The Tokyo Olympics will be taking place this summer and the USA Basketball Men’s National Team will be looking to capture its fourth straight gold medal after finishing on top in 2008, 2012 and 2016. Team USA, however, has already dealt with plenty of drama leading up to the Summer Games.
In a stunning development, the U.S. dropped its first two exhibition games in Las Vegas, first to Nigeria, and then to Australia. While Team USA did bounce back against Argentina, Bradley Beal will no longer be traveling to Tokyo for the Olympics after he was placed on USA Basketball’s healthy and safety protocols. The team has yet to announce Beal’s replacement.
The U.S. team is led by San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, who is the successor to Mike Krzyzewski. Popovich previously won a bronze medal as an assistant coach under Larry Brown at the 2004 Olympics in Athens. Joining Popovich on the coaching staff will be Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr, former Atlanta Hawks coach Lloyd Pierce and Villanova University coach Jay Wright.
Training camp for Team USA began on July 6 in Las Vegas that includes exhibition games from July 10 through July 18, with the Olympics set to start on July 23 in Tokyo. The group stage of the Olympic basketball tournament will run from July 25 to Aug. 1, and the knockout stage will run from Aug. 3-7. Ahead of the tournament, here’s everything you need to know about Team USA and…
