It’s a huge longshot, but the U.S. Men’s Basketball Team in the 2021 Olympics could be almost entirely comprised of Knicks, Nets, and former New Yorkers.
Twelve players were added to the 2021 USA National Team Roster on Thursday, including new Net Blake Griffin, old Net Jarrett Allen, all-season Net DeAndre Jordan, and two Knicks in Julius Randle and Mitchell Robinson.
Those 12 bring the official pool from which the Olympic team will be chosen to 57 players, with the Nets’ Big 3 – Durant, Harden, and Irving – and sharpshooter Joe Harris were already confirmed. Add in Milwaukee’s Brook Lopez and Detroit’s Mason Plumlee, and that’s 11 players who currently are in, or spent significant time in, New York City in the pool.
Of course, the pool also consists of all the names you’d expect (LeBron, Westbrook, Lillard, etc.) and also contains two more potential Nets/Knicks targets: Cleveland’s Andre Drummond, who is expected to find a new home in the next two weeks, and San Antonio’s LaMarcus Aldridge, who will be moving on from the Spurs soon according to head coach (and Team USA head coach) Gregg Popovich.
“With the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics from 2020 to 2021, it’s important that we continue to remain flexible and consider all players who can contribute to our efforts to field the best USA team possible. These additions we are announcing today will help ensure that we are doing that,” said Jerry Colangelo, the managing director of the USA Basketball Men’s National Team. “Having a larger player pool than what we normally have is critical because of all of the uncertainties we face about availability. But for USA Basketball to receive the commitment of so many outstanding players remains an indicator of the great honor of representing your country means to these men.”
Among the New Yorkers in contention, Durant is a two-time Olympian, having been a member of both the 2012 London and 2016 Rio teams that went undefeated en route to gold medals. Harden was on the 2012 team and both Irving and Jordan were on the 2016 squad, while Joe Harris was part of the 2019 World Cup team that finished seventh.
Randle was on the 2012 USA Under 18 team that won a gold medal in the FIBA Americas U18 Championships, and was also on the USA Junior National Select Team that competed in the 2013 Nike Hoop Summit.
Griffin was named to the 2012 Olympic team but had to pull out due to a knee injury, so his only game of international experience came in the 2015 USA Showcase. Robinson has been part of training camps, but would be a rookie in international competition if chosen.
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