Team USA

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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado (April 6, 2018) -- Featuring 35 players, including 17 Olympic gold medalists and 30 past members of the USA Men's National Team pool, USA Basketball Men's National Team managing director Jerry Colangelo today announced the 2018-20 USA Men's National Team roster of players who are expected to attend the July 25-27 USA Men's National Team minicamp in Las Vegas.

It is expected that the official, 12-member 2019 USA World Cup and 2020 U.S. Olympic teams, should the USA qualify to compete in China and Tokyo, will be comprised of players from the 2018-20 USA National Team.

The national team pool includes 11 gold medalists from the 2016 Rio Olympic team, seven 2012 London Olympics gold medalists, eight members of the gold medalist 2014 FIBA World Cup Team and five players who were members of the 2010 USA team that captured the FIBA World Cup title.

Named to the 2018-20 USA National Team are: Harrison Barnes (Dallas Mavericks); Bradley Beal (Washington Wizards); Devin Booker (Phoenix Suns); Jimmy Butler (Minnesota Timberwolves); Mike Conley Jr. (Memphis Grizzlies);  DeMarcus Cousins (New Orleans Pelicans); Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors); Anthony Davis (New Orleans Pelicans); DeMar DeRozan (Toronto Raptors); Andre Drummond (Detroit Pistons); Kevin Durant (Golden State Warriors); Paul George (Oklahoma City Thunder); Eric Gordon (Houston Rockets); Draymond Green (Golden State Warriors); Blake Griffin (Detroit Pistons); James Harden (Houston Rockets); Tobias Harris (Los Angeles Clippers); Gordon Hayward (Boston Celtics); Kyrie Irving (Boston Celtics); LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers); DeAndre Jordan (Los Angeles Clippers); Kawhi Leonard (San Antonio Spurs); Damian Lillard (Portland Trail Blazers); Kevin Love (Cleveland Cavaliers); Kyle Lowry (Toronto Raptors); CJ McCollum (Portland Trail Blazers); Khris Middleton (Milwaukee Bucks); Victor Oladipo (Indiana Pacers); Chris Paul (Houston Rockets); Isaiah Thomas (Los Angeles Lakers); Klay Thompson (Golden State Warriors); Myles Turner (Indiana Pacers); Kemba Walker (Charlotte Hornets); John Wall (Washington Wizards); and Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City Thunder).

New to the USA Men's National Team pool are Booker, McCollum, Middleton, Thomas, and Turner. Booker was a member of the 2016 USA Basketball Select Team that trained against USA National Team.

"While we do not have an official competition that we need to prepare for in 2018, the selection and announcement of our new pool of national team members and this year's July minicamp are important first steps in our preparations to defend the FIBA World Cup and Olympic titles we won during the last two quadrenniums," said Colangelo, who has served as managing director of the USA National Team since 2005 and overseen USA teams that have compiled an 88-1 overall record. "This year's minicamp is an opportunity for us to continue and expand the culture, brotherhood and camaraderie that has been built.

"As is shown by the return of 29 past national team players, our pipeline is well developed and it is a key factor in our success. We're also excited about the new players who have been added to the program and the roster will remain fluid over the next three years as we continue to look for and consider players who can contribute to our program."

The 2017-20 USA Basketball National Team coaching staff features USA head coach and San Antonio Spurs mentor Gregg Popovich.

The 2018 USA National Team minicamp will feature daily practices on July 25-27 at UNLV's Mendenhall Center.

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Oladipo and Turner Named to USA Basketball's 2018-20 Roster

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado – On the heels of impressive performances at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, the U.S. Olympic Men's and Women's Basketball Teams will share the 2016 USA Basketball Team of the Year award.

The USA women captured a sixth-straight Olympic gold medal, while the USA men brought home a third-straight gold.

"The U.S. Olympic Men's and Women's Basketball Teams achieved incredible milestones in Rio. It was the third consecutive Olympic gold for the men and a record-setting sixth in a row for the women," said Jim Tooley, USA Basketball CEO/Executive Director. "Both teams are very deserving of this recognition, and we are grateful for the commitments of everyone involved with these teams."

2016 marks the 21st time USA Basketball has presented its Team of the Year award, which was established in 1986.

Featuring six players who averaged more than nine points per game, the USA women won eight games by an average of 37.2 points per contest from Aug. 6-20.

"What was special was just how incredibly deep and unselfish we were," said Geno Auriemma, head coach of the U.S. Olympic Team and USA Women's National Team and at University of Connecticut, as well as a 2016 USA Basketball Co-National Coach of the Year. "Obviously, we were the most talented team I have ever been around, but everyone was so willing to play their role and to not get caught up in any of the things that can get in the way when lots of good players are on the same team. It's the most fun I've ever had coaching at any level. It's an experience that I don't know if I'll ever be able to recreate and that I will never forget."

Led by four players who averaged double-digit scoring, the 2016 U.S. Olympic Men's Basketball Team won its eight games by an average of 22.5 points per contest from Aug. 6-21.

"The 2016 USA Basketball Men's National Team stuck together throughout the Olympics, overcoming significant inexperience in international competition," said Mike Krzyzewski, head coach of the U.S. Olympic Team and the USA Men's National Team and at Duke University, as well as a 2016 USA Basketball Co-National Coach of the Year. "Yet, they found a way to win every game. I was most proud that they saved their best for last in the gold medal game versus Serbia. That game showcased their full ability, and to perform that well under the brightest lights in international basketball said a ton about their character, togetherness and passion to represent their country in the best possible manner."

Led by Auriemma with assistant coaches Doug Bruno, Cheryl Reeve and Dawn Staley, the U.S. Olympic Women's Basketball Team featured Seimone Augustus, Sue Bird, Tamika Catchings, Tina Charles, Elena Delle Donne, Sylvia Fowles, Brittney Griner, Angel McCoughtry, Maya Moore, Breanna Stewart, Diana Taurasi and Lindsay Whalen.
"2016 was the best team I have ever been on," said four-time Olympic gold medalist Taurasi, who was the 2016 USA Basketball Female Athlete of the Year. "Everyone had one goal and that was to make each other better every day."

Among the 12-team tournament, the USA women led in points scored (817), field goal percentage (.577), 3-point percentage (.453), rebounds averaged (45.2), assists (224), field goal percentage defense (.371) and rebound defense (27.3).

The USA women recorded tournament bests for points (121 versus Senegal on Aug. 7); field goals made (47 against Japan on Aug. 16); field goal percentage (65.3 versus Japan on Aug. 16); free throw percentage (26-26 against Serbia on Aug. 10); and assists (40 versus China on Aug. 14).

The squad set U.S. Olympic women's team single-game records for points (121 against Senegal on Aug. 16), 3-pointers made (11 against Japan on Aug. 16), free throw percentage (26-of-26 against Serbia on Aug. 10) and assists (40 against China on Aug. 14).

In the U.S. women's Olympic single-competition record book, the team set records for field goals made (324), field goal percentage (.577), 3-pointers made (58), 3-pointers attempted (128), free throw percentage (.776) and assists (224).

The USA Women's National Team also tallied four exhibition victories, including an 88-84 win over the USA Select Team on July 25 in Los Angeles; an 84-62 victory against France on July 27 in Delaware; an 83-43 defeat of Canada on July 29 in Connecticut; and a 104-89 win over Australia on July 31 in New York City.

Led by Krzyzewski with assistants Jim Boeheim, Tom Thibodeau and Monty Williams and managing director Jerry Colangelo, the U.S. Olympic Men's Basketball Team featured Carmelo Anthony, Harrison Barnes, Jimmy Butler, DeMarcus Cousins, DeMar DeRozan, Kevin Durant, Paul George, Draymond Green, Kyrie Irving, DeAndre Jordan, Kyle Lowry and Klay Thompson.

"I think the special part about it was our comradery," said Durant, one of the USA's two captains and a co-recipient of the 2016 USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year Award. "All of us still stay in contact to this day, and we were such a tight group. We were brothers from day one. We all wanted the same thing, which was to get a gold medal, and we fought for that. I'll be forever linked with those guys, and we are always going to be family."

Among the 12-team tournament, the USA led in points scored (807), 3-point percentage (.369), rebounds averaged (45.5), steals (70), 3-point field goal percentage defense (.286) and blocked shots (28).

The USA recorded tournament bests for points scored (119 vs. China on Aug. 6), field goal attempts (89), free throws made (33, twice), free throws attempted (45 vs. China on Aug. 6), rebounds (54, twice) and steals (15 vs. China on Aug. 6); and tied for first in field goals made (41) and 3-point field goals made (17).

The 2016 squad set a U.S. Olympic men's team single-game record with 33 made free throws against Serbia on Aug. 12.

In the U.S. Olympic men's single-competition record book, the team set a record for free throws made (168), rebounds (364) and rebounds averaged (45.5).

Additionally, the USA Men's National Team tallied five exhibition victories, including a 111-74 win over Argentina on July 22 in Las Vegas; a 106-57 victory over China on July 24 in Los Angeles; a 107-57 defeat of China on July 26 in Oakland, California; an 80-45 win over Venezuela on July 29 in Chicago; and a 110-66 victory against Nigeria on Aug. 1 in Houston.

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2016 U.S. Olympic Men’s And Women’s Basketball Teams Share 2016 USA Basketball Team Of The Year Honor

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On Sunday afternoon in the Gold Medal game of the 2016 Rio Olympics, Paul George and Team USA put together their most complete game of the entire tournament, blowing out Serbia 96-66 in a game that seemed finished at the halftime whistle.

Team USA was of course a heavy favorite going into the tournament, but tight games against France, Australia, and Serbia (a week earlier), had brought doubts about whether or not the US was up for the international challenge. That question was answered forcefully on Sunday in the form of a convincing rout against Serbia.

On social media, players reacted to the Gold Medal win in celebratory fashion.

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Social Roundup: PG and Team USA Celebrate Gold Medal Run

Wheat Hotchkiss

Seven down, one to go. Pacers All-Star Paul George and the United States men's basketball team are just one win away from securing the country's third consecutive Olympic gold medal in men's basketball. Standing in their way is a Serbian team that gave them their toughest game so far in Rio.

The Americans eked out a 94-91 win over Serbia in the group stage on Aug. 12. The USA controlled that game early, leading by as many as 18 points in the first half, but allowed Serbia to claw their way back. The United States only narrowly avoided overtime when Bogdan Bogdanovic missed an open 3-pointer just before the final buzzer.

George started that game and put together a solid all-around performance, finishing with 12 points, nine rebounds, and four assists.

A little over a week later, the two teams will meet again with a gold medal on the line. The United States will be looking for its 15th gold medal in 18 Olympics, while Serbia is guaranteed its first medal of any kind as an independent nation.

The USA advanced to the gold medal game with an 82-76 win over Spain on Friday afternoon. The game wasn't as close as the final score, as the United States led by double digits for the vast majority of the fourth quarter.

The Americans had some shaky defensive performances in the group stage, but they put the clamps down on Spain in the semifinal. The USA outrebounded Spain 53-41 overall and 21-14 on the offensive glass while holding the Spaniards to 38.9 percent shooting. Clippers center DeAndre Jordan led the way with a dominant performance in the paint, finishing with nine points, 16 rebounds, and four blocks.

The Serbians, meanwhile, stunned many by blowing out Australia in the other semifinal. Australia entered the contest with only one loss in Rio and a 15-point win over Serbia in the group stage. But the Serbians dominated the Aussies on Friday afternoon, stifling the Boomers' offense en route to an 87-61 victory.

Serbia held Australia to just five points in the first quarter and nine in the second to open up a 21-point halftime lead. The Australians struggled mightily to find any kind of rhythm offensively and finished the night just 4-for-31 from 3-point range.

Though the Serbian roster doesn't feature many current NBA players, the USA knows they can't take them lightly.

Nuggets 6-10 forward Nikola Jokic, a first-team NBA All-Rookie selection last season, comes off the bench for his country. Still, he terrorized the United States in the two teams' first meeting in Rio, finishing with 25 points on 11-of-15 shooting.

7-foot center Miroslav Raduljica has been a force for Serbia in the interior. Raduljica, who played briefly in the NBA for the Bucks and Timberwolves, leads all players in Rio in field goal percentage (62.3 percent) and ranks seventh in scoring (15.9 points per game).

Leading the Serbian backcourt is 6-5 guard Milos Teodosic. Teodosic led Serbia in their semifinal win with 22 points on 9-of-14 shooting and five assists. He went 4-for-7 from 3-point range and dished out six assists against the United States in the group stage.

Given some of the United States' defensive struggles, it wouldn't be surprising to head coach Mike Krzyzewski stick George — the USA's best perimeter defender — on Teodosic to slow down the Serbian attack.

Their close call in the group stage notwithstanding, the Americans still figure to be heavy favorites to beat Serbia a second time. The American roster features so much talent and their biggest struggle in Rio has been guarding against complacency, particularly on the defensive end. But with an Olympic gold medal on the line, it's hard to imagine complacency being an issue on Sunday. If the United States can match the effort they put forth in their semifinal victory over Spain, that should be more than enough to secure one more win.

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Game Preview: USA vs Serbia (Gold Medal Game)

With the United States men's basketball team advancing to the semifinals in Rio de Janeiro, NBC Olympics unveiled a video feature on Pacers forward Paul George's triumphant return to the national team.

George, of course, suffered a traumatic leg injury when playing in the USA Basketball Showcase in Las Vegas on August 1, 2014. The resulting fracture in his right leg forced him to miss all but the final six games of the 2014-15 NBA season.

But George came back better than ever last season, leading the Pacers back to the playoffs and earning another All-Star selection. His inclusion on the 2016 Olympic roster is one of the feel-good stories in Rio.

NBC's feature (which George shared via Twitter) is narrated by Dan Patrick and talks with George and his parents about the injury, what it took for him to get back on the court, and why it was important for him to return to USA Basketball.

In the video, George opens up about the inspiring force his mother provided. Paulette George suffered a stroke when Paul was just a toddler, and he's witnessed her fight through numerous medical issues over the years.

"When he looks at me, it's like, 'If my mama can do this, I know that I can,'" Paulette said.

"She went through a wall and back," her son added. "It wasn't even close to what I was going through. So it was easy to push through it every day, when I thought about from that point of view."

George goes on to say that playing in the Olympics signifies "closing a chapter on this whole rehab" and talks about how much it would mean for him to return to Indiana with a gold medal. You can watch the entire NBC Olympics feature in George's tweet, which is embedded above.

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NBC Runs Feature on George's Return to National Team

After dominating Argentina on Wednesday, Paul George and the United States men's basketball team will face a familiar opponent in Friday afternoon's Olympic semifinal round.

For the fourth straight Olympics, Team USA will play Spain in the knockout round. The two teams met in the gold medal game in each of the past two Olympics, with the USA winning 118-107 in Beijing in 2008 and 107-100 in London in 2012. The Americans also beat the Spaniards in the quarterfinal round in Athens in 2004, coming away with a 102-94 win.

It seemed inevitable that these two countries — the top two teams in the FIBA World Rankings — would meet in Rio, but it's a bit of a surprise that their matchup comes in a semifinal rather than the gold medal game.

They're meeting now instead because Spain failed to win its group. Playing without frontcourt mainstay and All-NBA center Marc Gasol (rehabbing a broken foot), the Spaniards dropped their first two contests in Rio, falling by two points to Croatia and one point to hosts Brazil.

The Spanish team found its rhythm in the second half of the group stage, however. They beat Lithuania by 50 and then easily handled Argentina by 19 in their final two group games.

Then on Wednesday afternoon, Spain rolled to a 92-67 win over France. Yes, that's the same French team that only lost by three points to the United States on Sunday despite resting star guard Tony Parker. Parker played against Spain, but the French got blown out.

Spain doesn't have Marc Gasol, but they do have his big brother, Pau, who's been as good as ever in Rio. The 36-year-old 7-footer leads Spain in scoring at 17.0 points per game on 51.3 percent shooting. Gasol ranks first among all players in Rio in rebounding (8.7 boards per contest) and second in blocked shots (2.2 rejections per game).

But as good as Gasol has been, he's gotten plenty of help from his talented teammates. Chicago Bulls forward Nikola Mirotic led all scorers with 23 points in the win over France, going 5-for-8 from 3-point range. 22-year-old center Willy Hernangomez, just weeks away from the start of his rookie NBA season with the New York Knicks, added 18 points off the bench on 9-of-12 shooting.

And then there's the Spanish backcourt, which includes numerous players with NBA experience. Players like Ricky Rubio, Jose Calderon, Rudy Fernandez, Juan Carlos Navarro, and Sergio Rodriguez.

Aside from the U.S., Spain has arguably the most balanced team in Rio. They're second in 3-point shooting (37.7 percent), second in rebounding (39.2 per game), and second-to-last in turnovers (11.8 per contest), trailing only the Americans in each of those categories.

But the United States should enter Friday's matchup with lots of confidence. After three straight closer-than-expected wins at the end of the group stage, the Americans blew out Argentina on Wednesday, rolling to a 105-78 win. The Argentinians jumped out to an early 19-9 lead, but the Americans answered with a 27-2 run and never looked back.

That run more or less coincided with Pacers All-Star Paul George's introduction to the game. George was fantastic off the bench, putting together his best all-around game in Rio. PG tallied 17 points, eight rebounds, three steals, and three blocks in 21 minutes.

Given his defensive prowess, George figures to be a major part of head coach Mike Krzyzewski's game plan against Spain.

The first Pacers player on an American Olympic team since Reggie Miller in 1996, George is hoping to bring a gold medal back to Indiana. If the United States can beat Spain, he will get that opportunity.

The USA-Spain winner will meet the winner of Friday's other semifinal between Australia and Serbia in the gold medal game on Sunday afternoon. The two semifinal losers will square off on Sunday morning for the bronze medal.

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Game Preview: USA vs Spain (Semifinals)

Plenty of big names are floating around Rio for the 2016 Olympic Games, but on Monday night, Pacers forward Paul George came across living legend Ronaldo Luís Nazário de Lima, one of the greatest soccer players of all time.

George, an avid FIFA player, was thrilled to meet Ronaldo, posting a photo of the pair on Instagram.

It wasn't the first run-in George has had with soccer greatness. During the 2014-15 season, soccer super-star Lionel Messi attended a Pacers vs. Wizards game at the Verizon Center in D.C. After the game, George — and several other Pacers players — made sure to get a photo with him as well.

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Paul George Links Up With Soccer Legend Ronaldo

Though they weren't as dominant as many expected them to be, Paul George and the United States men's basketball team went a perfect 5-0 in the group stage to advance to the quarterfinals of the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. Team USA, winners of Group A, will face off against a familiar foe in the first knockout round: Argentina, who came in fourth in a four-way tiebreaker atop Group B.

Argentina is the last country to beat the United States in Olympic play, having knocked off the Americans in the semifinals of the 2004 summer games in Athens. The Argentinians went on to beat Italy in the gold medal game, the crowning achievement for the "golden generation" of Argentine basketball.

The core of that 2004 team is still around 12 years later, with NBA veterans Manu Ginobili (39 years old), Luis Scola (36), Andres Nocioni (36), and Carlos Delfino (33) still on the national team roster.

They're still making significant contributions, too. Nocioni was ninth in scoring in group play at 15.6 points per game, with Ginobili tied for 10th at 15.2 and Scola 13th at 14.8. But while the old guard is still leading the charge, they're also getting lots of help from the next generation, particularly 25-year-old point guard Facundo "Facu" Campazzo.

Campazzo, a two-time Argentine League Finals MVP who currently plays professionally in Spain, leads Argentina in both scoring (16.4 points per game) and assists (5.2 per contest). He was outstanding in their signature win in the group stage, a 111-107 double-overtime thriller over hosts Brazil. Campazzo had 33 points, 11 assists, and four steals in the victory, teaming up with Nocioni (37 points and 11 rebounds) to lead his country to victory.

But the Argentinians expended a lot of energy in that win and were blown out by Spain two days later in their final group game. They'll have another two days to recover before playing the United States, but Team USA's youth and depth should play to its advantage in the knockout round.

Pacers All-Star Paul George has bounced back and forth between the starting lineup and the bench over the United States' first five games in Rio. Still, he's been a steady contributor in either capacity. PG ranks fourth on the team in points (11.6 per game) and assists (2.4) and fifth in rebounds (4.0), despite averaging just 18.6 minutes on the loaded roster.

The Americans blew out China and Venezuela in their first two games in Rio, but struggled to put away their final three opponents. They trailed Australia at halftime and didn't secure victory until late in the fourth quarter of a 10-point win, then beat both Serbia and France by just three points apiece.

Offense has not been a problem for Team USA, as their scoring average of 104.8 in the group stage was a full 16 points higher than the next best team. But the Americans struggled to contain their opponents on the defensive end in their last three contests.

That could mean more minutes for George, a three-time NBA All-Defensive team selection, in the knockout round. Expect him to see minutes on Ginobili, Nocioni, and possibly even Campazzo as the Americans hope to clamp down on the Argentinians' balanced attack.

These two teams also met in USA Basketball's first exhibition game this summer on July 22 in Las Vegas, with the Americans pulling away for a 111-74 win. George had 18 points in that contest, though the veteran Argentine team likely didn't put too much weight into the exhibition. This is more than likely the last Olympics for Ginobili, Scola, and Nocioni, so it's hard to imagine them going down without a fight.

The winner of this game will advance to meet either France or Spain in the semifinals on Friday.