Leonard completes Team USA'S 12-man roster
Lebron James plans to go back to the Olympics. Stephen Curry is planning on going for the first time. Kevin Durant will go there with his eye on history.
And they’re just part of a starstudded roster the Americans have assembled for the Paris Games. USA Basketball has gotten confirmations from 12 players — James, Curry, Durant, Bam Adebayo, Devin Booker, Joel Embiid, Jayson Tatum, Anthony Davis, Jrue Holiday, Tyrese Haliburton, Anthony Edwards and Kawhi Leonard — that they will accept invitations to be on the Olympic roster, three people with knowledge of the decisions said. That group includes seven previous gold medalists.
The people spoke on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press because it was believed USA Basketball was planning to release the names on Wednesday, April 17. Leonard — a finalist for each of the last two Olympic teams — was the last piece of the roster puzzle to be finalized, one of the people said.
The amount of talent on the US roster is staggering. Of the 12 commits, seven finished the season ranked among the NBA’S top 15 scorers per game. James is the league’s all-time scoring leader, Curry the all-time leader in 3-pointers, Haliburton won the assist-per-game title this season and 10 were All-stars this season as well.
Durant has said since last year that he plans to play, which means he will pursue becoming the first men’s player in Olympic history with four basketball gold medals. He and Carmelo Anthony are the only men’s players with three Olympic golds; there are six women, all American, with at least four Olympic basketball golds. Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi each have five, while Teresa Edwards, Tamika Catchings, Sylvia Fowles and Lisa Leslie each won four.