In some part due to his repeated line-stepping, Draymond Green missed out on a second NBA championship on Sunday night. But he’ll get a nice consolation prize this summer: a chance to compete for a gold medal at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. ESPN.com’s Marc Spears reports that Green has accepted an offer from USA Basketball to be a part of this summer’s team:
Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green recently accepted an invitation to play for USA Basketball at the 2016 Rio Olympics, a source told The Undefeated on Monday.
Green has never played for USA Basketball’s national team but has previously played on the 2015 USA Showcase and on Team USA’s 2011 World University Games squad. He was selected as a finalist for the United States’ 2016 Rio Olympics team Jan. 18.
News of Green’s commitment comes following a slew of high-profile players pulled out, including Russell Westbrook, James Harden, LaMarcus Aldridge and Green’s Warriors teammate, Stephen Curry. Klay Thompson hasn’t yet been officially offered a spot on the team, but recently said he wants to play.
ESPN.com’s Marc Stein has more details on who’s expected to make the team, and it’s a pretty formidable roster even with this many big names skipping it.
K. Durant, P. George, D. Cousins, K. Thompson, D. Green, K. Irving, K. Leonard … seven of the Team USA dozen we now expect to see in Rio.
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) June 20, 2016
Have to believe Dame Lillard, like Melo, has a Rio roster spot if he wants one; Andre Drummond and Jimmy Butler are also strong contenders.
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) June 20, 2016
The biggest question mark surrounding Team USA’s roster is whether LeBron James or Carmelo Anthony will be involved. Both of them have the chance to go for a record-setting third Olympic gold medal. Chris Paul, who also would have had a spot locked up if he wanted it, opted out a few months ago. It would make sense for James to skip it, considering his heavy workload over the past six years, making six straight Finals and playing in the Olympics in 2012. Anthony, who has never won an NBA championship and won’t anytime soon (as long as he stays in New York, anyway) might have more incentive to stack up as much hardware as possible while he’s in his prime.
It’s a good problem to have if you’re Jerry Colangelo. This many superstars can pull out and they should still have no trouble assembling a 12-man roster full of top-level talent that is all but certain to cruise to a gold medal.
