USA Basketball Men’s Olympic Team Arrives in Las Vegas
The wait is finally over. After months of planning, the USA Basketball men’s Olympic team has arrived in Las Vegas, ready to take the floor in pursuit of a fifth consecutive gold medal at the Paris Games later this month.
The USA Basketball men’s Olympic team has arrived in Las Vegas for their training camp.
The team’s coach, Steve Kerr, has a message for his players, inspired by a quote from Kobe Bryant: “If everyone else is getting better, then the U.S. better find ways to do the same.” This attitude is crucial as the team prepares to face stiff competition from around the world.
The First Practice: A New Beginning
The first practice is scheduled for Saturday, marking the start of a four-day training camp before the team’s exhibition opener against Canada on Wednesday. The 12 players, including Stephen Curry, who was the first to check in for camp, have all known each other for years, but the task of becoming a cohesive unit starts now.
“I feel like it starts when it gets there, because that’s when you really see each other eye-to-eye,” said Bam Adebayo, who is seeking his second gold medal after winning one at the Tokyo Games three years ago. “You have those conversations, you have those many conversations within what we’re going through, what we’re trying to do. And that’s when it’s time to really be honest about what we want to do.”
The Goal: Win Gold
The goal is clear: win gold. But the how-to-do-it part is the key. The team is determined to learn from past mistakes, including a humbling World Cup experience last year, where the Americans finished fourth.
Tyrese Haliburton and Anthony Edwards, who were part of that World Cup team, are back for the Olympics, and they’re determined to make a difference. “Obviously, last year we didn’t do what we wanted to do,” Haliburton said. “And that was frustrating because any time you get to represent USA Basketball, the expectation is to win. And we weren’t able to do that.”
This team is different, with a mix of experienced players like LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Jayson Tatum, and newcomers like Curry, Kawhi Leonard, and Joel Embiid. The challenge is to find the right combinations that click, and to get all 12 players to fully commit to the goal of winning a gold medal.
The Road to Paris
The team will play exhibition games against Canada, Australia, and Serbia before the Paris Games start on July 28. The Americans will face Serbia in their opening game, followed by matches against South Sudan and the winner of Sunday’s qualifier in Puerto Rico.
“We’ve got 39 days or so to get locked in to go get this gold medal, 12 amazing, talented guys ready to come together for one goal,” Curry said when he arrived to check in for camp. “I’m hyped for it all.”
The USA Basketball men’s Olympic team is ready to take on the world.
