Team USA Articles - Page 37

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: […]

Aside from winning an NBA title, Allen Iverson pretty much did it all in what was a Hall of Fame career. However, the 44-year-old cited his forgettable 2004 Olympics with Team USA as something that haunts him: “Yeah, [losing] hurt,” Iverson admitted, via ESPN. I mean, ’cause I was a part of it. It always […]

Brooklyn Nets shooting guard Joe Harris is aware of how important USA basketball is to Team USA head coach Gregg Popovich. Popovich, who comes from a military background, is coaching his first FIBA World Cup after taking over for Mike Krzyzewski. “For a number of reasons, but ultimately the way he talks about us having […]

Following a shocking defeat against the Australian national side in an exhibition match last week, some doubt has been creeping in with regards to Team USA’s potential to go all the way and win the gold medal in the upcoming FIBA World Cup tournament. Nevertheless, with the start of the prestigious tournament just days away, […]

Ice Cube is a man with a lot of opinions. A lot of these opinions are strongly worded, but they never come from a place of ignorance. For example, he struggles to understand why Team USA didn’t consider recruiting the player suiting up for BIG3 teams. In a no-holds-barred interview with LA Times’ Arash Markazi, […]

The Boston Celtics trio of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Marcus Smart are highly regarded as one of the best young cores in the NBA, and they will have the opportunity to earn that reputation once again as they will all look to help Team USA win the gold medal in the upcoming FIBA World […]

For the first time in a good while, Team USA will not be coming into the FIBA World Cup as heavy favorites. The lack of notable superstars on the roster puts their chances of winning the competition in question. Gregg Popovich and players such as Myles Turner and Jaylen Brown have work to do. However, […]

Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown expects Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner to make a ‘huge difference’ as Team USA’s defensive anchor in the FIBA World Cup. Brown believes that Turner will not only make an impact on defense, but he’ll also play a key role on the offensive end. The Celtics rising star thinks Turner’s […]

Team USA big man Brook Lopez, of the Milwaukee Bucks, is still overwhelmed by the support he received from the fans in Australia. The US men’s national basketball team had three exhibition games in Australia, which concluded with an 84-68 victory against Canada in Sydney on August 26. During that game, fans were cheering for […]

For Boston Celtics rising star Jaylen Brown, Team USA is ‘nowhere near’ its peak despite winning convincingly against Canada. Brown admits that he and his teammates need to put it some more work for them to co-exist perfectly. It will be tough, but he believes they’ll get there sooner than later. “I think we are […]

Boston Celtics point guard Kemba Walker says Team USA’s exhibition loss to Australia was “very humbling.” Even though the loss didn’t count since it was an exhibition game, Walker and the rest of his Team USA teammates took the defeat very seriously. “No question. It was very humbling. I think it just gave us a […]

Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart has made it to the 12-man line-up of Team USA for the FIBA World Cup in China; however, not so long ago, he thought about withdrawing from the national team because of his calf injury. Smart suffered a minor calf injury during Team USA’s mini-camp, forcing him to miss the […]

De’Aaron Fox was the talk of USA Basketball’s training camp, being promoted from the Select Team to the national roster shortly after practices began in Las Vegas. After showing out in a televised scrimmage a week later, it seemed only a matter of time until the Sacramento Kings point guard was named as one of […]

Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart recently opened up about his wonderful experience as part of Team USA. Speaking to SiriusXM NBA Radio after Monday’s win over Canada, Smart shared how his stint with the national side has been a great learning experience for him (via NBA analyst Keith Smith): “It’s been great,” he said. “I’m […]

Milwaukee Bucks big man Brook Lopez is currently spending his summer suited up for Team USA in the FIBA World Cup. He is playing for a team that hoops fans consider to be weaker than their usual delegations. While there are questions as to whether Lopez and his teammates will be able to win the […]

After a shocking loss to Australia, Team USA performed better in Monday’s exhibition tilt against Canada ahead of the FIBA World Cup. Boston Celtics youngster Jaylen Brown led the way with 19 points in an 84-68 victory, a game in the Americans’ control throughout. While Brown was terrific, there were several other highlight-reel plays, including […]

Team USA rebounded from its stunning loss to the Australians to defeat Team Canada 84-68 in a final tune-up before the 2019 FIBA World Cup begins later this week in China. USA Basketball jumped all over Canada in the first quarter, running out to a 20-9 lead after the opening frame. The Canadians made a […]

Toronto Raptors center Marc Gasol doesn’t feel bad for Team USA despite the absence of their top players. In an interview with ESPN, Gasol — who’s representing Spain in the FIBA World Cup — shared that other countries are also missing players for the FIBA World Cup in China. For one, Spain will be without […]

Team USA won their first two exhibition matches before suffering a stunning defeat at the hands of Australia on Saturday, and according to Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell, it made them realize that the upcoming FIBA World Cup is going to be really tough. “The main thing we learned is that this is a dogfight” […]

USA Basketball head coach Gregg Popovich admits he feels bad for not getting the chance to include Los Angeles Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma in the final roster for the 2019 FIBA World Cup. Kuzma had a great chance to make the Team USA roster for the world championship in China, but the 24-year-old forward suffered […]

Team USA will face Canada in their final exhibition game before heading to China for the FIBA World Cup, and head coach Gregg Popovich acknowledges that the Canadians won’t give them an easy time. In an interview with FOX Sports Australia, coach Pop said that speed and ball movement are the key strengths of Canada, […]

After losing to Australia, Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum warns Team USA not to take their final tune-up game against Canada lightly. The match against Canada will be USA Basketball’s last exhibition match before heading to China for the FIBA World Cup. And with the final roster set, fans will finally get a glimpse of […]

It only gets more difficult from here on out for Team USA. USA Basketball’s bid for the 2019 FIBA World Cup gold medal in China hit a speed bump as five-time NBA champion San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich’s patriotic squad split a pair of pre-World Cup exhibition games with Australia on the Boomers’ […]

Los Angeles Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma is unhappy he had to withdraw from Team USA’s 2019 FIBA World Cup team this week following an untimely ankle injury. Kuzma, 24, tweeted on Sunday morning that it’s a “bummer” he couldn’t finish his time this summer with Team USA, but he’s not worried about them moving forward. […]

A day after Australian guard Patty Mills lit up Team USA with 30 points, Team USA coach Gregg Popovich isn’t done joking around with his San Antonio Spurs guard. Moments after the Australians defeated the Americans on Saturday, Popovich called Mills a “pain in the a**”. Today, when asked again about Mills’ performance, he joked […]

Team Australia broke Team USA’s 78-game winning streak in major international competition with a 98-94 victory in their exhibition match on Saturday. The 52,019 fans who filled Marvel Stadium in Melbourne went bonkers throughout the last few minutes as Australia made a run to close out the Americans. Likewise, the Boomers were fired up after […]

Team Australia stunned Team USA on Saturday, snapping their 78-game winning streak in international competition with a 98-94 victory in their exhibition game on Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium. Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell downplayed the loss, saying that the loss really mean anything in the grand scheme of things. “To be honest, this game doesn’t mean […]

Team USA lost its first game in nearly 13 years on Friday night. In the aftermath of its hard-fought defeat at the hands of Australia, though, the Americans are keeping their big-picture goal of a third consecutive gold medal at the FIBA World Cup in focus. De facto Team USA captain Kemba Walker put his […]