USA Basketball finalized its star-studded roster for the Tokyo Olympics on Wednesday, earning commitments from the Chicago Bulls shooting guard, Zach LaVine, and the Detroit Pistons forward, Jerami grantwhile the star of the Brooklyn Nets, James harden, had to retire due to a hamstring injury, USA Basketball managing director Jerry Colangelo told ESPN.
The team will be led by Kevin Durant, who will be seeking his third gold medal and will be the only returning member of the 2016 team that won gold at the Rio Olympics. But the roster is jam-packed with All-Stars playing in their first Olympics, including Damian Lillard, Bradley Beal, Bam Adebayo, Jayson tatum, Draymond green Y Kevin love, to name a few.
Three players on the roster, the stars of the Milwaukee Bucks, Khris middleton Y Jrue Holiday, Y Devin Booker Phoenix, are still active in the postseason and could play through July 22, the last date for Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
Team USA’s first game in Japan is scheduled for July 25 against France. But all three have vowed to fly to Japan quickly by private plane, Colangelo said.
“Life is about relationships and we have had relationships with all of these players over the years,” Colangelo said. “It has been a process and it has not been easy.”
The team was the result of strong long-term recruiting and the ripple effect of getting some big names to commit early. In recent weeks, Colangelo, national team manager Sean Ford and coach Gregg Popovich have worked with phones and sold a style of play.
Unlike 2019, when the Americans finished in a disappointing seventh place at the World Cup with a team that featured traditional crosses and limited shots, this roster is filled with players who can play multiple positions and are shooting specialists.
“Versatility and athleticism are trademarks of this group,” said Colangelo, who will retire after the Tokyo Games after 16 years at the helm of the United States team. “Our staff feel that this will be a very competitive group and we will have shots that we have missed. We go to camp confident that we will perform well.”
Team USA will meet on July 4 for training camp in Las Vegas and will play exhibition matches against Spain, Australia, Nigeria and Argentina before departing for Tokyo.