Although the game between Team USA and Australian Boomers were witnessed by more than 50,000 fans at the Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, a significant amount of people were disappointed because they weren't able to see NBA superstars Stephen Curry and LeBron James, who were part of the promotional materials used for the exhibition matches. Obviously, they are not part of the current US men's national basketball team roster.
Fortunately, the organizers of these exhibition games have decided to issue refunds to the fans who were expecting to see Bron and Steph, according to a report by Justin Bergman (via NBA.com).
Despite the huge crowd, Australian media reported that some fans were issued refunds because they bought tickets based on promotional materials depicting Stephen Curry and LeBron James — who were part of the U.S. player pool when the deal was struck last year to play these games. Neither Curry nor James is on the U.S. roster for the World Cup.
Still, Team USA and the Australian Boomers were able to put on a good show, with the former taking a 102-86 victory against the latter. Kemba Walker led all scorers with 23 points, while Myles Turner put up 15 points and 14 boards for the Americans. Patty Mills and Chris Goulding scored 19 points apiece for the Australians.
Both teams will face each other one more time on August 24. This is still a part of their preparation for the FIBA World Cup, which will take place in China from August 31-September 15.
As for LeBron and Steph, they might play for the US men's national basketball team in the Olympics, which will be held in Tokyo, Japan on 2020.
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