Rumors

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.

HoopsHype

"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."

YouTube

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.

NBA.com

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.

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Gilgeous-Alexander unpacks the moments in his mind, deciding for himself whether there’s a through line on the logic. His answer comes with the same sort of self-awareness that was so apparent that day inside Bercy Arena in Paris. “Yeah, absolutely,” Gilgeous-Alexander, whose Thunder (63-12) have won 10 consecutive games and 16 of their last 17, told The Athletic. “In that instance, I’m thinking like, ‘We’re a bunch of NBA players (on Team Canada). We’re supposed to be in the Olympics. We’re supposed to medal.’ I don’t think anything of it. I think I’m gonna be back here in four years in L.A. But knock on wood, I could be injured and not be in the Olympics, and then four years from then, I could be out of my prime, and there’s someone better than me, and I never get a chance to go to Olympics again.

New York Times

“It’s a terrible feeling, obviously,” Gilgeous-Alexander said to his basketball brothers while sitting at his locker, as captured in Netflix’s “Court of Gold” documentary about the men’s basketball tournament in Paris. “I think for me, personally, I might have overlooked the opportunity a little bit. Like, once the game was over, I realized it’s another four years until we get this opportunity (again). That’s a long f—ing time. So for me, and I’d advise the rest of you, to remember what this feels like.”

New York Times

“I think losing that game (to France) really showed me like, ‘Now I have to wait another four years for this.’ (And) that showed me like, you don’t ever want to take things for granted, because nothing in life is promised. Like (Thunder) coach (Mark Daigneault) said a couple weeks ago, this group that we have today could be the best group of players I ever play with. You think, ‘Oh, we’re all 25 or under, so we have a whole runway in front of us.’ But you never know what happens.” As Gilgeous-Alexander explained, the spirit of that last statement has many layers to it. There’s the elephant-in-the-room historical context, as the Thunder know as well as any organization that the runway isn’t always as long as it might appear for teams with dynamic young cores. Their famed trio of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden famously led an NBA Finals run in 2012, only for Harden to be traded to the Houston Rockets before the following season. Durant and Westbrook couldn’t bring the Thunder back to that finals peak.

New York Times

According to men’s team general manager Rowan Barrett, the chief criteria for the incoming head coach is international experience and success. “We believe our team will be ready to go for the podium in the LA 2028 Olympic Games 2028,” Barrett said, via text. “And that we are first looking for coaches that have experience winning medals at the World Cup or the Olympics … there (has) been interest candidates from all over the world.” While Canada Basketball wouldn’t offer any further comment on their process, multiple sources have suggested that Gord Herbert is the leading candidate for the men’s team.

SportsNet

Gary Payton: So, I’m going to tell you how this went. In '96, I made First Team All-NBA. I made First Team All-Defense. I was on the Olympic team. We won a gold medal. I got the first contract for a point guard to be the highest-paid ever—they gave me $92 million. For the first time. For the first time—92! I won Defensive Player of the Year. And then, all of a sudden, everything started rolling in at once. You know what I’m saying? I did all of that in one year. I won almost everything in basketball during that time. I was on every team, every accolade—I was on the All-Star Team, all that. I almost won MVP in the All-Star Game, but they gave it to Mitch Richmond. I lost by one vote on that. My life was on cloud 20. And I made it cloud 20 because I was in the club every night after that. Then, we went to Atlanta for the Olympics, and we were out every night—in the strip club every night—and blowing everybody out. Dream Team 2 was in Atlanta. To make that and do that—that was one of the best things ever.

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Gary Payton: What’s your take? Could Dream Team 2 have beaten Dream Team 1? Absolutely. They were older, come on, man! And then we took six of their Dream Team 1 guys and put them on our team. But y’all gotta understand—DC and them were the ones who went to the qualifying tournament and didn’t make the final Dream Team 2 roster. You remember that? Him, Shawn Kemp, and all of them—they got taken off. Because, you know, they started acting up, acting crazy. So they put us on there.

YouTube

Me, personally, I know you love just playing basketball. Is there a chance you go get five Olympic gold medals in L.A.? Kevin Durant: Yeah, there is. There’s a chance. There’s a chance. My thing has always been—I want to still be playing at this level when that time comes. I don’t want that "OG, man, just come be one of the guys; we need your presence" type of role. Nah, I want to hoop. If I go out there, I want to be counted on to play minutes, you know what I mean? You need me to knock down shots and help the team.

YouTube

NBA TV: Grant Hill: "Make sure you guys answer your phone in 4 years [for Team USA at the 2028 Olympics]!" Kevin Durant & Devin Booker: "I'm there!" 👀

x.com

Jokić has been a more willing 3-point shooter this season. His volume — 4.6 attempts per game — is, by far, the highest of his career. If the numbers hold anywhere close to where they currently are, it could represent one of the greatest achievements of his career. “What we like is that he’s taking less energy to shoot the ball,” Stojaković said. “He’s shooting the ball closer to his body. After the Olympic games, we realized that we needed to clean up his mechanics. He shoots it better now. It’s a cleaner shot, and it’s more confident.”

New York Times

Ultimately, Jokić wanted to become more difficult to guard, to keep adding to his game as all the great ones over the course of NBA history have. With Jokić now less than two months from his 30th birthday, longevity has become a focal point to him and those close to him. “Once he came to me before the season, we talked about his shot and what we could do with it,” Stojaković told The Athletic. “We decided to try and put the ball closer to his body and eliminate negative motions. He tried it and felt good about that, and that’s helped a lot. From there, it was about general reps. What we want is for him to be more fresh for the playoffs, and what we are aiming for is longevity.”

New York Times