San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich is optimistic the Olympics will take place next summer in Tokyo.
Popovich is the head coach of Team USA. The Olympics were supposed to take place this summer, but the COVID-19 pandemic forced the committee to postpone the Summer Games.
Gregg Popovich – the coach of the USA Basketball men’s team – says he’s been checking the coronavirus response in Japan, and is optimistic when it comes to the hope for an Olympics in Tokyo next summer. Filling a roster around the NBA schedule, he concedes “will be trickier.”
— Tim Reynolds (@ByTimReynolds) July 11, 2020
The Americans won gold at the Summer Olympics back in 2016 in Brazil. That team had Jimmy Butler, Kevin Durant, DeAndre Jordan, Kyle Lowry, Harrison Barnes, DeMar DeRozan, Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson, DeMarcus Cousins, Paul George, Draymond Green and Carmelo Anthony on it.
Golden State Warriors head coach and Team USA assistant Steve Kerr said back in March he was in contact with Popovich about what the group of coaches should do in terms of preparing players for a postponement. At the time of Kerr's statement, the Olympics hasn't been pushed back yet.
The total budget for the Olympic games, including infrastructure upgrades around Japan, is more than $22 billion. The Spurs' legendary coach will need all the superstars from the NBA he can get to play next summer since the 2019 FIBA World Cup roster was subpar last offseason.
For now, though, Popovich and his Spurs will focus on the “bubble” games, which begin on July 30 down in Orlando, Florida. San Antonio faces an uphill climb to reach the playoffs for the 23rd consecutive season.
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