Dream Team or “Make Us Want to Scream” Team?
LIVE: Follow for USA vs. France basketball updates
The United States men’s basketball team has faced a decent amount of trouble leading up to the 2021 Olympics. Some of the planet’s best players — LeBron James, James Harden, Stephen Curry, Anthony Davis — withdrew from consideration for the 2021 Olympic squad before the team was officially assembled, leaving Team USA without some serious starpower.
Then, COVID-19 complications hurt the team, with Wizards star Bradley Beal being sent home from camp with a positive coronavirus test. Kevin Love withdrew from the squad soon after with an injury.
But the time for talk, conjecture, drama and projection is over: Team USA takes the court against France in preliminary round play today at the break of dawn on the East Coast today, with the Gregg Popovich-coached squad looking to earn its 17th gold medal in basketball and their third-straight at the Olympic games.
MORE: Watch the Olympics live with fuboTV (7-day free trial)
USA vs. France start time
- Date: Sunday, July 25
- Time: 8 a.m. ET | 5 a.m. PT
- Rebroadcast: Midnight ET | 9 p.m. PT
The USA men’s basketball team kicks of prelim play vs. France at 8 a.m. ET on Sunday, July 25. The game will air live on Peacock, NBC’s streaming service.
A replay of the game will air at midnight ET on Monday, July 26.
What channel is USA vs. France basketball on?
- TV channels: Not available on cable
- Live stream: Peacock, NBCOlympics.com
The first three games of Team USA’s Olympic run won’t be broadcast live on cable TV. Rather, they’ll be shown exclusively on Peacock, NBC’s streaming service.
The replay of USA vs. France will air on NBCSN at midnight on July 26.
The game will be available on Peacock Premium service, which will run you $4.99/month (no ads).
Olympics live streams
NBC’s streaming service, Peacock, will provide coverage of select live events including track & field, gymnastics and basketball. The service, which is free with ads, will also provide more Olympics content including curated playlists, highlights and full event replays from the 2021 Tokyo Games.
A Peacock Premium subscription (no ads) costs $4.99/month.
| Streaming option | Cable subscription needed? | Free? | Cost | Free trial? |
| Peacock | No | Yes | — | — |
| Peacock Premium | No | No | $4.99/month | |
| fuboTV | No | No | $64.99/month | Yes |
| AT&T TV Now | No | No | $69.99/month | No |
| Hulu Plus Live TV | No | No | $64.99/month | Yes |
| YouTube TV | No | No | $64.99/month | Yes |
USA basketball schedule 2021
Team USA Basketball kicks off its basketball slate in Tokyo after a few weeks of exhibition matchups and drama.
| Date | Game | Time (ET) | TV channel |
| July 25 | USA vs. France | 8 a.m./Midnight | Peacock, NBCSN (replay) |
| July 28 | USA vs. Iran | 12:40 a.m. | Peacock |
| July 31 | USA vs. Czech Republic | 8 a.m. | Peacock |
| Aug. 3 | Men’s basketball quarterfinals | TBD | TBD |
| Aug. 5 | Men’s basketball semifinals | TBD | TBD |
| Aug. 6 | Men’s basketball gold-medal game | 10:30 p.m. | TBD |
| Aug. 7 | Men’s basketball bronze-medal game | 7 a.m. | TBD |