With the Olympic basketball competition set to tip off on July 27 , the men ’ s team roster and coaching staff are confirmed . It is now time to begin getting ready for Paris as a unit , as opposed to individual players from competing NBA teams . When describing his role as Managing Director , Hill says it involves “ dealing with people , putting out fires , encouraging , whatever the case may be . But it ’ s exhilarating . It ’ s fun . It ’ s a challenge . It ’ s a chance to compete . It ’ s a chance to be part of a group , part of the team , which is something I ’ ve really done my whole life ,” but , he adds , “ It ’ s hard !”
The official 12-man basketball team for Paris 2024 was announced in April and the final lineup comprises Kevin Durant , LeBron James , Stephen Curry , Bam Adebayo , Devin Booker , Joel Embiid , Jayson Tatum , Anthony Davis , Jrue Holiday , Tyrese Haliburton , Anthony Edwards and Kawhi Leonard . While the roster has nearly 200,000 NBA points , 84 All-Star Game selections and 10 Olympic gold medals between them , according to the Associated Press , the emphasis in the selection process was on the importance of defense .
“ One of the things — and I ’ m certainly mindful in saying this — is that we had an overwhelming amount of our players wanting to be a part of this , and we ’ re so grateful ,” Hill explains when describing the recruiting process . “ It speaks to the legacy of USA Basketball . It speaks to the experience of the Olympics , as plenty of former Olympians want to do this . One of the hard parts is not being able to select everyone , but that ’ s part of leadership — making tough decisions ,” he says . “ We ’ re grateful for everyone , and we ’ re excited , beyond thrilled with the group that we have . And they ’ re excited … not just to represent their country , but to go to Paris and play in the Olympics and pursue a gold medal .”
Of course , the U . S . team roster is very different from what you see on an NBA team , considering that 30 % of the league ’ s players are international and will be representing their home countries . One of the aims of the original 1992 Dream Team at the Barcelona Summer Olympics was to spread the message of basketball globally . “ And you know what ? Mission accomplished ,” Grant laughs . “ That ’ s great for the game , but it makes it tough for us as a team . I don ’ t know if that was the case in ‘ 96 when I played and we won in Atlanta . It was almost a formality that we were going to win ,” he admits . Back then , Hill played with legends of the sport which included Shaquille O ’ Neal , Penny Hardaway , Scottie Pippen and Karl Malone , and the team went undefeated throughout the tournament .
Fortunately , the current USA Basketball roster is stacked with international experience , with players such as Durant and James each having three Olympic Games on their resumes . “ We know we have a collection of incredible talent for this summer . We have seven guys who ’ ve won Olympic gold medals for USA Basketball , and they know very well just how difficult this is ,” Hills says . “ We can ’ t just show up . We have to come , we have to play , we have to compete , we have to have a great deal of respect for our opponents and for the FIBA game … I believe we ’ ll have that appropriate fear and that respect , and we ’ ll come out and compete .”
One well-known name on the 2024 Olympic roster is L . A . Clippers sixtime NBA All-Star Kawhi Leonard . “ He ’ s won championships , although
Charles Barkley , Grant Hill , and Anferenee Hardaway of the USA Men ’ s Basketball Team celebrate winning the gold medal in 1996
Credit : Nathaniel S . Butler / NBAE via Getty Images
not on the FIBA stage , so he ’ s been in big moments , he ’ s played with other great players ,” Hill says of the Clippers small forward , who ’ ll be making his Olympic debut . “ We ’ re excited , we ’ re honored to have him on board . Everyone is on this team for a reason because they provide something that ’ s needed on the FIBA stage or provide multiple things that are needed ,” he says of the overall roster , which will be coached by Golden State Warriors head coach , Steve Kerr . “ We like the versatility of our team . We ’ re going to get a lot of different styles , playing styles that you go against , so we feel like we checked the boxes for everything we ’ ll see as we go on this journey .”
FIBA stands for the International Basketball Federation , the acronym being for the French translation , Fédération internationale de basketball , and Hill explains that compiling a FIBA team is very different from putting together an NBA team . “ Not just in terms of talent , but personalities , blending personalities together . So that ’ s like a puzzle , and you ’ re trying to put the puzzle together and it ’ s an interesting — and certainly at times an exhausting — exercise , but a very fulfilling one , nonetheless . It ’ s more than just , ‘ OK , he ’ s the best , he ’ s the best . Let ’ s do it ,’ but more of , ‘ Let ’ s be the best team ,’ and the best team that we feel will do well against the competition .”
“ It ’ s not always the best players per se , but maybe the best fit , and then whose game sort of translates and really resonates on the FIBA stage ,” he goes on to explain . “ There ’ s a difference between the two games , the FIBA game and the NBA game , so a lot of thought went into that . Obviously to be able to defend , to be able to maintain our sort of identity offensively , the size and strength of some of the teams that we ’ ll face ,” he says . “ So there ’ s certain things I think that you ’ re looking for and I think also , too , recognizing what teams now are real contenders . Maybe they weren ’ t necessarily in that conversation 10 years ago . And so sort of adjusting to who ’ s out there .”
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