USA Basketball is expected to begin the 2024 Olympic team selection process before the end of January, according to sources. Joe Vardon of The Athletic. The organization will begin contacting 35 to 40 names on a list of players, most of whom have Olympic or World Cup experience, according to Vardon. According to his sources, the list, which includes some names from the 2023 World Cup squad, will be made public in the coming weeks.
General manager Grant Hill and coach Steve Kerr have indicated that the “player pools” system could be eliminated, meaning invitations will be sent out privately rather than asking established stars to attend tryouts. Vardon notes that last year’s World Cup team was formed this way, but with the NBA’s high interest in being part of Team USA, there could be benefits to maintaining the system pool in place.
With the Nets and Cavaliers in Paris for today’s international game, players are getting questions about possibly returning to town for the Olympics this summer, Vardon adds.
“I’m just waiting to see – if (the invitation) comes, it comes,” said Mikal Bridgeswho played a leading role in the 2023 World Cup squad. “I don’t think I’m dwelling on it too much, because I’m so committed to trying to figure everything out here (with the Nets).”
There is other news from the world of basketball:
- Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today looks at the emergence of Paris as a basketball city due to the upcoming Olympic Games, the impact that Victor Wembanyama what is happening with the NBA and the status of several French players in this year’s draft. In addition, the NBA announced on Wednesday a partnership with the French Basketball League and the LBN which includes a development program for elite prospects.
- Projected top five picks Alexandre Sarr And Nikola Subject are currently sidelined due to injuries, but that shouldn’t affect their draft stock, according to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo. With no clear consensus at the top of this year’s draft, the writers admit that playing as many games as possible would be beneficial, but they point out that Sarr and Topic already have established resumes. They add that there were fears Sarr’s hip injury could mark the end of his NBL career in Australia, but he appears determined to finish the season. “We are winning and my goal is to make the playoffs and go as far as possible,” Sarr said recently. “I’m having fun out there and competing for something. This is the first time in my life that I’ve been in a league where I’m really trying to win something at the end.
- Sarr retains first place in the last fictional project by Givony and Woo (Insider subscription required). The top 5 is completed by the French winger Zacharie RisacherColorado small forward Cody WilliamsBaylor guard Ja’Kobe Walter and Subject.
