The men’s national basketball team representing the United States in the Tokyo games has officially announced. It’s final 12-man basketball roster was narrowed from a pool of 57 players, per NBA insider Shams Charania shortly ago.
Leading the star-studded roster is Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant and Portland Trailblazer point guard Damian Lillard.
Completing the list is as follows:
Bradley Beal (Washington Wizards)
Jayson Tatum ( Boston Celtics)
Devin Booker ( Phoenix Suns)
Zach Lavine ( Chicago Bulls)
Kevin Love (Cleveland Cavaliers)
Bam Adebayo (Miami Heat)
Draymond Green (Golden State Warriors)
Jrue Holiday (Milwaukee Bucks)
Kris Middleton (Milwaukee Bucks)
Jerami Grant (Detroit Pistons)
What to watch out for– There is a high possibility that several players on this squad will be competing in the NBA finals, which would cause for them to miss training camp and nurse potential injuries before the start of the first Olympic games which begin July 23rd.
Several high profile players sitting out– LeBron James, Steph Curry, James Harden, Kyrie Irving, Chris Paul, Anthony Davis are just a few names who are sitting out Olympics. Notably, LeBron James and Anthony Davis, who just finished competing for an NBA title several months ago, had less that 3 months to prepare for this season. Steph Curry, James Harden (hamstring) and Kyrie Irving (ankle), who all battled injuries this season, decided to give their bodies time to heal and recuperate for the upcoming full 82-game season.
***North Carolina Ties***
Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo looks to represent not just Team USA, but also North Carolina – High-Point to be exact. Bam played basketball during his senior year at High Point Christian Academy, averaging 18 points and 13 rebounds per game. Bam was named 2016 Mr. North Carolina Basketball. Worth-noting, Hall of famer and head coach from Greensboro Day school Freddie Johnson mentioned Bam Adebayo being the toughest and most talented player he’s ever coached against. That speaks volumes coming from a coach that’s coached NBA stars and D-1 athletes year after year.
Regardless of who suits up for Team-USA, the Americans will be heavily favored to bring home Gold at the Tokyo Games. Catch the games beginning July 23rd.