USA Men’s basketball are ready to win gold in Tokyo!

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The United States Men’s basketball team will take part in the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo, Japan this summer and plan to add another gold medal to our resume! It will be a long road and it began last night against Nigeria. Unfortunately, Team USA lost 90-87 to a team they beat by 83 points in 2012.

Nigeria was a 30-point underdog in the one and led by Mike Brown, a current Golden State Warriors assistant, and seven NBA players. He and his team hit 20 three-pointers en route to one of the greatest upsets in basketball history.

Who is on the USA roster?

The team has stepped on the floor together in Las Vegas, Nevada where they will hold practice to get this championship tour underway. This USA squad is a very well-gathered unit that has so much talent; it is crazy to even think that they will not bring home the gold. This roster includes:

#4 Bradley Beal

Beal has had an outstanding season that broke out into getting in the playoffs by winning the second “play-in” game to land the Washington Wizards the eighth seed in the East. He had a career-high of 31.3 points per game this season while earning himself a spot in the 2021 All-Star game. Not to mention that he finally made an All-NBA team. Beal is an enormous piece to this U.S.A team with his scoring, quickness, speed, and lethal jump shot.

#5 Zach LaVine

The new big-time star in Chicago has made a name for himself and isn’t letting anyone forget it. LaVine’s 2020-21 season speaks for itself. Zach had a new career-high in several different categories this season which include 27.4 points per game, 35.1 minutes played per game, 50% from the field, 42% from the three-point line, 85% from the free-throw line, five rebounds per game, and five assists per game. Oh yeah, he was also selected for his first-ever All-Star game. You can say that he has definitely earned himself a spot on this U.S.A roster.

#6 Damian Lillard

Lillard has always been a killer on the hardwood. After so many years of hyping up his game with these crazy high-scoring games and showing the league & the fans that he is one of the best in the game today; he will put his skills on display for the whole world to see. Six-time All-Star, six-time All-NBA, and 2012-13 Rookie of the Year. He deserves to add a gold medal to his list.

#7 Kevin Durant

Kevin Durant is known as a huge superstar in the basketball world. He has easily become one of the greatest to ever lace it up on the court. Durant was the 2007-08 Rookie of the Year, 4x scoring champion, 9x All-NBA team selection, 2013-14 NBA MVP, 2x NBA champion, and 2x NBA Finals MVP. When it comes to playing for the USA in the Olympics over the years; he has not disappointed at all. He is currently tied with Kobe Bryant for most played games for team U.S.A. at 16 which leaves him behind Carlos Boozer, David Robinson, LeBron James, and Carmelo Anthony. Durant is second on the all-time scoring list for USA Basketball with 311 points, leaving him shy of Carmelo (336). Kevin Durant will go for his third consecutive gold medal this summer.

#8 Khris Middleton

Middleton is one of those guys in the NBA that is really underrated because he isn’t flashy. He isn’t a high-scoring player on any given night. He isn’t a great defender and he isn’t a big-time name like a lot of other immense players around the league. He is a considerable player though. He can get his team a bucket, he can win a game, he can get a stop on the defensive end, he plays with great intensity, he does not quit and his mid-range shot is one like no other. Middleton is a 2x All-Star and he will be playing for his gold medal after finishing off the NBA Finals.

#9 Jerami Grant

Grant is not a stand-out player that an average fan knows, but he had a dominant season this year playing for his new team the Detroit Pistons. He averaged a new career-high in points per game with 22.3 while also averaging a new career-high in minutes played per game with 33.9. Since he was finally the primary focus on offense for a team, he increased his field goal attempts per game with 17.3. Grant also shot 85% from the free-throw line which is his best ever. He will be a great asset to this U.S.A team to help win a gold medal.

#10 Jayson Tatum

Jayson Tatum has only been playing in the NBA for four years, but it feels way longer than that because of the greatness he has shown on the court. He is one of the league’s young rising stars with no limit on where his game can take him. Tatum was selected for an All-Rookie team back in 2017-18, a 2019-2020 All-NBA team, and is now a 2x All-Star. Every year he improves his points per game and this year with his highest of 26.4. He is honored to wear his favorite basketball player’s U.S.A jersey number, Kobe Bryant, while also trying to win his first-ever gold medal in the Olympics.

#11 Kevin Love

Kevin Love is one of the veterans on this 2021 team U.S.A roster and he will do a tremendous job of being a leader for the rest of the guys. He has championship experience after winning the NBA championship with the Cleveland Cavaliers back in 2016 and he has won a gold medal with the 2012 team. Love is a 5x All-Star, 2x All-NBA, and selected for an All-Rookie team back in 2008-09. His IQ for the game is unreal which will help a lot to secure the gold medal.

#12 Jrue Holiday

Holiday is another underrated player in the league that needs to be given way more credit. His defensive skills are out of this world that most players around the NBA respect to the fullest. Jrue is a one-time All-Star and a 3x All-Defensive team selection. This will be his first-ever Olympics run after playing in his first-ever NBA Finals. He is trying to end the summer as an NBA champion and gold medal winner.

#13 Bam Adebayo

Bam is another one of the rising stars in the NBA that will have an amazing impact on the league. He is an outstanding defensive player that can lock up players from guards to forwards to centers. Adebayo finished third in the Defensive Player of the Year category behind Ben Simmons and winner Rudy Gobert. He managed to make his second All-Defensive team by averaging a new career-high in 1.2 steals per game and one block per game. Bam also set a new career-high in points per game this season with 18.7. He is a one-time All-Star that is looking to add a gold medal to his resume by the end of the summer.

#14 Draymond Green

Draymond Green is going to be one of the top vocal and defensive leaders of this U.S.A squad this summer. Green is a 3x All-Star, 2x All-NBA team selection, 6x All-Defensive team pick, 2016-17 Defensive Player of the Year winner and 2016-17 steals champion. Let us not forget to mention that he is a three-time NBA champion with the Golden State Warriors. Draymond has a gold medal under his belt with the 2016 U.S.A team and plans to earn another one in Tokyo.

#15 Devin Booker

Booker is a young elite player in the NBA that deserves way more mention than what he is getting and this year that is changing. he can score from any spot on the floor from the three-point to the mid-range to inside the paint. He is just a walking bucket! Devin is a two-time All-Star and was selected to a 2015-16 All-Rookie team. This season was the first season Booker makes it to the NBA playoffs and he is showing the world that he belongs there. He has helped his Phoenix Suns squad reach the NBA Finals and they are two wins away from winning their first-ever NBA championship. Booker will be a strong addition to this U.S.A team headed into the Olympics with his exclusive scoring abilities.

The USA Men’s basketball team has won medals in all 18 appearances in the Olympics tournaments they have entered in. Team USA has won a complete total of 15 gold medals over the years. In the professional era, team U.S.A has won six gold medals. They are the most successful team than any other country in the world in the Men’s basketball category. In the last two Olympics, they have won gold medals and plan to extend the streak to three this summer in Tokyo.

Let’s go USA.