The USA men's basketball team has been announced for the 2024 Paris Olympics as it contains Miami Heat star Bam Adebayo, who has previously won a gold medal in 2021, as one of the 12 players who will represent the country. He looks for another medal as he speaks about the honor of being on the country's team while in the midst of helping Miami in the postseason.
Adebayo is only one of two signed Heat players alongside Dwyane Wade to be named to an Olympic teams more than once as he continues to cement his legacy with the organization. The star big-man will not be the only Miami representation as head coach Erik Spoelstra will be an assistant coach under Steve Kerr on Team USA which Adebayo said “will be an insane moment” according to Anthony Chiang of The Sun Sentinel.
“It’s going to be a dope experience for all of us,” Adebayo said after shoot-around Wednesday morning in preparation for the Heat facing the Philadelphia 76ers in the play-in tournament. “Obviously, having my coach there will be an insane moment. So we’re just going to cherish that moment and have fun with it.”
Our captain is heading back to the Olympics! 🇺🇸
Congrats @Bam1of1 👏 pic.twitter.com/OpTG769Def
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) April 17, 2024
Spoelstra talks about being with Adebayo for Olympics
As for Spoelstra, he was also an assistant coach in World Cup team last year in the Phillipines, but Adebayo sat out that tournament. The long-time Heat head coach called it an “incredible honor” for the center and that it will be a “pinch-yourself type of moment” to be with Adebayo for the journey.
“It’s an incredible honor for Bam,” Spoelstra said. “I feel the same way. It’s a pinch-yourself type of moment. The stage is going to be monumental there.”
Adebayo can also make history with Team USA and the Heat as the first player for the organization to win more than one gold medal. The others in the franchise who have won gold were Wade (2008 Olympics), LeBron James (2012 Olympics), Alonzo Mourning (2000 Olympics) and Tim Hardaway (2000 Olympics).
In the the 2020 Tokyo Olympics which took place in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Adebayo averaged 6.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.2 blocks per game. Spoelstra said that the Heat star being selected “speaks to Bam's reputation” and that the Paris Olympics will “be a tremendous experience.”
“It just speaks to Bam’s reputation as a winning player, as an absolute winner, that he’ll do things on both sides of the floor that translate to winning,” Spoelstra said. “That’s in the NBA, but also international. He already got a gold medal. He’s just starting to stack up great accolades and experiences. It’s going to be a tremendous experience. The competition will be high. We’ll have our work cut out for us. But Bam loves that, he loves the challenge and he loves the competition.”
What the rest of the team besides Adebayo looks like
Besides Adebayo, the other 11 players that will be his teammates on Team USA will be LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers), Anthony Davis (Los Angeles Lakers), Devin Booker (Phoenix Suns), Kevin Durant (Phoenix Suns), Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors), Anthony Edwards (Minnesota Timberwolves), Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers), Tyrese Haliburton (Indiana Pacers), and Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics), Jrue Holiday (Boston Celtics), and Kawhi Leonard (L.A. Clippers).
Greatness Unites.
The 2024 USA Men's National Team is here.
🇺🇸 #USABMNT pic.twitter.com/I2jOLsrcQv
— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) April 17, 2024
USA Basketball Men’s National Team managing director Grant Hill, who is also a former NBA player, assembled the team. He gave a statement talking about how “grateful” he is to see the players named have shown their “commitment” in representing the United States of America according to Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel.
“It’s an honor to introduce the 2024 USA Basketball Men’s National Team,” Hill said. “I’m grateful to these 12 men for their commitment to represent USA Basketball. The United States is home to some of the best basketball players in the world and I appreciate the vast interest in being part of this roster. These decisions weren’t easy, but it was a pleasure to go through the process and reach this outcome.”
“We have the utmost respect for the level of competition we will face this summer,” Hill continued. “The Olympics represent the pinnacle of sport and the world will be watching the USA as we play in the toughest basketball tournament in history.”
Adebayo preparing for Heat postseason run before Olympics
As said before, Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr will be the head coach of the squad in Paris and will have to balance out the amount of stars on the team. The goal for him is that he and his coaching staff including Spoelstra want to “represent USA Basketball with the utmost class.”
“My staff and I are honored to coach this amazing group of players in our quest to win Olympic gold in Paris,” Kerr said. “We plan to represent USA Basketball with the utmost class and we hope to make our country proud.”
Adebayo has averaged 19.3 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game while shooting 52.1 percent from the field this season. He will be a huge component in at least maintaining his USA teammate and opponent Wednesday night in Embiid as the Heat take on the 76ers in the play-in tournament.
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