Greece has the reigning NBA MVP, Giannis Antetokounmpo, but little else. Serbia seems like the biggest threat to Team USA’s title hopes, with Nikola Jokic in the middle and a squad filled with NBA-adjacent players. Yes, sending midlevel NBA players seems embarrassing, but only one other country (Canada) can even send an entire 12-man roster of NBA players to international competitions, and the Canadians are likely to start Kelly Olynyk. The good news for Team USA is that no matter how many players drop out, they will still be heavy favorites to win the World Cup. Presumably more players will be enticed by the opportunity to play in next year’s Olympics, but the pickings are slim. Training camp invitees include Marcus Smart, Thaddeus Young, and P.J. Of the 11 Americans who were named to last year’s All-NBA teams, only one, Kemba Walker, has yet to withdraw from the roster for the 2019 FIBA World Cup. Monday, The Ringer’s Dan Devine wrote about how Damian Lillard seemed like the sole elite talent who had yet to withdraw from Team USA’s squad for the upcoming World Cup in China. Right now, the team seems due for a loss and a rebirth. Those losses ended the last cycle of Team USA basketball, or maybe began the current one. That team finished sixth at the World Championship, which, for some reason, was held in Indianapolis. But that was presaged by a hilariously bad 2002 World Championship team, one that was led by 37-year-old Reggie Miller and that heavily relied on the offense of Ben Wallace. Twelve years after the Dream Team came the 2004 Stephon Marbury–helmed Olympic basketball team, which lost by 19 (!!!) to Puerto Rico. In 2016, Carmelo Anthony established himself as an all-time great Olympian, but again, his highlights masked the failings of a team that trailed Australia at the half and won by only three in matchups against France and Serbia. Carter (and Baker and Houston) squeaked out a two-point win against Lithuania in the semifinals. The 2000 Olympics are remembered for Vince Carter throwing down the greatest dunk of all time, but that spectacular moment just allowed us to forget a team on which Vin Baker and Allan Houston tied for fifth in scoring. Four years after that came squads for which superstar attendance lagged and Team USA genuinely struggled en route to gold medals. The 1996 team still coasted, but the 2012 team nearly lost to Spain in the gold-medal match. Four years after the wins of 19, slightly fewer superstars showed up. Both romped to gold medals as the game’s biggest stars put the stars and stripes back on top of the podium.Īnd then comes a steady waning of interest, generally disregarded because the wins keep coming. In response to the 2004 loss, America put forth a similarly great squad at the Beijing Games, the Redeem Team. Next, there is a sudden uptick in interest from superstars: After the 1988 Games, international rules changed, allowing NBA players to participate in the Olympics, and in 1992, the United States put forth the Dream Team, the greatest assemblage of basketball talent in the sport’s history. Can Damian Lillard Be Team USA’s Captain America? In a League of Dynamic Duos, LeBron and Anthony Davis Could Reign Supreme Can Team USA Field a Team of Randos and Still Win 3x3 Basketball Gold at the Olympics?
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