If you’ve ever wanted a backstage pass to the Olympics, Court of Gold will transport you from the edge of your seat to Paris during the frenzied summer of 2024. The six-episode series follows four Olympic men’s basketball teams from the USA, Canada, Serbia, and France on their quest for gold. Trailing seasoned veterans like Kevin Durant and Steph Curry as well as younger superstars like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokić, and Victor Wembanyama, Court of Gold takes audiences behind the scenes, capturing what went down in locker rooms, on team buses, in training sessions, and beyond.

‘Court of Gold’ director Jake Rogal.

“You’re seeing something that you think you’ve seen before in a completely different light,” director Jake Rogal tells Tudum. “It’s fresh and compelling because you’re actually seeing what it’s like to be at the Olympics, and it is so much different than you think it would be.”

Nikola Jokić warming up before a game.

To gain unprecedented access to one of the most prestigious sporting events on the planet, Rogal and his team built relationships with the players to ensure they felt comfortable. Rogal says his team also tried to look for opportunities to join the players even during the most low-pressure parts of their days. 

“We’d reach out to the players every day and be like, ‘What are you doing today after practice?’ Most of the time it was, ‘I’m sleeping’ or ‘I’m going to focus’ or ‘I want to be with my family at the hotel.’ But any time they were going to an event, we would ask if we could tag along. They would tell us, ‘Yeah, I got tickets for my mom to go see gymnastics’ or ‘Me and some of the guys are going to see ping-pong’ or something. In those moments, there wasn’t anything on the line. They could just have fun and be jovial with their friends on camera.”

Victor Wembanyama juggles tennis balls in the locker room.

The production teams strategically divvied themselves up to ensure familiarity. “We had four crews in Paris,” Rogal says. “One crew per team, so the coaches knew who our camera guys and producers were. So when we were there, it wasn’t uncomfortable. They could be themselves.”

Of course, it wasn’t certain that Canada, Serbia, France, and the USA would be among the top teams amid so much talented competition. So how did Court of Gold know to make those teams its focal points? “We banked on these four teams with the thinking that we could pivot as the tournament went on,” Rogal explains. “You want the US, because no matter what happens, they’re a story. Even if they got knocked out early on, that would be a huge part of the Olympics. [The] US was a no-brainer. France lost the gold medal game in the last Olympics. You knew they had a good team. They added Victor Wembanyama, one of the best players in the world right now, and they were home [in Paris]. So right away — USA obvious, France obvious.”

USA and Serbia Basketball Men's Olympic Teams during a game.

The other two teams were slightly tougher choices. “We needed two more. We were talking to people in the basketball world, and everyone was like, ‘Canada’s a dark horse that could win it.’ They have Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who’s one of the best players in the NBA. They have a really awesome international coach in Jordi [Fernández]. So Canada was the third team. The fourth one, we floated around a bunch of different teams. We talked about Greece for a little bit, because of Giannis [Antetokounmpo]. We talked about Germany, because they had won the [FIBA Basketball] World Cup. Serbia [ultimately] came through because they were really good at the World Cup. They had the silver medal, [and] they added Nikola Jokić, the best player in the world, so we went with those four teams.”

Any of the four teams getting eliminated earlier than anticipated would’ve thrown a wrench in the production, so Rogal’s team focused on more than winning. “What was in our control is making the show authentic,” he says. But even that presented challenges. 

Tony Parker

“Getting cameras into Olympic venues is [like] moving mountains. That was the hardest part,” Rogal reveals, adding that one particular location prominently featured in Court of Gold was especially tricky to navigate. “The locker room is a sacred area in sports, so you want to be as respectful as you possibly can in that environment. The IOC [International Olympic Committee] said, ‘If the coaches are cool with you being there, you can be there. But the minute they say, “Get out,” you have to get out.’ ”

Dillon Brooks and Khem Birch in the locker room.

The effort to establish rapport and make everyone comfortable proved fruitful throughout the series. Rogal recalls capturing footage of Canada’s Dillon Brooks, an NBA player commonly perceived as an antagonist. “We went in with the preconceived notion that he’s a villain, and he was nothing but accommodating and friendly…. What he said to us was, ‘That’s just my on-court persona, and who I am as a person is not the player that I am.’ ….Off the court he’s got family and people who love him, who he loves too, and it makes you appreciate him more.”

Evan Fournier

Ultimately, that’s what Court of Gold provides — unfiltered authenticity inside previously unseen territories. “I’m excited for people to feel those locker rooms,” Rogal says. “I think they’ll be pleasantly surprised that it’s not like a Disney locker room. It’s real, raw, [and] intense. Those coaches and players did not care that we were in there, and they were completely themselves. I think the takeaway will be those locker room moments. That’s what sticks with you.”

Watch Court of Gold on Netflix now.