Wizards star Bradley Beal was among the 44 players named as finalists Monday for Team USA’s roster for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
USA Basketball announced the list, which included stars like LeBron James, Steph Curry, James Harden, Anthony Davis, Kevin Durant, Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook. The final roster will be narrowed down to 12 by early June.
Beal, 26, has previous experience on the world stage, but has not competed in the Olympics. He was invited to Team USA’s training camp last summer for the FIBA World Cup, but declined the invitation due to the birth of his son.
The pool includes nine players who won the gold medal for USA Basketball in Rio de Janeiro four years ago.
Beal will not have to try out for the team as USA Basketball will select the final roster by using a selection committee. Training camp will then start in early July with the Olympics set to begin July 24.
For the Wizards this season, Beal is having a career year, averaging 29.1 points and 6.3 assists per game. Though he was not named an All-Star, he ranks fifth in scoring and has the third-most 40-point games this year with seven.
In the last international tournament, the U.S. finished a disappointing seventh at the FIBA World Cup in China. Before the tournament, roughly three dozen players, including Beal, dropped out from representing the U.S. — leading to concerns whether Team USA would have trouble filling the spots for the Olympics.
In an interview with The Associated Press, USA basketball managing director Jerry Colangelo said he feels “very good about the response” of players stating they intend to play in the Olympics if named to the final roster. Colangelo was convinced all 44 finalists have the intention of playing, if named to the final roster.
“I’ve always maintained that equity is important,” Colangelo said. “And you earn equity by participating. So, we think they’ve earned the right to be named to the overall roster for USA Basketball. It’s pretty elite. It’s a tremendous pot (of candidates) and the good news is they’ve all said they want to play.”
The U.S. has won gold at the last three Olympics. The last time they failed to do so was in 2004, when Argentina upset them on the way to the finals. Team USA took bronze that year.
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich will coach Team USA in Tokyo.
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
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