Add Category
A squad of era-defining greats, with a nod to the future.
Players with NBA titles and Olympic medals already in their cabinets, getting together for what will be one final run at a Games campaign.
Legendary names, fan favourites and national sporting icons ready to take on a highly competitive field with Olympic basketball gold the sole and unwavering ambition.
The key themes underlying the men's basketball at these Games transcend across a number of teams, not just for the US squad, arguably the best constructed since the 1992 Dream Team.
You could use the very same words to define our Boomers, who through bold selection and a commitment to a hyper-aggressive game style have their sights set on the highest spot on the podium.
Australia's men's basketball team is heading to Paris with all of its chips pushed in. A familiar mantra has been reprised but this time made public, so as to match the external pressure with the internal expectations:
Gold Vibes Only.
Old dogs with some new tricks
Patty Mills already holds a special place in Australian sporting history. His performances and leadership in Tokyo as the Boomers claimed a maiden Olympic medal made sure of that, if it wasn't confirmed before.
Heading to his fifth Olympics — the most by any Indigenous athlete ever — Mills's value to the team has changed but not diminished.
He is the spiritual leader of the group, working alongside a perhaps oversized group of veterans hoping to turn Tokyo's rose gold into the real thing in Paris.
"I think what we've been able to focus on is ourselves," Mills said at the Boomers' team announcement.
"It's clear to us that our goal is to be the team that's standing on top of the podium, and for us to be unapologetic about that in our process."
Mills's pointed language is not unique among this squad. The way they talk about each other, about their motivations and aspirations is of complete unflinching confidence.
The term 'AussieBall' has been thrown around, representing the style of basketball the team wants to play with an emphasis on high-octane offence, and physical defence.
"Our goal is to be able to be true to who we are as Aussies, that blue collar, most physical team," Mills said.
"The mateship that we have, being the most connected team.
"And for us to be the team standing on top of the podium, we're going to need to be the best defensive team."
That sense of connection is something coach Brian Goorjian has prioritised in the selection of the squad, with Mills joined by familiar faces in Joe Ingles and Matthew Dellavedova despite their waning powers.
And while that trio remains the heart of the team, they are far from the most important players on the court anymore.
The keys to the Boomers, so to speak, have been tossed to Josh Giddey, the 21-year-old guard who has greatly impressed with his playmaking through two NBA seasons with Oklahoma City.
Josh Green and Dyson Daniels, two more rising NBA stars, add more offensive force. Dante Exum's career revival in Dallas suddenly makes him an even more important piece, though a finger injury will delay his impact on the campaign.
Jock Landale and Duop Reath mix size with an outside threat at the four and five, and NBL Finals MVP Jack McVeigh is a popular selection as a spark plug offensive option, particularly from beyond the arc.
But surprisingly there wasn't room for Matisse Thybulle, genuinely one of the best and most proactive defensive players in the NBA, or reliable perimeter player Chris Goulding. Thybulle in particular is believed to have taken his omission hard, and it is a selection decision that will be highlighted should results go against the Boomers in Paris.
"A lot was said about the difficulty of taking 17 to 12 (in the squad), and when we did it a lot of people weren't happy with it," Goorjian said.
"In my time in this, it was the toughest decision to make, cutting that group from 17 to 12 and the actual process itself, cutting five guys that night.
"The ones that we cut were high level, high level players, so that was difficult."
What's left is an experienced and committed squad, but perhaps one lacking in versatility and true points of difference.
In warm-up games against China, rotations with Giddey as the primary offensive pivot looked a little disjointed and the team did not improve until Dellavedova brought a slightly more untidy urgency to the floor.
But a trip to Abu Dhabi helped the squad find their groove, and in games against the US and Serbia Goorjian's vision was more properly evident.
Giddey was hyper-aggressive on offence, supported by the versatile Daniels and the excellent Landale. Mills, who struggled against the Americans, returned to his FIBA best against Serbia.
Defence was committed in both games, though still not quite at the high standard set by Mills and co. Against the US, no amount of effort could contain the sheer star-power and talent they were faced with.
Preparations wrapped up with an impressive win over France, where Daniels' matchwinning reverse layup made sure they finished their warm up games in style.
There are question marks, but also plenty of reasons to be optimistic.
Navigating the group of death
There's no easy road to Olympic gold, but the Boomers have certainly been done no favours by the draw they have received.
Pool A has been dubbed the Group of Death already, and features Australia, world number two Spain, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's Canada, and Giannis Antetokounmpo's Greece. Had Greece not qualified, you could have substituted them out for Luka Dončić's Slovenia.
It is a formidable challenge, and although Australia is ranked above Canada and Greece, the sheer star power on those rosters means the Boomers are likely to play the role of underdogs in each of their group games in Paris.
The thought of combating the likes of Gilgeous-Alexander and Giannis only adds greater urgency to Mills's call for the Aussies to be the best defensive team at these Olympics.
"You always say to be the best, you’ve got to beat the best," Mills said.
"And the teams these countries are putting together are the best."
Landale is preparing to go toe-to-toe with Antetokounmpo in what could be a critical game for Australia, in the knowledge that battle could define the Boomers' chances.
"It's a challenge, that's for damn sure," Landale said of Giannis.
"He's an incredible player who I've had the opportunity to play against, guard, for the last three years in the NBA.
"Anyone who tells you they've figured it out, they're probably lying."
The Boomers will need to finish in the top two to guarantee progression to the knockout stages, but the two third-placed finishers with the best records will also sneak through. That means that of the 12 teams competing at these Games, only four will actually be eliminated after the group stage.
The competition moves from Lille to Paris for the knockout stages, all leading up to the gold medal match on the penultimate day of the Games.
If Australia is to achieve its stated aim of winning the gold in Paris, it's safe to assume at some stage it will need to confront and overcome the United States, and a collection of stars that has been a generation in the making.
LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday make up a fearsome group of NBA superstars, all past their peaks but uniting for a run at Olympic gold.
They are joined by the modern crop of elite players, Jayson Tatum, Joel Embiid, Devin Booker and Bam Adebayo and generation next in Anthony Edwards and Tyrese Haliburton. Derrick White was a late addition, replacing the injured Kawhi Leonard.
There is a case to be made that it is the deepest and most complete US Olympic basketball team ever assembled, and it faces some outrageous competition in that field.
The prospect of Curry joining forces with James for the first time, or Edwards and Tatum teaming up, or almost any other combination of players you could come up with, is enough to convince you the gold medal is a fait accompli.
Giddey has other ideas.
"If you look on paper, obviously they're the most talented team, it's not a secret to anybody," Giddey said on the eve of competition.
"The difference is these guys, they've never played together, whereas a lot of these other countries have a core and have been together for years.
"I think those type of things really do have an effect."
US coach Steve Kerr, the mastermind of the great Golden State Warriors teams of the past decade, came away from his side's game against Australia very aware of what the Boomers will be bringing to the table.
"I give Australia a ton of credit. They were great," Kerr said.
"They fought, they were really physical. The took it to us in the last quarter-and-a-half and really made it a game."
The gold medal match in the men's basketball is going to be one of the biggest, most hotly anticipated events at these Games.
Tickets have long since sold out, unless you wanted to stump up many thousands of dollars for some sort of hospitality package and a glimpse at the world's best players.
The expectation is that ticket will grant you a look at the United States and their closest challengers — maybe Nikola Jokic's Serbia, or Victor Wembanyama's France, or one of the elite teams out of Group A.
But right now, if you were to ask Mills or Goorjian or any of the 12 Boomers in Paris, you should expect to see the green and gold on that court on August 10.
It's gold or bust for the Boomers.