Team USA Articles - Page 29

Team USA head coach Gregg Popovich has coached plenty of NBA players that compete for their country in international play. From Tony Parker to Manu Ginobili, to Patty Mills, Pop has seen what happens when guys in the league represent their nation. The veteran coach claimed that playing for their country turns players that are […]

Carmelo Anthony is taking his hat off to the players who decided to participate in this year’s FIBA World Cup. For a variety of reasons, several prominent NBA players chose to withdraw from the 2019 FIBA World Cup, including Anthony Davis, CJ McCollum, Damian Lillard and Kyle Lowry. NBA stars that are still on Team […]

Team USA will be heading into the second round of the FIBA World Cup undefeated, but as they move on to the next phase of the tournament, their opponents can no longer be taken lightly. Their first test will be against Greece this Saturday, a team that is by 2018-19 NBA MVP, Giannis Antetokounmpo. The […]

It was a night to remember for Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown, as he came up with arguably his best performance in the FIBA World Cup to date, leading Team USA to an absolute thrashing of Japan, 98-45. Brown was a walking highlight reel in this one, and one of his stand-out plays came in […]

Washington Wizards rookie Rui Hachimura threw down a ferocious one-handed jam over Indiana Pacers forward Myles Turner during Japan’s game against Team USA at the FIBA World Cup. With roughly five and a half minutes remaining in the third quarter of Thursday’s matchup, Hachimura received a pass on the left wing, then proceeded to make […]

Team USA finally produced the dominant performance the basketball world has been waiting for in the FIBA World Cup. Unfortunately for Japan, they were on the receiving end of a ruthless beating from the Americans, as the wire-to-wire victory ended with a final score of 98-45. Team USA was out to prove a point in […]

Team USA is down to just 10 players against Japan after it was announced that Marcus Smart will not play in the game on Thursday due to a left quad strain, per ESPN’s Brian Windhorst. Marcus Smart is out for Team USA with a left quad strain vs. Japan. He will be day-to-day. Missed time […]

Team USA doesn’t have the highest levels of confidence at the moment. They don’t have their usual firepower as stars opted out; they also narrowly were at the receiving end of one of the tournament’s biggest upsets. Gregg Popovich decided to do something about that. If the team was to win the gold medal in […]

Although he’s been a busy man this offseason, Washington Wizards rookie Rui Hachimura says he is excited to face Team USA at the 2019 FIBA World Cup. Hachimura has been through a lot in a short period of time. The Wizards selected the Japanese-born forward with the ninth overall pick in this summer’s draft. From […]

Team USA squeezed past Turkey with a 93-92 overtime victory in their FIBA World Cup showdown on Tuesday. However, they did not come out of it unscathed, as starting forward Jayson Tatum turned his ankle in the dying seconds of the game. Brian Windhorst of ESPN confirmed that Tatum will miss at least the next […]

Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens says small forward Jayson Tatum suffered a “moderate” left ankle sprain versus Turkey on Tuesday in China. Stevens says while Tatum will get an X-Ray on Wednesday, the injury “doesn’t sound like a big deal.” Brad Stevens says a moderate ankle sprain for Tatum. He will get an x-ray […]

Phoenix Suns point guard Ricky Rubio texted Utah Jazz shooting guard Donovan Mitchell “Welcome to FIBA” after Team USA defeated Turkey on Tuesday by just one point. Rubio is the staring point guard for Spain. He was teammates with Mitchell on Jazz for the past two seasons, so the two have a close relationship. Team […]

For Team USA to win gold at the FIBA World Cup in China, they are going to have to play better against the zone defense. Other countries, like Turkey on Tuesday, play a lot of 2-3 zone on defense, something we don’t see a lot of in the NBA. The 2-3 zone got to Team […]

Boston Celtics All-Star point guard Kemba Walker is not discouraged by Team USA’s tight win over Turkey on Tuesday in the FIBA World Cup. USA defeated Turkey by just one point, winning by a final score of 93-92. Walker, who finished with 14 points, says winning is all that matters to him and his fellow […]

Boston Celtics small forward Jayson Tatum is “pissed” he missed the second of three free throws for Team USA on Tuesday against Turkey. Tatum was fouled by Cedi Osman with USA down 81-79. The Celtics forward made the first, missed the second, and made the third to send the game into overtime, where Team USA […]

Team USA narrowly escaped with a 93-92 overtime win over Turkey in Tuesday’s FIBA World Cup matchup. It was a poor showing from the American side, and head coach Gregg Popovich knows his team will need to be better going forward. Via eurohoops.net: “It was a heck of a game as we all know,” Popovich […]

Jayson Tatum sprained his ankle in overtime of Team USA’s narrow 93-92 victory over Turkey in the FIBA World Cup, but Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens still has no regrets about his players participating in the event. Stevens also noted that Tatum’s injury doesn’t seem to be serious: Brad Stevens on the Jayson Tatum […]

Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum suffered an ankle sprain in the closing seconds of Tuesday’s overtime win over Turkey at the FIBA World Cup. At first, the severity of his injury was not clear, and some feared the worst. However, according to a report from ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, Tatum is already feeling better. Jayson Tatum […]

Indiana Pacers big man Myles Turner was a man relieved following Team USA’s razor-thin overtime victory against Turkey in the FIBA World Cup. The Americans eventually escape with the W, 93-92, but it wasn’t until the Turks gave them quite a scare. Following the highly-entertaining contest, Turner, who himself logged 11 points (on 3-of-7 shooting), nine […]

Team USA narrowly escaped Tuesday’s matchup against Turkey in the FIBA World Cup with a 93-92 overtime victory. Though they managed to carry the day, the American side may have lost Celtics guard Jayson Tatum due to an ankle injury. With under three seconds remaining in the overtime frame and the Turkish side leading by […]

Team USA just notched their second consecutive victory in the FIBA World Cup, in what turned out to be one of the best games in the early stages of this prestigious tournament. The Americans beat Turkey 93-92 in overtime, but to say it was a struggle for Team USA would be an understatement. Milwaukee Bucks […]

Brooklyn Nets guard Joe Harris has a lot to look forward to when the NBA begins. However, all of his attention is currently focused on Team USA and their quest to win the FIBA World Cup. He is not usually a person you’d expect to represent the United States in international competition, but the withdrawal […]

With so many high-profile dropouts for Team USA ahead of the 2019 FIBA World Cup, point guard Kemba Walker is the biggest star on the squad. The new Boston Celtics guard isn’t exactly a stranger to the limelight, but he’s still appreciative of all the love he’s receiving as Team USA’s top man. Walker got […]

Team USA faced off against the Czech Republic on Sunday in their first matchup in the group stage of the 2019 FIBA World Cup in China. After defeating the Czechs 88-67, first-time head coach Gregg Popovich brought his patented quick wit with reporters overseas, teasing a member of the media. Answering a question about his impression […]

Following their impressive opening game victory over Montenegro, Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo was asked about the possibility of a second round showdown with Team USA in the 2019 FIBA World Cup. Per EuroHoops, it appears like the Americans are still far away from Giannis’ mind as of the moment. “We don’t think about the […]

Team USA kicked off their FIBA World Cup campaign with an easy victory over the Czech Republic, as the Americans cruised to an 88-67 win in the opener on Sunday. Utah Jazz stud Donovan Mitchell led the way for the Red, White, and Blue, logging a team-high 16 points on a very efficient 7-of-11 shooting, […]

Team USA remains heavy favorite to win the 2019 FIBA World Cup, but Australian center Andrew Bogut thinks they are beatable unlike in previous years. In an interview with Marc Stein of the New York Times, Bogut admits that in the past tournaments, Australia was resigned to the fact that they were not going to […]

Though they might be fierce competitors on the court next season in the NBA, Marcus Smart and Joe Harris of Team USA have become fast friends during the buildup to the FIBA World Cup. Smart, who is the team’s de facto captain and a generally lovable personality in the NBA, claimed to be Harris’s “alter […]

Sacramento Kings forward Harrison Barnes wants Team USA to play with “appropriate fear” in the FIBA World Cup in China. Team USA will be missing the services of it’s top stars after a slew of withdrawals over the summer. Barnes understands the tough task at hand and wants his teammates to always be ready for […]

For Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner, playing for Team USA under first-time head coach Gregg Popovich can be boiled down to one idea: defense. The 23-year-old former lottery selection for the Pacers is competing in the 2019 FIBA World Cup in China. It’s Turner’s first trip to an international competition with Team USA following his […]

Sacramento Kings forward Harrison Barnes warns Team USA not to lose focus as they begin their title defense in the 2019 FIBA World Cup in China. Barnes, who re-signed with the Kings in the offseason, previously competed and won gold with USA Basketball in the 2016 Rio Olympics. Now, however, there are concerns over Team […]

Despite the lack of time playing together, Team USA head coach Gregg Popovich believes his players have built a rapport with each other. Per Brian Windhorst of ESPN, Popovich says the players have already gotten close, which he believes will be beneficial in their FIBA World Cup run in China. “They’ve become close in a […]

Boston Celtics point guard Kemba Walker says Team USA has “great chemistry” on and off the court. During their first night in China, members of Team USA went out for dinner. Walker, who signed a $140 million contract with the Celtics this summer, picked up the tab. “We have great chemistry, I think. We’re getting […]

The USA men’s basketball team is in China to compete in the 2019 FIBA World Cup. While first-time head coach Gregg Popovich reckons with the losses of big names dropping out of the Team USA roster, he has time to fraternize with his players — including a friendly game of “Heads Up!” at dinner. Originally […]

Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart says “defense” will be the key for Team USA to win gold at the FIBA World Cup in China. Smart, one of the best defenders in the NBA, says Team USA has to play high-level defense since it lacks superstar scorers. “We don’t have guys like Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony […]

Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner is having fun at Team USA training camp. While the team was winding down after practice, Turner casually nailed a full-court shot to the delight of his nearby teammates. It appears as if he did it in one take, too: Myles Turner made this look too easy 🎯 (via @NBA) […]

The 2004 Olympics was one of the biggest embarrassments in Team USA’s otherwise golden history. From 1992 to 2016, the team has won the gold medal in six out of seven chances. The lone bronze came in 2004. To avenge the loss in Greece, the United States sent a group of it’s best players to […]

The media has been in a frenzy over the Team USA dropouts all season. Star players have either decided to pass on playing for the national team or left during the interim process, with the latest big name to drop being Kyle Kuzma. While the team assembled is still full of quality players, there have […]

At the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Team USA was looking to carry on their long-standing tradition of claiming gold medals. However, the American side was only able to manage a bronze finish. Several factors played into this outcome, including what LeBron James labeled a lack of discipline. Via ESPN: LeBron James, 2004 Team USA forward: […]