Getty Gregg Popovich coaching Team USA.
Team USA may not be down in the dumps for too long.
Although Team USA finished in seventh place in the 2019 FIBA World Cup following their 87-74 victory over Poland — their worst finish ever in tournament play when NBA players are involved — help appears to be on the way for the 2020 Olympics.
That would be because according to Marc Stein of the New York Times, Golden State Warriors star and two-time MVP Stephen Curry is expected to volunteer his services for Team USA for the 2020 Olympics.
“Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors told CNBC earlier this week that he intended to make himself available for the 2020 Olympics in Japan. Stephen Curry, Green’s Golden State teammate, is also expected to volunteer his services, since Curry has yet to play in an Olympics.”
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Stephen Curry’s Last Chance to Participate in the Olympics
This is extremely notable because Curry has never participated in the Olympics. In fact, the only time the 3-point sharpshooter was involved in tournament play was during the 2014 FIBA World Cup.
Considering the veteran point guard is 31 years old with years of wear-and-tear and long postseason runs on his body, this will likely be his last chance to participate for Team USA in the Olympics.
Draymond Green Will Be a Member of Team USA Again
The fact that his teammate, Draymond Green, already stated his intention to play in the 2020 Olympics is also a beneficial factor. Green was a member of the 2016 squad that cruised to a Gold medal in the 2016 Olympics.
Green stated his intentions during an appearance on CNBC’s “Power Money,” via Gary Peterson of Mercury News.
“I do hope to play,” Green said, “and I think a lot of the guys will want to play. The (FIBA World Cup) schedule this year was a little treacherous with the (NBA) games that were in America, and also to travel to Australia. Which is why I think a lot of guys dropped out.”
“I think you’ll see a lot of guys participate next year in the Olympics,” Green said, “and I hope to be one of those 12 guys.”
Team USA Basketball director Jerry Colangelo said there seems to be a lot of interest from players in volunteering for the Olympics — but that was also the case for the FIBA World Cup, only for countless players to drop out just weeks before the start of the tournament.
“We’ve had a lot of indications about guys who want to play next summer,” said Jerry Colangelo, U.S.A.B.’s managing director. “But we had a lot of indications that many wanted to play this summer.”
Stars such as James Harden, Anthony Davis, Bradley Beal, Damian Lillard, C.J. McCollum, Kevin Love and Andre Drummond dropped out as the 2019 Team USA squad at the FIBA World Cup was comprised of third-tier stars. In fact, Kemba Walker and Khris Middleton were the only players on the roster who had ever either made an All-NBA Squad or an All-Star team.
If Green and Curry — two bonafide stars and former NBA champions — join the Team USA squad in Japan, you can be assured that the rest of the dominoes will fall into place as a result.