While most of the basketball world is focused on the NBA Finals between the Denver Nuggets and the Miami Heat, Team USA is gearing up to win gold at the FIBA World Cup, which will take place later this summer.
Some notable NBA players who have committed to represent Team USA are Minnesota Timberwolves All-Star guard Anthony Edwards, New York Knicks standout Jalen Brunson and Austin Reeves of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Star forwards Brandon Ingram of the New Orleans Pelicans and Jaren Jackson Jr. of the Memphis Grizzlies will also travel to Southeast Asia for the FIBA World Cup, according to Adrian Wojnarowski.
ESPN Source: Two Western Conference All-Star forwards — New Orleans’ Brandon Ingram and Memphis’ Jaren Jackson Jr. — have committed to play for Team USA’s FIBA World Cup squad in the Philippines this summer. USA Basketball plans to finalize the 12-man roster later this month.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 6, 2023
Jackson would give Team USA some size, rebounding and rim protection, not to mention the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year.
Ever since FIBA allowed NBA players to compete in international competition, the United States has largely dominated both the FIBA World Cup and the Olympics in basketball.
However, it fell far short of winning gold at the last FIBA World Cup in 2019, when it lost to France in the quarter-finals.
It seems as though many of the NBA’s best players have been reluctant to commit to Team USA in recent years, possibly because it would mean less rest and more wear and tear during the NBA’s offseason.
Still, Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Jayson Tatum were in Tokyo for the 2021 Olympics, where they led the Americans to their fourth straight gold medal.
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