At the Paris Olympics later this year, the U.S. men's national basketball team will aim to win a gold medal for the fifth consecutive year. Ahead of the long-awaited Summer Olympics, Team USA has announced his 41 basketball stars who will be included on the roster.
NBA superstars LeBron James, Joel Embiid, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant lead the list. However, in a somewhat surprising decision, Warriors forward Draymond Green was ruled out.
Green was a member of the U.S. gold medal-winning team at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games. He also helped the U.S. team win a gold medal at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, which were postponed due to the coronavirus.
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No. 6 LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers speaks with No. 30 Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors during a game at Chase Center on October 18, 2022 in San Francisco, California. (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Green expressed some interest in being part of the Paris-bound team last year. However, he missed 16 games from mid-December to mid-January because he was initially suspended indefinitely due to an altercation with Phoenix center Jusuf Nurkic. Green considered retiring him and he sought counseling before returning, he said.
Bucs head coach Adrian Griffin starts his first season despite losing 30-13.
Golden State head coach Steve Kerr will resume his duties as Team USA's head coach for the upcoming summer tournament, while Miami Heat forward Erik Spoelstra will serve as assistant coach.
Tyronn Lue of the Los Angeles Clippers and Mark Few of Gonzaga University will also be on the bench and work as assistants. The final 12-man roster will be finalized in the coming months, but much of that decision will likely depend on player health and how deep each team can advance in the NBA playoffs.
“The United States boasts incredible basketball talent, and many sports superstars have expressed interest in representing our country at the 2024 Summer Olympics,” said Grant Hill, men's national team managing director. I'm excited about that.”
“We are honored to have chosen a team that will help us towards our goal of standing atop the Olympic podium once again. This difficult process will continue in the coming months as we look forward to the start of national team activities. It will be rolled out over the course of a month.”
January 31, 2019; Oakland, California, USA. Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant, 35, and Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid, 21, during the third quarter at Oracle Arena. The 76ers defeated the Warriors 113-104. (Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports)
A total of 13 players in the pool have already won Olympic gold medals, with Durant winning three and James winning two. If Durant plays and the United States wins, he will become the first male basketball player to win four gold medals.
“I'm going to play in the Olympics,” Durant said flatly last fall.
Curry has not represented the Olympic team yet, but has previously expressed interest in doing so.
“I would love to go there,” Curry said last fall. “I definitely want to join the team.”
Also considered: Jarrett Allen, Paolo Banchero, Desmond Bane, Scottie Barnes, Mikal Bridges, Jaylen Brown, Jalen Brunson, Alex Caruso, Anthony Edwards and De'Aaron Fox. , Aaron Gordon, Tyrese Haliburton, Josh Hart, Tyler Herro, Chet Holmgren, Brandon Ingram, Jaren Jackson Jr., Cam Johnson, Walker Kessler, Kawhi Leonard, Donovan Mitchell, Bobby Portis, Austin Reeves, Duncan Robinson, Derrick White, Trae Young.
March 13, 2023. Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (1) reacts with Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) during the second half at State Farm Arena. (Dale Zanin-USA TODAY Sports)
Embiid, the reigning NBA MVP, could have decided to play in France (he has dual citizenship) or his native Cameroon if he was eligible. He chose to play in the United States last fall instead.
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The Philadelphia 76ers big man scored a franchise-record 70 points in Monday night's game against the San Antonio Spurs.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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