SPORTS SHORTS 159: KEVIN DURANT LEADS USA MEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM FOR THE TOKYO OLYMPICS
By Maloney L. Samaco
PhilBoxing.com
Wed, 30 Jun 2021
Two-time Olympic gold medalist Kevin Durant of the Brooklyn Nets will lead the 12-member U.S. men’s basketball team as announced by USA Basketball for the Tokyo Olympics.
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Durant is teamed by Bam Adebayo (Heat), Bradley Beal (Wizards), Devin Booker (Suns), Jerami Grant (Pistons), Draymond Green (Warriors), Jrue Holiday (Bucks), Zach LaVine (Bulls), Damian Lillard (Trail Blazers), Kevin Love (Cavaliers), Khris Middleton (Bucks) and Jayson Tatum (Celtics).
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Kevin Durant of the Brooklyn Nets, has two NBA championships, an NBA MVP Awards, two Finals MVP Awards, two NBA All-Star Game MVP Awards, four NBA scoring titles, the NBA Rookie of the Year Award, and two Olympic gold medals. Durant has also been selected to nine All-NBA teams and eleven NBA All-Star teams.
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Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers, was unanimously voted the NBA Rookie of the Year 2013, a six-time All-Star, and a member of the All-NBA First Team in 2018.
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Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors, is a three-time NBA champion and a three-time NBA All-Star, won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year in 2017.
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Bradley Beal of the Washington Wizards, was selected in the 2013 NBA All-Rookie First Team, and is a three-time NBA All-Star.
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Bam Adebayo of the Miami Heat, was named an NBA All-Star and voted to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team during the 2019–20 season.
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Khris Middleton of the Milwaukee Bucks is a two-time All-Star in 2019 and 2020.
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Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics, is a two-time NBA All-Star, was selected to the All-NBA Third Team in 2020, and he won the NBA All-Rookie First Team in 2018.
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Kevin Love of the Cleveland Cavaliers, is a five-time All-Star and won an NBA championship with the Cavaliers in 2016, was a member of the gold medal-winning United States national team at the 2010 FIBA World Championship and the 2012 Summer Olympics.
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Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns was the youngest to score over 60 points in a game, with 70 against the Celtics. In March 2019, at age 22, he became the youngest player with consecutive 50-point games in the NBA. He was a two-time NBA All-Star, a member of the All-Rookie First Team and a three-point champion in 2018.
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Jerami Grant of the Detroit Pistons had eight blocks in a loss to the Knicks on January 21, 2015, the most in a game for a 76er since Samuel Dalembert had nine on December 12, 2007, and the most by a 76er rookie since Shawn Bradley had nine on January 17, 1994. He won the gold medal in the FIBA Americas U18 Championship.
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Zach LaVine of the Chicago Bulls is a two-time Slam Dunk Contest champion, and was an NBA All-Star in 2021.
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Jrue Holiday of the Milwaukee Bucks was an NBA All-Star, a two-time NBA All-Defensive First Team member, an NBA Teammate of the Year awardee and an NBA Sportsmanship Awardee.
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Durant, who was the USA men's basketball team's leading scorer at the 2016 Rio Games and the 2012 London Games and is only the fourth U.S. male basketball player selected to three or more Olympic teams.
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The average age of the players will be 28.2 years old at the end of the Tokyo Olympics, younger than the gold-medal-winning teams from the 1996 Atlanta (29.4) and 1992 Barcelona (29.0) Olympics.
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The other Olympic veterans of the team are Draymond Green, who won gold in 2016 in Rio, and Kevin Love, who was with the 2012 team that was champion in London.
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The other nine players Adebayo, Beal, Devin Booker, Grant, Holiday, LaVine, Lillard, Middleton and Tatum will be playing in their first Olympics.
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Paul George scored a playoff career-high 41 points to lead the Los Angeles Clippers over the Phoenix Suns 116-102 in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals on Monday night to keep their postseason hopes alive making the series at 3-2.
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George also had 13 rebounds and six assists and shot an amazing 15-of-20 from the field. Devin Booker finished with 31 points to topscore for the Suns, but shot only 9-of-22 of his field goals. Chris Paul added 22 points and eight assists, but missed all six of his 3-point attempts.
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The United States is the most successful country in Olympic basketball, with United States men's teams having won 15 of 18 Summer Games in which they participated, including seven consecutive titles from 1936 through 1968.
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The United States women's teams have won 8 gold medals out of the 10 Summer Games in which they competed, including six consecutive Olympics from 1996 to 2016.
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On June 9, 2017, the International Olympic Committee announced that 3x3 basketball would become an official Olympic sport for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, for both men and women.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Maloney L. Samaco.
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