USA Basketball Unveils the 2016 Olympic Team

2016 US Olympic Men's Basketball Team Finalists

2016 US Olympic Men’s Basketball Team Finalists

The USA has a lot to be proud of when it comes to our history with Olympic Medals for basketball. In 17 Olympics, the American men have never come home without a medal, including 17 gold medals, one silver medal, and two bronze medals. With a truly impressive 130-5 (.963 winning percentage), the USA men hold an all-time record in Olympic action. Today, June 27, USA Basketball finally released the 12 man roster for the official 2016 US Olympic Men’s Basketball Team.

Top players like Lebron James and Stephen Curry dropped out following injuries and a lot of minutes played in the NBA playoffs, leaving fans worried for our prospects in Rio De Janeiro this summer. The release of the final roster comes as a relief, and fans everywhere will be excited to see that even without James and Curry, this formidable team is jam-packed with talent and well positioned to defend its title following America’s 2012 gold medal victory in London. If they bring home another gold, it will be the USA’s third consecutive Olympic title. This exciting roster is currently pending final approval by the United States Olympic Committee.

At long last, here’s the official team that will be representing us this summer:

Carmelo Anthony, F, New York Knicks
Harrison Barnes, F, Golden Warriors
Jimmy Butler, G, Chicago Bulls
DeMarcus Cousins, F, Sacramento Kings
DeMar DeRozan, G, Toronto Raptors
Kevin Durant, F, Oklahoma City Thunder
Paul George, F, Indiana Pacers
Draymond Green, F, Golden State Warriors
Kyrie Irving, G, Cleveland Cavaliers
DeAndre Jordan, F, Los Angeles Clippers
Kyle Lowry, G, Toronto Raptors
Klay Thompson, G, Golden State Warriors

Perhaps the team’s greatest strength is it’s immediately evident balance and depth. USA is in a strong position with an impressive mix of some of the best scorers and shooters, a daunting defence, big men, past gold medal winners, and promising youth.

For those who can’t wait, the U.S. team will be playing five exhibition games, the first two versus China, the 2015 FIBA Asia zone champ in July 2016 in California. Continuing the tour, you can watch the U.S. play 2015 FIBA Americas gold medalist Venezuela in Chicago and 2015 FIBA Africa zone champion Nigeria in Houston. To get your tickets for the USA Basketball Showcase exhibition now, visit usab.com/showcase.

You can also read the official NBA press release here.

March Madness 2016

Last night was selection Sunday, the most anticipated night in NCAA Division I men’s College Basketball. It is when the basketball committee reveals which 68 teams have made the field to compete for the National Championship. It is a big event as it was televised on both NCAA.com and CBS. This year they made the show a two hour broadcast with more of an in depth look of how the college basketball analysts think the teams will do. Now with every team knowing where they will be playing this Thursday or Friday, the team’s best players will look to rally the team together and make a run deep into March. Below you will find the top 4 players heading into the NCAA tournament.

Buddy Hield – Oklahoma

Coming in at number one, is no other than the front-runner for the National Player of the Year award, Buddy Hield. Hield is one of the most exciting players to watch in college basketball. The Senior guard ranks second in the nation with 25 points per game, and has been the main reason why Oklahoma has enjoyed so much success this season. Hield has eclipsed the 20-point barrier in 22 of the Sooners’ 30 regular-season games and reached 30 points nine times. Oklahoma has not reached the Final Four since 2002, so you get bet that Hield will do everything in his power to get them there in his final season.

Denzel Valentine – Michigan State

Another Senior standout, Denzel Valentine,  is also in the running for National Player of the Year. The 6 foot 5 guard is the first player to average more than 19 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. An impressive stat line to say the least. Valentine’s leadership has also been key for the Spartans fantastic run this season. All of the players admire Valentine’s hard work and energy he brings each and every game. The Spartans will be a tough out once the tournament kicks off, especially with Valentine leading the way.

Kris Dunn- Providence

The talented star out of Providence has been extremely impressive this season and he looks to take the Friars deep into March.  Dunn is a versatile players, as he can score and defend very well. He ranks fourth in the nation in steals with 2 steals game and he also averages 16 points, 5.5 rebounds and 6.4 assists per contest. He and the Friars will be force to reckon with come Thursday.

Tyler Ulis- Kentucky

Ulis is arguably the best point guard in college basketball. With Ulis leading the way, Kentucky has a shot of getting back to the Final Four for the fifth time in the past six years. The 5 foot 9 first team All-American is having one of best seasons in Kentucky basketball history. He ranks sixth in the nation in assists per game with 7.2 and averages 16.8 per contest. Ulis has been dominant down the stretch, especially in the SEC tournament where he led Kentucky to a SEC tournament title and took home the SEC Tournament MVP. All I have to say is watch out for Ulis and the Wildcats!