The 2020 Tokyo Olympics are just a few weeks away as athletes are beginning to prepare to represent their respective nations.
Several players declined USA Basketball's invitation and plan to use the summer to get healthy for the 2021-22 campaign, including Los Angeles Lakers stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Golden State Warriors guard and MVP finalist Steph Curry reportedly has also decided against joining his first Olympic roster.
Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell has declined the invitation after suffering a tough playoff loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. Instead, Mitchell will focus on rehabbing his right ankle injury. Phoenix Suns point guard Chris Paul also reportedly declined an invitation, as well as Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry, who has reportedly denied his invite due to his pending free agency this summer.
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San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich will lead the team this summer after taking over for Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski. The U.S. will be looking for its fourth consecutive gold medal at the Olympics.
For the United States, its men’s basketball team appears to have finally come into form. Here is the reported final Team USA roster for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics:
Jerami Grant
Detroit Pistons forward Jerami Grant reportedly has committed to join the Team USA roster that will play in this summer's Tokyo Games, making it his first Olympic appearance. Grant will replace James Harden, who previously committed to the 2020 Games but has withdrawn due to injury. Harden suffered a hamstring injury and exited Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. He returned for Game 5, but it would not be enough to keep the Brooklyn Nets from being eliminated in the second round of the playoffs.
Boston Celtics
Zach LaVine
Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine reportedly has committed to join Team USA for the Summer Olympics in Tokyo. This will be LaVine's first Olympic appearance. LaVine was added to the Team USA preliminary roster in March and as players began to decline their invitations, his spot to the Summer Games was secured. He averaged 27.4 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game in the 2020-21 regular season and looks to add "Olympic gold medalist" to his list of accomplishments.
Jrue Holiday
Milwaukee Bucks guard Jrue Holiday reportedly has committed to play for Team USA in the Summer Games. This will be Holiday's first Olympic appearance.
During the NBA's 2020-21 regular season Holiday averaged 17.7 points, 6.1 assists and 4.5 rebounds. Holiday, like Khris Middleton and Devin Booker (see below), has the opportunity to win an Olympic gold medal and an NBA title in the same year.
Kevin Love
Cleveland Cavaliers power forward Kevin Love reportedly has committed to play for the 2020 Olympics team this summer. This will be Love's second Olympic appearance after being a member of the 2012 USA team that went 8-0 and won the gold medal at the London Games.
Love completed a disappointing season with the 22-50 Cavs, averaging 12.2 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game.
Khris Middleton
Middleton reportedly has committed to play for Team USA's 12-man roster for the 2020 Summer Games. Middleton suited up in red, white and blue for the 2019 FIBA World Cup, but Team USA was eliminated after a shocking loss to France. This will be his first Olympic appearance.
Middleton averaged 20.4 points, 6.0 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game in the 2020-21 regular season and is currently averaging 23.3 points, 8.0 rebounds and 4.3 assists in the playoffs. With the Bucks continuing their postseason success, he's one of the players with the chance to be the seventh player in NBA history to capture an NBA title and an Olympic gold medal in the same year.
Bam Adebayo
Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo reportedly has committed to play for the 2020 Olympics team this summer. This will be Adebayo's first time representing Team USA. He tried out for Team USA before the 2019 FIBA World Cup but did not make the cut.
In 2020-21, Adebayo averaged 18.7 points, 9.0 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game in the regular season plus 15.5 points, 9.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists in the playoffs. The Heat were eliminated in the first round of the NBA playoffs after being swept by the Bucks.
Kevin Durant
Kevin Durant reportedly is expected to join Team USA for his third straight Olympics. He holds the highest scoring average in the history of the Olympics men's basketball tournament with 19.4 points per game.
The Brooklyn Nets fell in the second round of the playoffs despite Durant's heroics, which included 48 points and a buzzer-beater to force overtime in Game 7, on top of a 49-17-10 triple-double in Game 5.
Devin Booker
Booker is reportedly set to join the roster this summer. Booker and the Suns just finished a sweep of the Denver Nuggets in the second round of the NBA Western Conference playoffs and are playing in the 2021 Western Conference Finals. Booker is one of the roster members who could join Kyrie Irving, LeBron James, Marc Gasol, Lamar Odom, Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen as players to win the NBA Finals and Olympics in the same year.
After initially missing the cut, Booker was named an All-Star for the first time in his career, replacing an injured LeBron James. He also was regarded as one of the snubs for the All-NBA teams.
Bradley Beal
Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal, an All-NBA third team selection, is set to play in his first Olympic Games. He is the first Wizards player ever to be named to Team USA for the Olympics.
Beal and the Wizards made the Play-In Tournament and ultimately were able to snag the No. 8 for the NBA playoffs. However, they lost to the Philadelphia 76ers in five games in the first round.
Jayson Tatum
Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum will play this summer for the U.S. in Tokyo. This will be his first Olympics, too. Tatum was named to his second consecutive All-Star team this season and is also considered one of the snubs for the All-NBA teams.
Tatum helped the Celtics win the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference with a Play-In Tournament win over Beal’s Wizards. Despite averaging 30.6 points per game, including a 50-point performance in Game 3, the Celtics lost in five games to the Brooklyn Nets in the first round.
Damian Lillard
Portland Trail Blazers star guard Damian Lillard was one of the first commits to the Olympic team. It is the first time Lillard will be representing the U.S. at an Olympics Games.
He was named an All-Star for the sixth time and made the All-NBA second team. The Trail Blazers were the No. 6 seed in the West and lost in six games to the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the playoffs, where Lillard averaged 34.3 points per game.
Draymond Green
Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green is committed to the Olympic team for the 2020 Olympics. It will be the second time Green will play for the U.S., as he won gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Green was a finalist for this year’s NBA Defensive Player of the Year.
The Warriors clinched a spot in the play-in tournament but then dropped back-to-back games, failing to make the postseason for the second consecutive season.