The Bahamas have a chance to make history: At the Olympic qualifying tournament in Valencia, Spain, they'll have three NBA players (Deandre Ayton, Buddy Hield and Eric Gordon), one of the top 2025 NBA draft candidates (18-year-old VJ Edgecomb, who will play at Baylor next season), one player with recent NBA experience (Kai Jones) and an NBA coach (Chris DeMarco, an assistant on Steve Kerr's Golden State Warriors staff). They could be the first team to qualify for the Olympics.
But to do that, they need to win the entire OQT, and that probably means beating Spain. In Spain.
The Spanish national team hasn't failed to qualify for the Olympic Games since 1996. In that time, Spain has medaled in three Olympic Games (silver in 2008 and 2012, bronze in 2016) and two FIBA World Cup gold medals (2006, 2019). Though the Gasol brothers are retired and neither Ricky Rubio nor Jose Calderon are at the helm, there are still many familiar faces on this summer's roster. Rudy Fernández, Santi Aldama, Sergio Llull, Ousmane Garba, Juancho Hernangómez, Willy Hernangómez and Lorenzo Brown are all in, as is 20-year-old Juan Núñez, who was drafted 36th overall by the San Antonio Spurs last week.
Spain cruised to a 104-59 win over Lebanon on Tuesday and an 89-81 win over Angola on Wednesday to book a spot in the semifinals on Saturday. The Bahamas also booked a spot in the semifinals with consecutive wins over Finland and Poland. Edgecomb scored a team-high 21 points on 7-of-13 shooting in a 90-81 win over Poland on Wednesday.
Spain and the Bahamas are set to meet as they finished top of their respective group stages, with a win on Saturday meaning a place in the Olympic Games could be at stake in the final on Sunday.
