USA Basketball today announced Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker is among 25 top young players chosen for the 2016 USA Men's Select Team that will train July 18-21 with the 2016 USA Basketball Men's National Team during its training camp in Las Vegas.
"I got the invite and it feels really good," said Booker. "I've never participated in anything with USA Basketball before and now I'm getting the chance while I'm in the NBA, competing against the Olympic Team. It's unbelievable, getting to represent USA and getting to wear those three letters across my chest. There's nothing like that. Obviously, this is my country, born and raised here and I know the history that goes behind it with the Dream Team, so I definitely feel honored and blessed to be a part of it."
Booker was named to the 2015-16 NBA All-Rookie First Team after he ranked fourth among rookies with a scoring average of 13.8 points in 76 games this past season, averaging 18.5 points over the season's final 44 games after permanently joining the starting lineup on Jan. 8. Booker led all rookies by shooting 84.0 percent from the free throw line and by recording six games with 30-plus points, the most by any NBA rookie since Blake Griffin in 2010-11. Only 19 years old, Booker totaled 1,048 points to become just the sixth teenager in NBA history to surpass 1,000 career points, joining LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Durant and Dwight Howard.
Since the development of the USA Basketball Men's National Team program in 2006, USA Basketball has previously selected and utilized five USA Select teams to help the USA National teams prepare for major international competitions. Booker is the third Suns player named to the USA Select Team since the first was fielded in 2007. Miles Plumlee was a member of the 2014 USA Select Team that trained against the National Team prior to the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain and Robin Lopez, after being selected by the Suns in the 2008 NBA Draft, was a member of the 2008 USA Select Team that trained against the National Team in the lead-up to the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.
“It’s unbelievable, getting to represent USA and getting to wear those three letters across my chest. There’s nothing like that.”
— Devin Booker
Before his senior season at the University of Wisconsin, current Suns forward Jon Leuer was a member of the 2010 USA Select Team that trained against the National Team in preparation for the 2010 FIBA World Championship in Turkey.
Members of the USA Select Team will train daily with the USA National Team from July 18-21 (12:00-2:00 p.m. PDT) at UNLV's Mendenhall Center. All practices are closed to the public.
"The 2016 USA Basketball Select Team continues to our tradition of featuring some of the game's brightest and most promising young players. Participation in this camp provides them with valuable experience at the USA Basketball National Team level, while helping prepare the 2016 USA National Team for its upcoming international competition. For many of the Select Team players this is a continuation of their USA Basketball experiences and for others it is an introduction into our pipeline," said Jerry Colangelo, USA Basketball National Team managing director.
"Being chosen for the Select Team is an honor and it is an important step in becoming involved in USA Basketball's National Team program in the future. Current national team players like Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson, Kevin Love, Russell Westbrook, as well as many other outstanding players, got their USA National Team start through a Select Team.
"We're also very excited to get our future national team head coach Gregg Popovich involved this summer. Coach Popovich's coaching success speaks for itself and it will be great to have him be a part of this year's Las Vegas training camp."
Popovich, head coach of the San Antonio Spurs who on Oct. 23, 2015, was named head coach of the USA Basketball Men's National Team for the 2017-20 quadrennium, will oversee the Select Team and Spurs assistant coach Ime Udoka and Villanova University head coach Jay Wright will serve as assistant coaches. A complete list of the 2016 USA Basketball Select squad is included below.
The 2016 USA Basketball National Team coaching staff features USA head coach and Duke University's Naismith Hall of Fame mentor Mike Krzyzewski. Serving as assistant coaches are Syracuse University and Naismith Hall of Fame coach Jim Boeheim, Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Tom Thibodeau and Oklahoma City Thunder associate head coach Monty Williams.
The 31 finalists for the 2016 U.S. Olympic Men's Basketball Team include: LaMarcus Aldridge; Carmelo Anthony; Harrison Barnes; Bradley Beal; Jimmy Butler; Mike Conley; DeMarcus Cousins; Stephen Curry; Anthony Davis; DeMar DeRozan; Andre Drummond; Kevin Durant; Kenneth Faried; Rudy Gay; Paul George; Draymond Green; Blake Griffin; James Harden; Gordon Hayward; Dwight Howard; Andre Iguodala; Kyrie Irving; LeBron James; DeAndre Jordan; Kawhi Leonard; Damian Lillard; Kevin Love; Chris Paul; Klay Thompson; John Wall; and Russell Westbrook.