James Harden was in, but is now back out.
Out on Team USA, that is, as USA Basketball managing director Jerry Colangelo revealed late Wednesday that Harden has decided not to play in the Olympics next month, instead choosing to sit out so he can fully recover from his hamstring issues.
Harden had committed on Monday, after the Nets were eliminated from the NBA Playoffs last weekend, but decided shortly after to not play.
Kevin Durant will still be part of the team, and according to multiple reports, Detroit’s Jerami Grant and Chicago’s Zach LaVine have committed, rounding out a full 12-man roster. The rest of the group: Milwaukee’s Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday; Phoenix’s Devin Booker; Portland’s Damian Lillard; Washington’s Bradley Beal; Golden State’s Draymond Green; Boston’s Jayson Tatum; Cleveland’s Kevin Love; and Miami’s Bam Adebayo.
Durant and Green are the only holdovers from the 2016 gold medal team in Rio, and Love (London 2012) is the only other previous Olympian on coach Gregg Popovich’s squad now that Harden (also 2012) has opted out. Team USA is seeking its fourth straight gold, having won the tournaments in Rio, London, and Beijing (2008).
Even without both of his Big 3 mates, Durant will be going for two Team USA records: a gold medal would tie him with Carmelo Anthony for the most golds in team history (Anthony won in ’08, ’12, and ’16, joining Durant for the last two), and he is 25 points shy of tying ‘Melo for the Team USA all-time scoring record in the Games.
Team USA begins training camp July 6 and will play a handful of exhibition games before heading to Tokyo, although they may do some or all of it with a limited roster – the Bucks and Suns are still in the NBA Playoffs, and the conference finals could run as late as July 5 (the scheduled date for Game 7 of Bucks-Hawks) with the NBA Finals possibly running all the way up until the Olympic tournament begins on July 25.
Follow Lou DiPietro on Twitter: @LouDiPietroWFAN
Follow WFAN on Social Media
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Twitch