Team USA Articles - Page 31

Having been in the league since the late ’80s, San Antonio Spurs and Team USA head coach Gregg Popovich has pretty much seen it all. However, the 70-year-old admitted that he was still taken aback by Team USA’s recent experience of going up against 51,000 home fans, as they battled Australia in an international exhibition […]

Team USA raced to a strong start to their overseas exhibition campaign, running past Australia 102-86 in their second exhibition game prior to the start of the 2019 FIBA World Cup. Boston Celtics point guard Kemba Walker led the way with 23 points as head coach Gregg Popovich started the speedy dynamo along with Donovan […]

Marcus Smart, the beloved, scrappy point guard of the Boston Celtics, has not been well-known throughout his career for his outside shooting. But during warmups for Team USA, it looks as if Smart has debuted his newest shooting stroke. He’s back… @smart_MS3 over his head! #USABMNT #USAGotGame pic.twitter.com/sXuPFb5XO6 — NBA (@NBA) August 22, 2019 As […]

Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green visited Team USA last week to find one common theme swirling the minds of many players: the current roster is heavily doubted to perform to its previous gold-medal standards of excellence. Green, who took part in Team USA’s last venture for gold as a member of the Rio 2016 […]

Boston Celtics point guard Kemba Walker has heard the noise surrounding around what’s expected to be a vulnerable Team USA heading into a looming 2019 FIBA World Cup. The 6-foot-1 floor general answered when USA Basketball came calling, despite being one of the many stars that changed teams over the offseason — a reason for […]

Sacramento Kings point guard De’Aaron Fox shocked his Team USA counterparts during his brief participation with USA Basketball before he withdrew from the team. The 21-year-old did, however, leave a lasting impression as one of the fastest players to take the court. Fellow USA teammates Kemba Walker and Donovan Mitchell were among the first to […]

Team USA coach Gregg Popovich continues to make fun of Australian guard Patty Mills, who is currently with the San Antonio Spurs. Pop, who also coaches the Spurs in the NBA, jokingly said he now knows Australia’s gameplan because of Mills he threatened him. “Patty brought me their gameplan yesterday, because I threatened him with […]

Less than two weeks remain before the start of the 2019 FIBA World Cup, yet Team USA head coach Gregg Popovich might head to China in the last week of August with no decisions to make. USA Basketball was primed to take 15 players to Melbourne, Australia for a series of practices and three exhibition […]

The Team USA squad that will represent the nation in the upcoming FIBA World Cup in China is not exactly of the Dream Team caliber. However, despite the fact that there have been more than a few noteworthy names to withdraw from the squad over the past couple of months, this group still remains a […]

For Team USA head coach Gregg Popovich, the Australian national team is capable of winning it all in the upcoming FIBA World Cup in China. Popovich believes that Australia poses a danger to the Americans and their quest to defend their title at the FIBA World Cup in China. From Popovich’s observation, the Australians are […]

It looks like Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart’s left calf injury is getting a lot better. Team USA head coach Gregg Popovich said Smart “scrimmaged a decent part” of Team USA’s practice on Tuesday. Smart says it “feels good to be out here.” “He is looking pretty good,” Popovich said. “He scrimmaged a decent part […]

Milwaukee Bucks swingman Khris Middleton says he and his Team USA teammates were “very surprised” Houston Rockets forward PJ Tucker withdrew from the FIBA World Cup. Shortly before Team USA’s exhibition game against Spain last week, Tucker suffered an ankle injury in practice. He wanted to play through it, but after speaking to his agent, […]

Houston Rockets forward PJ Tucker compared the role he had playing for Team USA with the one he has for his NBA team — a similar proposition given that not much has changed in his style of play: “It’s the same and it’s different,” said Tucker, according to Kelly Iko of The Athletic. “I think […]

Team USA forward Jayson Tatum is looking forward to an upcoming matchup against Australia, which means going against former teammate Aron Baynes, who was traded to the Phoenix Suns in the offseason. The two former teammates spent two years with the Boston Celtics and likely matched up against one another from time to time in […]

Team USA managing director Jerry Colangelo wants USA Basketball to win with “defense and rebounding” since they don’t have a “Kevin Durant-type player.” Team USA doesn’t have a superstar on it who can take over games. The roster has some good scorers on it, headlined by Donovan Mitchell and Kemba Walker, but no one with […]

Phoenix Suns big man Aron Baynes is expecting a battle in the upcoming two games the Australian national team will endure against a younger rendition of Team USA, one that has been doubted and counted out after a wave of dropouts from this 2019 FIBA World Cup opportunity. Baynes noted the Americans won’t be an […]

Team USA is quickly approaching a back-to-back affair against the Australian national team, where Boston Celtics teammates Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown will see a familiar face in Aron Baynes. The Aussie mauler has always been fond of the two young players, who now embark in a mission to prove doubters wrong after more than […]

Team USA will soon embark on a big challenge to face the best every country has to offer in the upcoming 2019 FIBA World Cup. Less than two weeks before its start in Aug. 31, the Americans have plenty of positives, but also some concerns they should first clean up before taking on group play. […]

Boston Celtics point guard Kemba Walker is coming into the Team USA experience as one of the most experienced NBA veterans. Walker is embracing a leadership role as the team’s likely starting point guard, looking to build chemistry alongside his teammates in a short period of time. Due to the nature of this summer, USA […]

USA Basketball officials were stunned to learn that Sacramento Kings point guard De’Aaron Fox had chosen to remove his name from consideration for the final 12-man roster only hours before the team’s flight took off for Australia on Saturday morning, according to Marc Stein of The New York Times. Fox said he made the decision […]

Team USA will face its next test against the Australian national team, the first of two exhibition tilts against the Boomers at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne. Point guard Kemba Walker and head coach Gregg Popovich know why this friendly preparation game was scheduled, aware of the toughness and ultra-competitive nature of international basketball. The Aussies […]

Milwaukee Bucks forward Khris Middleton is looking forward to Thursday night’s game, in which Team USA will face up against the Australian national team — anxious to see his former teammate Matthew Dellavedova, who has marked this game in his calendar for a long time. Dellavedova, who was part of a three-team trade that saw […]

Spain’s Marc Gasol isn’t worried about USA Basketball’s motivation heading into the FIBA 2019 World Cup, despite the series of dropouts in the rostering process, keenly aware that the critics’ skepticism could fuel Team USA into success. “I’m sure that it’s going to fuel them,” Gasol said of the loud skepticism increasingly endured by the […]

Team USA arrived in Melbourne, Australia after the first exhibition game since their customary White vs. Blue scrimmage in Las Vegas, besting Spain 90-81 on Friday. Head coach Gregg Popovich got to work with his team immediately, hoping his team would get a good meal, rest and shake out the jet lag on the court […]

Gregg Popovich couldn’t help but commend the Spanish men’s national basketball team for their excellent play in yesterday’s scrimmage with Team USA. Although the Americans triumphed over the Spaniards 90-81, Pop, who will be coaching Team USA in the FIBA World Cup, had high praises for their opponents. He said that he liked Spain’s teamwork, […]

Team USA head coach Gregg Popovich is not looking forward to making the last cut on the USA roster. Team USA is taking 13 guys to Australia, but will only take 12 to China for the FIBA World Cup. The Team USA roster is currently headlined by Harrison Barnes, Jaylen Brown, Joe Harris, Kyle Kuzma, Brook Lopez, Khris Middleton, Donovan Mitchell, Mason […]

Sacramento Kings small forward Harrison Barnes says Team USA is “motivated more than anything to keep the gold standard going.” Because Team USA doesn’t have any superstars on it like before, a lot of critics believe the team might not bring home the gold once the FIBA World Cup starts. Barnes, the lone holdover from […]

While watching his fellow Americans dispatch of the Spanish national team in an exhibition on Friday night, Marcus Smart expressed full-throated optimism about being healthy enough to play in the FIBA World Cup. Less than 24 hours later, that unwavering confidence of Boston Celtics guard has proven well-founded. According to Marc Stein of The New […]

Following a eyebrow-raising defeat a couple of days ago in a highly-publicized scrimmage match, Team USA quickly made amends by securing a 90-81 victory against Spain in another tune-up game. Utah Jazz star Donovan Mitchell was Team USA’s main man, as he led the squad to a much-needed victory with 13 points and four rebounds […]

Every single one of the players who withdrew from consideration for Team USA this summer did so with injury risk in mind. Still, it goes without saying that no one was surprised when PJ Tucker took a much different approach to playing for his country in the FIBA World Cup. The Houston Rockets forward was […]

LeBron James was never going to play in the FIBA World Cup. Kawhi Leonard has never suited for USA Basketball. Kevin Durant is recovering from surgery for a ruptured Achilles tendon, and the same goes for Paul George with regard to both his shoulders. Ever since USA Basketball was overhauled in the mid-2000s following a […]

Donovan Mitchell finally returned fire after a back-and-forth between he and Utah Jazz teammate Rudy Gobert appeared to cease after the Frenchman sent a warning shot for his younger counterpart earlier this month. Gobert warned that if his native France was to meet Team USA at some point during the upcoming FIBA 2019 World Cup, […]

Houston Rockets forward PJ Tucker was mic’d up at a recent Team USA scrimmage, showcasing the type of intensity and defensive awareness the three-and-D stud brings to the table in an everyday basis. Tucker’s a preacher of constant communication, so it’s no surprise the defensive stopped is clamoring for “overtalk” during these sessions. PJ Tucker […]

De’Aaron Fox is a likely pick to make Team USA’s roster heading into the FIBA 2019 World Cup, as he has impressed coaches and teammates alike with his blazing end-to-end speed and his development at the point guard position. Asked to pick his favorite iteration of any of the squad Team USA has trotted out […]

Los Angeles Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma is glad to have taken the call from Team USA to take part in training camp, as he’s already been learning the ropes of playing in multiple positions during his brief stint with USA Basketball. The rangy forward likes to have this versatility as a weapon, something he can […]

Houston Rockets forward PJ Tucker has taken notice as to how news of Team USA players losing to the Select Team, noting the context of the story wasn’t truly told. A five-on-five scrimmage that included Kemba Walker, Donovan Mitchell and Jayson Tatum lost a resounding 36-17 on Wednesday, failing to score during the last few […]

Kyle Kuzma has quickly found his role with Team USA, only less than two weeks since training camp started. The Los Angeles Lakers forward claims he’s figured out what will be his contribution to this team moving forward. “Defensive rebounding, that’s going to be my calling card with this team,” said Kuzma, according to USA […]

Team USA head coach Gregg Popovich recalled some of his own international experiences ahead of the FIBA 2019 World Cup, among them the way he was cut from a 1972 Olympic team. “I was devastated when I didn’t make it, ’cause anybody would be. They put me on an alternate team, we went to Brazil […]

Brooklyn Nets superstar small forward Kevin Durant addressed Team USA before practice on Thursday in El Segundo, California, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN. Durant is still recovering from the Achilles tear he suffered in the 2019 NBA Finals. The two-time Finals MVP was wearing a brace to stabilize his leg. KD was on the […]