Thaddeus Young is entering his 13th season in the NBA and will be looking to keep his string of successful seasons intact as he faces a new challenge in his first season with the young and on-the-rise Bulls. Despite being an NBA veteran with ample experience, Young was excited when he got the call to be a part of Team USA.
"I'm going into my 13th season and to have this opportunity I need to take advantage of it," said Young.
Indeed the Team USA camp will replace any normal offseason workouts for Young as the Team USA training camps will run up until August 31. Then the FIBA Basketball World Cup officially starts in Shanghai, China on September 1 when Team USA takes on the Czech Republic and new Bulls guard Tomas Satoransky.
The finals for the FIBA Basketball World Cup will take place on September 15th, which will likely be just a week before NBA training camps get underway.
Young did play in the playoffs with the Indiana Pacers last season but did not take to much wear and tear as the Pacers were swept by the Boston Celtics. Young's 130 total playoff minutes over the 2018-19 season was his lowest since his age-22 postseason, so one would expect him to be ready to hit the ground running with the Bulls.
NBA
The Team USA roster still needs to be trimmed down to 12 players, so there is, of course, the possibility that Young does not make the team but regardless of that, Young is happy to be able to help Team USA prepare for their World Cup competition.
"Anytime you can represent your country and put on that jersey with USA on the chest it’s huge."
Team USA will release its official 12-man roster for the FIBA Basketball World Cup China on Aug. 17.
Click here to download the new MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Bulls easily on your device.