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Then there are those with the dream of becoming part of Team USA. Ja Morant, who has surfaced as a potential Heat trade target, has been linked with such interest. With the L.A. Games two years away, others figure to try to bend Erik Spoelstra’s ear, catch his eye. “There’s still time, so I haven’t really sensed anybody lobbying,” Spoelstra said. “I haven’t talked to any potential guys yet.”
Along the way, when asked this season of his eventual Olympic job, Spoelstra had made clear that USA Basketball Managing Director Grant Hill and Team Director Sean Ford are keeping him up to speed, while also respectful of his day job. “Right now, there’s not a whole lot of action going on,” Spoelstra said. “I’ve kept in touch with both Grant Hill and Sean Ford, and we met up probably two months ago. But it was more general talks of two summers from now and scheduling, and what that’ll look like. We’ll probably get together in some fashion this summer for a little bit more extended time. I don’t know if we’ll do anything with players, but certainly we’ll meet. “I love the whole process, so of course when we play and compete against teams, there’s players that will come to mind. But I’m not sweating that right now. That’s really for Grant. It’ll be a collaborative effort. But there’s plenty of time for that.”
“It’s one of the greatest games I’ve ever played in,” James said while reflecting on his relationship with Jokic. “I’ve played in a lot of great games. NBA Finals games. Olympic games. High school games. Regular season games. That ranks right up there as one of the greatest games I’ve ever played in. I’ll never forget that moment.”
The 2004 Argentina squad was the peak of that country’s golden basketball generation. Led by Manu Ginobili, Luis Scola and Sanchez, they were the first team to beat Team USA in international play two years earlier at the FIBA World Championship in Indianapolis. That was brushed aside as a lesser tournament. But beating USA in the Olympics was a historic moment, for both Argentina and international basketball. Pepe Sanchez, who played collegiately for John Chaney at Temple and briefly in the NBA, is frustrated that it seems to be forgotten. “Just because we are a small-population country, I guess we are being overlooked,” he said. “If we were Americans, we would be in the Hall of Fame.” Symbolically, Argentina winning gold in 2004 was a basketball parallel to the Miracle on Ice in 1980 without the same geopolitical undercurrent.
Argentina did, and the result was a gold medal. But the impact stretched well beyond the South American country’s borders. It spurred further development around the world, including the United States. “They called them the Redeem Team. What were they redeeming themselves from?” Sanchez asked rhetorically. Hall of Famer Larry Brown, the USA coach in 2004 agreed with Sanchez. “Basketball has been getting better around the world because of what the Dream Team did in ’92,” Brown said after the tournament. “Rather than knocking our guys, we should give credit to the guys who won.”
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Stephen Curry: A year ago, today. We did that! Loved hooping with my guys, representing our country, and bringing home the 🥇. Memories for a lifetime. Avengers forever. #nuitnuit LeBron James: Yessir!!!!! 🫡👑💪🏾
In front of the camera, Yabusele relives every moment of that historic game. From behind-the-scenes prep and the team bus ride, to the move that changed his life: a thunderous dunk over LeBron James. One year later, now signed with the Knicks and propelled to global stardom, he opens up like never before about the moment that marked a turning point in his career. “The fact that this was the final of the Olympics, the fact that it was LeBron, the fact that he blocked me a couple of actions before that, and he was talking a little bit, all this makes it even better now”, admits Yabusele.
Derrick White on Kevin Durant: “Olympic KD is so cold. Before, I told people — imagine running as fast as you can, jumping as high as you can, reaching as high as possible, and not being close to the ball. That’s every KD jumper. I’ve always wanted to block his shot — never have. At the Olympics, he was hurt at first, rehabbing. Practiced the day before the Serbia game, knocking off rust. Then comes in as sixth man KD — unbelievable. Hit a fall-away at the halftime buzzer — I told him, you’re one of the coldest ever. In close games, we’d just give KD the ball up top — whatever shot he wants. He’s a hooper 24/7. First thing he asked me was why I wasn’t practicing. I said they’re taking me slow. He’s like, you’re a hooper — just go hoop. Simple. He loves the game. There’s nothing you can do when he’s in that mode."
Derrick White on United States opening ceremony at Olympics: ‘We’re on the boat a while before it even takes off. It starts raining, I grab the poncho. Then I see people going to the front where LeBron and Coco are. I’m like, nice spot. They tell me to move because they’re flag bearers. I end up next to a big sign with French writing. I duck under it and see it says ‘United States of America.’ I think, they don’t need this — it’s obvious it’s us. Sabrina’s next to me saying, ‘You’re fine.’ I’m having a great time. After, my phone’s blowing up — people saying there’s no way I stood in front of that sign. The poncho was lit up around my head. Someone even photoshopped me out so it said USA. We laughed as a team. I wasn’t trying to be there, but I had a great spot for the opening ceremonies of the Olympics."
Derrick White: “The night we won the championship was the first time I said something about the Olympics. We were in the playoffs when I saw a tweet saying if Kawhi couldn’t go, I might be a possibility. My agent didn’t bring it up — we were focused on the playoffs. Then we won. I was in the hallway like, ‘Mike, am I going to the Olympics?’ He’s like, we’ll see. In that moment, I was like, I’m going. But then I didn’t hear anything. They said Kawhi was at training camp in Vegas, so I thought I wasn’t going. I moved on. Then, later, USA called. I had to go. Missed our huge 30th birthday trip to Mexico. They had a life-size cutout of me at the party. I paid for the whole weekend for everyone, even though I wasn’t there. Wasn’t cheap. But I had to go win a gold."
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Is there a moment that sticks out that you think was your favorite or that you cherish the most? Sergio Rodriguez: Again, it’s tough to choose one, But probably, you know, being in the NBA, winning the three Euroleagues that I had won, playing for Real Madrid, playing for the National Team, Olympic Games of 2012, that we got the silver medal. So there are moments, winning the European Championship and the gold medal at the World Cup in 2006. So there are many moments. And when I see them and reflect on those moments, I feel very grateful.
"The NBA season takes a lot out of him. Every year, we have either it's a European championship, or a World Championship, or the Olympic Games... And there is always a question mark 'Will he play? Is he gonna play for his national team?' There is always a debate. People are very passionate about the best players playing for our national team. It’s a lot of responsibility for him. I get him, I understand that. But he has done so much for our country and then for basketball as a whole. It’s amazing."
Before moving to the NBA, Popovich spent 15 seasons in the collegiate ranks, working as an assistant coach on Hank Egan’s staff at the United States Air Force Academy, from 1973-79, before serving as the head coach for the Pomona-Pitzer Colleges from 1979-88. As the head coach of the USA Basketball Men’s National Team, Popovich led Team USA to the gold medal in the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Cementing your name in the history books. But you didn’t get called to the Olympics, when everybody knows you should have been in the Olympics. How did you feel? Did you feel any type of way? Did you not feel any type of way? Did you say, "It’s cool, I’ll be there next year. I’ll be there next time"? How did you take it? JAYLEN BROWN I’m gonna be honest with y’all. Gillie: Yes, that’s what we want! That’s why we needed you here—complete honesty. JAYLEN BROWN: Man, I had a great summer. I had a blast. I’m doing—I’m making—I’m in music videos, um, you know, I went to Mecca, I’m traveling the world. I mean, because online, you know, people perceive things a certain way. Because I was saying what I said. What I said—I meant what I said about, like, the shoe industry, etc. I meant what I said about, you know, everything. But that didn’t stop me from having a great-ass time this summer. So, like, to be honest, I was in great spirits. It was the best summer of my life, to be honest. So I didn’t miss out—to me. You know, even though it would have been great to be there, you know, amongst the greats—Steph, KD, LeBron, etc.—man, I had a great summer.