You can see the Wagners play later this month when they open play against Japan on Saturday, July 27 at 7:30 a.m. EDT. A few days later, they play Latvia on Tuesday, July 30 at 3 p.m. EDT and finish off Group B play on Friday, August 2 with a match against host France at 3 p.m. EDT.