On the eve of the Tokyo Olympics, the United States men’s basketball team has been enduring a turbulent stretch as some of the NBA’s best players prepare to go for gold. Following exhibition losses to Nigeria and Australia, Team USA is now being forced to make last-minute roster changes due to health and injury concerns.
Wizards star Bradley Beal and Detroit’s Jerami Grant entered into health and safety protocol this week, and Beal will not return to the team. Team USA will also be without big man Kevin Love, who withdrew from the squad due to a lingering calf issue that limited him during the season.
As reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, three-time NBA champion JaVale McGee and Keldon Johnson, who just completed his second season with the Spurs, will replace Beal and Love.
The new-look 12-man roster is as follows:
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Kevin Durant
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Draymond Green
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Zach LaVine
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Damian Lillard
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Jayson Tatum
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Bam Adebayo
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Devin Booker
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Khris Middleton
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Jrue Holiday
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Jerami Grant
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Keldon Johnson
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JaVale McGee
Here’s what fans are saying about the new additions to Team USA:
https://twitter.com/theScoreBet/status/1416080617717080065 https://twitter.com/TheSteinLine/status/1416080275813982208
https://twitter.com/SeanYoo/status/1416079324076077059 https://twitter.com/HoopsReference/status/1416084456109187078 https://twitter.com/rodger/status/1416080422723891200
https://twitter.com/TheTraeYoung/status/1415799662804709386?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1415799662804709386%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fnypost.com%2F2021%2F07%2F16%2Ftrae-young-hints-at-team-usa-snub-with-last-dance-tweet%2F https://twitter.com/GoodmanHoops/status/1416052797276102664 https://twitter.com/RGIII/status/1416069516430352384
https://twitter.com/ringernba/status/1416079444712689664 https://twitter.com/Fleish_/status/1416084183420702722
https://twitter.com/sabreenajm/status/1416088100569186308 https://twitter.com/Sladek7/status/1416085678790569984
https://twitter.com/JasmineLWatkins/status/1416079244644470784 https://twitter.com/HeatvsHaters/status/1416078637238034434
https://twitter.com/UptownDC_Rich/status/1415776892389576711 https://twitter.com/clarencehilljr/status/1416087771995910156
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