Brazil basketball roster for 2024 Olympics: Every player with NBA experience

If group stage play of the 2024 Olympic men's basketball competition is any indication, the knockout round will be a doozy. 

The quarterfinals of the Paris Summer Games are upon us, with eight teams going for gold. However, the odds suggest one team already has it wrapped up -- Team USA.

America has typically dominated the international hoops tournament, and it's no different this year. But their road to gold won't be a walk in the park, starting with their matchup against Brazil.

Brazil went 1-2 against their Group B foes, though every game they played was close, illustrated by their -7 point differential. They could certainly give the red, white and blue fits.

While Brazil's roster doesn't have top-tier NBA talent from head to toe like Team USA, they have several players with experience in the league. Most fans won't recognize most of the names, but they've all been members of the Association at one point.

Brazil men's basketball Olympic Roster: Every player with NBA experience 

Gui Santos is the only active NBA player on the Brazilian men's basketball squad. He's Golden State Warriors, who spent a second-round pick on him in the 2022 draft. The 23-year-old wasn't much of a factor as a rookie in 2023-24, averaging 3.6 points and 2.1 rebounds in 8.3 minutes per game. Nonetheless, he offers intrigue as a 6-foot-8 wing who showed he can shoot the ball efficiently (albeit on limited volume).

Unlike Santos, Cristiano Felicio was undrafted. Regardless, the latter made it to the NBA and enjoyed a six-year career with the Chicago Bulls.

Felicio was never more than a rotational center for the Bulls, but he proved as a serviceable bench piece. He averaged 4.3 points and 3.9 rebounds while shooting 57.2 percent from the floor across 252 games for Chicago.

The Atlanta Hawks selected Didi Louzada in the second round of the 2019 NBA Draft, yet he never played a game for them. Days later, the Brazilian swingman got traded to the New Orleans Pelicans. 

Across two seasons with New Orleans, Louzada played only five games. In 2022, the Pelicans shipped him to the Portland Trail Blazers, where he appeared in the final seven games of his NBA career. Yes, his time in the league was short, but it happened.

Raul Neto is the most seasoned NBA player representing Brazil at the Summer Games. The veteran floor general has spent eight years in the league, most recently with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He missed the entire 2023-24 campaign because of a ruptured patellar tendon and is currently a free agent.

Neto started 53 games for the Utah Jazz as a rookie. He's been more of a reserve journeyman since, but he has 435 games of NBA experience.

Bruno Caboclo put the world on notice with his 33-point, 18-rebound performance in Brazil's 102-84 victory over Japan. The versatile big man spent seven years in the NBA, most recently with the Houston Rockets in 2020-21. He started 19 games for the Memphis Grizzlies during his age-23 season, averaging 9.8 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists. He's demonstrated the ability to hang in the league.

Marcelo Huertas had a two-year tenure with the Los Angeles Lakers from 2015-17. The 41-year-old point guard was a bench player for them, but he's the leader of the Brazilian Olympic team.  

Lastly, Maozinha Pereira appeared in seven contests for the Grizzlies this past season. He logged nightly averages of 6.9 points and 5.3 rebounds with solid .514/.385/.700 shooting splits.