The United States’ 12-man basketball roster has been set for their gold medal quest in Tokyo for the 2020 Olympics (taking place in 2021). Among this team there are some familiar faces to USA Basketball and some newcomers as well joining the team for the first time in their careers. This team is coached by none other than the great Gregg Popovich, and his assistant coaches will include the likes of Steve Kerr, Lloyd Pierce and Jay Wright. There’s plenty to discuss around this team which will represent the United States, so let’s get right into the team that has been assembled.
Of these 12 USA players, only Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, and Kevin Love have had Olympic experience. Durant won two gold medals for Team USA in 2012 and 2016, while Green and Love won their single gold medals in 2012 and 2016, respectively. If this team is able to take home gold in the 2020 Olympics, then Kevin Durant would tie Carmelo Anthony with the most gold medals in USA Men’s Basketball history with three gold medals. What this team lacks in experience they make up for in youth as they have a plethora of young stars and emerging superstars with guys like Tatum, Booker, LaVine, and Adebayo looking for their first taste of Olympic competition. There are also the more experienced NBA players, including Holiday, Middleton, Lillard, Beal, and Grant who have proven themselves as vital assets to their respective teams and will provide much-needed leadership and talent in order for the US to reach its full potential this summer.
There’s no doubt that there are some notable players absent from this final list of 12 USA players. Most would say that the USA team isn’t at full strength without the likes of LeBron James, Steph Curry, Kyrie Irving, James Harden, etc. These are some of the players who won’t make the trip to Tokyo, and the reasons that they decided not to play vary. After Game 6 of the first round between the Suns and the Lakers, when LeBron was asked if he’d be suiting up for Team USA this July, he said, “I think I’m gonna play for the Tune Squad this summer instead of the Olympics,” referring to his appearance in his upcoming Space Jam movie in July. LeBron also had good reason to sit out after dealing with a hurt ankle in the playoffs and a short offseason from 2020. Curry has not yet starred in the Olympics for Team USA, although he has notably played in the FIBA World Cup in both 2010 and 2014. Lastly, it was actually reported that Harden would play for Team USA this year, but those reports were snuffed out as false and he will not play for the team after all.
With this team, the USA is looking for a comeback in a sort of way. In 2019, during the FIBA World Cup, the team was lacking in superstar talent and ended up finishing embarrassingly in seventh-place. This was after winning the two previous golds in the World Cup in 2010 and 2014. Usually the World Cup takes place every four years, but in 2018 it was moved because of the 2018 FIFA World Cup schedule. Either way, Olympic basketball has returned to basketball fans across the world, and the USA team is ready to once again go for gold.
Team USA has been the gold standard in Olympic basketball since the 1992 Dream Team. This year is no different and on July 23, 2021, we’ll be able to see the team on full display. There are exhibition games which take place before the USA heads to Tokyo in Las Vegas, so we’ll see how the team operates before they take the world stage in late July. Team USA has already been grouped in Group A, which features some good competition. In group A along with the United States is France, Iran, and the winner of the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Victoria. A team like France is set to have multiple NBA players in the Olympics, including Nicholas Batum (Los Angeles Clippers), Evan Fournier (Boston Celtics), Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot (Brooklyn Nets), Frank Ntilikina (New York Knicks), and most notably, the three-time DPOY in Rudy Gobert (Utah Jazz). It’ll be a sight to see this USA team play against France on July 25 for their first game. We know the team that’s been chosen, all that’s left is to watch their quest for that coveted Olympic gold.
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