On Sunday, one Warriors player booked his ticket to the Paris Olympics while another Golden State player and coach fell short at the final hurdle.
Let's start with the good news.
Forward Guí Santos and his Brazilian national team defeated Latvia 94-69 in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament Finals.
Santos played 27 minutes off the bench for Brazil, recording 12 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two steals in a blowout win over host Latvia, led by NBA veteran Davis Bertans. Santos, a second-round pick in the 2022 draft, averaged 7.3 points per game on 48 percent shooting from the field during the Olympic Qualifiers.
With Brazil set to face Japan, Germany and France in Group B in Paris later this month, Santos will have to avoid any criticism of his teammate Stephen Curry or coach Steve Kerr against Team USA, at least in the group stage of the tournament.
Meanwhile, several other members of the Warriors organization didn't fare much either.
The Bahamas, with Warriors new recruit Buddy Hield and assistant coach Chris DeMarco, also entered Sunday one win away from qualifying for the Olympics, but DeMarco, the head coach, was unable to lead his team to a victory over Spain in the other final qualifying match in Valencia, losing 86-78.
Just one day after officially signing with the Warriors, Hield struggled on the court. Though he led the Bahamas with 19 points, the long-range shooting specialist struggled on the 3-point field goal, making just 2 of 10 attempts. He also grabbed six rebounds but lost the ball four times.
Former Warriors forward Ousmane Garba, who spent the 2023-24 season with Golden State, came off the bench for Spain and had a productive game. He scored 10 points on 3-of-5 shooting to go with five rebounds, three steals and two blocks. Garba is currently an unrestricted free agent after the Warriors declined his qualifying offer last month, but his performance against DeMarco may keep Golden State on his radar.
The group stage of the Olympics will get underway on July 27 as Spain takes on Australia.
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