WASHINGTON, DC – USA Basketball Chairman and National Team Managing Director Jerry Colangelo announced today that Wizards guard Bradley Beal was selected as one of the 12 members of the U.S. Olympic Men’s Basketball Team. The player selections were approved by the USA Basketball Board of Directors.
“To be selected to the United States Olympic team is an honor and a blessing,” said Beal. “Representing my country on the world’s biggest stage alongside so many of the league’s best players is a privilege that both humbles and inspires me.”
Beal was previously selected to the 2014-16 USA Basketball Men’s National Team Pool and participated in the 2014 and 2015 USA Basketball Showcases. He was selected to the USA Basketball Men’s National Team Mini Camp in 2012 in Las Vegas and was a member of the 2010 U17 World Championship and 2009 U16 Championship teams where he won gold medals. Beal also participated in the annual Nike Hoop Summit as part of the USA Basketball Junior National Select Team in 2011.
Beal was named to the 2020-21 All-NBA Third Team after finishing second in the NBA in scoring with a career-high 31.3 points per game, which is the sixth-highest scoring average in the last 10 years and the second highest in franchise history. He also posted career highs in field goal percentage (.485) and free-throw percentage (.889) during the season. Beal finished the season with a career-high 34 games of 30+ points (which ranked third in the league) and eight games with at least 40+ points (which ranked second). He started the season scoring 25+ points in 17 consecutive games, which marked the longest streak in the NBA in the last 50 years. Beal scored a career and franchise-high tying 60 points at Philadelphia (1/6) and notched his fifth career game of 50+ points with 50 points in Indiana (5/8). The nine-year pro was selected to start in the NBA All-Star game for the first time in his career and marked his third overall All-Star selection.
Beal will be joined in Tokyo with fellow Monumental Basketball athletes Rui Hachimura (Team Japan), Ariel Atkins (Team USA), Tina Charles (Team USA), Emma Meesseman (Team Belgium) and Leilani Mitchell (Team Australia).
Hachimura will mark his first appearance in the Olympics for host country Japan. During the 2020-21 season, Hachimura averaged 13.8 points and 5.5 rebounds in 57 games. In the playoffs, he averaged 14.8 points and 7.2 rebounds while shooting .617 from the field and .600 from three-point range. Hachimura was named to the 2020-21 NBA World Team Rising Stars roster, his second consecutive selection to the roster.
Charles will make her third appearance in the Olympic games, while Atkins will be making her first after taking part in the 2019-20 USA Basketball National Team expanded training program. Meesseman has led Team Belgium to the team’s first-ever Olympic bid and Mitchell will be making her second appearance for Team Australia.