U.S. Olympic Basketball Team Unveiled, Schedule for Games 2 in Abu Dhabi
The team, selected by national men’s team head coach Grant Hill and approved by the USA Basketball Board of Directors, will also play two warm-up tournaments in Abu Dhabi against Australia (July 15) and Serbia (July 17).
They will feature 12 athletes with plenty of international experience, including three-time Olympic champion Kevin Durant (Phoenix Suns) and the NBA's all-time leading scorer LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers), who has two Olympic gold medals . . . .
In addition to Durant and James, the team includes Bam Adebayo (Miami Heat), Devin Booker (Phoenix Suns), Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors), Anthony Davis (Los Angeles Lakers), Anthony Edwards (Minnesota Timberwolves), Joel Embiid ( Philadelphia 76ers), Tyrese Haliburton (Indiana Pacers), Jrue Holiday (Boston Celtics), Kawhi Leonard (LA Clippers) and Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics).
The team boasts a combined 11 Olympic titles and 10 Olympic gold medals as well as three FIBA World Cup titles. Overall, the U.S. will take 12 NBA All-Stars, four NBA MVPs and five NBA champions to Paris.
“It’s an honor to bring the men’s national team,” Hill said. “I appreciate these 12 men for their determination to represent USA Basketball. The US is home to some of the best basketball players in the world and I appreciate the overwhelminginterest in me being on this list. These decisions weren’t easy, but it was fun to go through the process and get to this result. “We have a lot of respect for the amount of competition we will face this summer. The Olympics represent the pinnacle of sport and the world will be watching the USA as we play the toughest basketball tournament in history.”
Durant, also the 2010 World Cup gold medalist, is the USA's all-time Olympic statistical leader in total points (435), points scored (19.8 ppg), field goals (146), 3-point field goals ( 74) and free throws (69). He ranks first in rebounds (118) and blocks (16), and fourth in games played (24) and assists (71). James, who has scored 273 points (3rd all-time among Americans) in the Olympics, will compete in his fourth games and first since 2012. He won gold in 2008 and 2012, respectively first at the Olympics in 2004 (bronze). James also holds the 2007 FIBA Tournament of the Americas gold medal. Adebayo (2020), Booker (2020), Davis (2012), Holiday (2020) and Tatum (2020) have won Olympic gold medals and are part of a team that has gone 34-4 in Olympic competition since James played first in 2004 . He is one of five players to compete in the World Cup, including Davis (2014), Durant (2010), Edwards (2023),
Haliburton (2023), James (2006) and Tatum (2019). Of the seven World Cup participants, three (Curry; Davis, 2014; Durant, 2010) have also won gold and two (Edwards, 2023; Durant, 2010) have taken home All-Star Five honors. Edwards competed withHaliburton at the 2023 FIBA Men’s World Cup in Manila, helping the U.S. win the World Cup. The Olympics flourished. Embiid and Leonard will make their USA Basketball national team debuts when the U.S. will host Canada on July 10 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas to open the USA Basketball Showcase. The men’s national team will be assisted by head coach Steve Kerr (Golden State Warriors), who will be assisted by Mark Few (Gonzaga University), Tyronn Lue (LA Clippers) and Erik Spoelstra (Miami Heat). Last summer, the four led the team to a first place at the 2023 FIBA Men's World Cup in Manila. “My staff and I are honored to be coaching this amazing group of players in our quest for Olympic gold in Paris,” said Kerr. “We plan to represent USA Basketball with the utmost class and hope to make our country proud.” U.S. officially qualified for the Paris Games as one of the first two nations in the FIBA Americas region at the 2023 FIBA World Cup in September. The American men will compete for their fifth consecutive Olympic gold medal — and 17th overall. As part of Group C, the US. and Serbia on July 28, South Sudan on July 31 and the winner of the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Puerto Rico on Aug. 28. 3 in the first round of the Olympics. The five-on-five Olympic basketball team will take place in Lille, France, before the tournament heads to Paris for knockouts and medals.