Team USA Men’s Basketball Roster Nears Completion
Jun 23, 2021, 5:11 PM | Updated: Jun 28, 2021, 12:27 pm
Kevin Durant will be a member of the 2020 Team USA Men's Basketball Roster (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
(Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The Team USA Basketball roster is nearing completion as 12 players have committed to next month’s Tokyo Olympics.
Final Olympic rosters allow for only 12 players to compete for each country, but with two rounds of the NBA playoffs left to be completed, and a rash of injuries plaguing the league’s stars, the Olympic committee could look to bring additional players into training camp which runs from July 6-18.
According to The Athletic’s Shams Charnia, this is the current Team USA 12 man roster.
Team USA's 12-man roster for the Tokyo Olympics:
Kevin Durant
Damian Lillard
Bradley Beal
Jayson Tatum
Devin Booker
Zach LaVine
Kevin Love
Bam Adebayo
Draymond Green
Jrue Holiday
Khris Middleton
Jerami Grant— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 23, 2021
The roster will be one of the most inexperienced in recent history with only Kevin Durant, Kevin Love, and Draymond Green having represented Team USA at prior Olympic games.
Durant won Olympic gold in 2016 and 2012, Love won in 2012, while Green won in 2016.
While the other nine players on the roster will be making their Olympic debut, that doesn’t mean they are lacking high-level basketball experience.
Of the nine remaining players, only Jerami Grant has failed to make an All-Star team during his career, while several players on the roster, including Grant, have competed in various FIBA international tournaments.
The roster isn’t without its notable absences, however.
LeBron James will miss his second consecutive Olympic games having lasted represented Team USA in 2012. The same goes for Chris Paul who won gold medals in 2008 and 2012 before skipping the 2016 games.
According to ESPN, Donovan Mitchell has declined an invitation to play for @usabasketball in the Tokyo Olympic Games.#TakeNote https://t.co/j66GscDpoQ
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) June 21, 2021
Other big names that won’t be playing during the Olympic games include Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell, Golden State Warriors superstar Steph Curry, Brooklyn Nets guards Kyrie Irving and James Harden, and Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis.
The team’s first exhibition game will be held on July 10 against Nigeria, while they’ll make their Olympic debut against Rudy Gobert and the French National Team on July 25.
