Nearly all of the 11 players USA Basketball has selected so far to compete in the Paris Olympics were names that were already widely expected to make the team. The mystery that remains is who will fill the 12th and final spot.
The U.S. men's basketball team, which is aiming for its fifth consecutive Olympic title, includes LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, Joel Embiid, Jayson Tatum, Devin Booker, Jrue Holiday, as well as Anthony Davis, Bam Adebayo, Sources close to Anthony Edwards and Tyrese Haliburton said: The Athletic.
A number of U.S. officials, including Team USA managing director Grant Hill and longtime USA Basketball general manager Sean Ford, did not immediately return messages seeking comment, and no one from the program. There was no official announcement.
U.S. officials began notifying players who were selected for the team and those who were not. For the athletes who made the team, USAB officials traveled to present the athletes with special Team USA Olympic jerseys. Olympic training camp doesn't start until July 5 in Las Vegas, and Team USA's first game isn't until July 28, but sources close to the players say the players will soon be competing to promote the Olympics. They will be participating in the content.
Each team is allowed to bring 12 athletes to the Olympics.Kawhi Leonard is the top candidate for the vacant U.S. seat, with Paul George, Paolo Banchero, Mikal Bridges and Jalen Brunson also under consideration, sources said. Athletic.
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Leonard, a candidate to join Durant and James, is battling a knee injury and his status for the start of the playoffs with the Los Angeles Clippers is unclear.
Along with Haliburton and Edwards, who are heading to Paris, Banchero, Bridges and Brunson are members of the 2023 FIBA World Cup U.S. squad that finished fourth in the tournament.
In some ways, the core of this team has been known for months. Back in September, the day after the United States lost to Canada in the World Cup third-place game. The Athletic It was reported that James, Curry and Durant were at the forefront of a group of NBA superstars ready to commit to Team USA. Embiid made Hill's appointment public in October, and in February it was reported that Holiday was a “key” to the Olympic team, along with players such as Tatum and Booker.
Davis and Adebayo, two Olympic veterans, are obvious additions given their size and defensive prowess, and Edwards and Haliburton are two young, dynamic guards who American deep thinkers have He sees himself as a bridge between the present and future of the U.S. men's national team.
Durant, the American's all-time leading scorer, has three gold medals. James has two gold medals and Tatum, Booker, Holiday, Davis and Adebayo each have one gold medal. Curry played on two World Cup teams for the United States and won two gold medals, but has yet to play in the Olympics, and Embiid has never played in an international tournament. James, 39, Curry, 36, and Durant, 35, have long considered a potential partnership on Team USA, especially for the Paris Games, as a “last dance” within the U.S. program. The end of their NBA careers.
Curry's coach with the Warriors, Steve Kerr, is coaching Team USA again this summer and previously said he would step down from Team USA after the Olympics. The Athletic.
(Photo: Michael Owens/Getty Images)
