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The BYU Cougars announced the hiring of longtime NBA assistant Patrick Mutombo on Monday, two months after former assistant Will Voigt left for a similar position at Boise State. Mutombo arrives in Provo after spending the past two years as an assistant coach with USA Basketball.
“They’re crazy not to use our athletes as the U.S. Olympic team in 3-on-3,” Ice Cube told me. “The last two Olympics have been a disaster for USA when it comes to what USA Basketball has been putting together to represent the US. I hope they have a ‘come-to-Jesus moment’ and realize that we have the best 3-on-3 players in the world. It’s not even close. They should use our athletes to represent the U.S., especially on U.S. soil. Will they do that or not? Egos may win and prevail, and the U.S. will suffer because of that.”
USA Basketball today announced the 12-man roster and coaching staff for the August 2026 USA Men’s World Cup Qualifying Window 4 Team, which will play at Chile and host Colombia on Aug. 27 and Aug. 31, respectively. The 12 athletes have professional experience in the NBA, NBA G League and internationally with eight players having prior USA Basketball experience. The August 2026 USA Men’s World Cup Qualifying Team includes Jaron Blossomgame, Pedro Bradshaw, Garrison Brooks, Darius Brown, Kevon Harris, Mike James, DeJon Jarreau, Dillon Jones, James Nunnally, Orlando Robinson, Tyler Smith and Cole Swider.
Former NBA head coach Terry Stotts will be at the helm, serving his first coaching assignment for USA Basketball. He will be assisted by Clay Moser and Marlon Garnett, who assisted in Windows 1-3. Jonathan Yim, who brings NBA, NBA G League, NCAA and international coaching experience, will make his USA Basketball debut as a scout.
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2028 Draft: It's not out of the question that Joaquim Boumtje-Boumtje can reach the level of predecessors Cooper Flagg or Cameron Boozer in terms of college impact. Some scouts view him as that caliber of talent, although he will arrive at Duke a year earlier and can't be held to the same standard right away. The dearth of elite bigs coming up through the domestic ranks makes Boumtje-Boumtje's arrival all the more notable -- not just for the future of the NBA, but quite possibly for USA Basketball, which will have to contend with Victor Wembanyama over the next decade-plus. Boumtje-Boumtje looks like the clear front-runner for No. 1 two years from now. How he adjusts to college at 17 years old will be fascinating, but expect him to be a quick study.
The 2016-17 Warriors might be the greatest team of all time, but Kevin Durant believes the 2026-27 76ers are as good on paper. Durant implied that's what he thought during a USA Basketball event on Sunday, and he doubled down on Monday when replying to a fan on Instagram who said the two teams "ain't close." "Ain’t close lmao," Durant replied. "Joel, mvp recently. Jaylen brown, recent finals mvp, Tyrese Maxey, all star the last 3 years. We all know what bron does. Klay Thompson, never a mvp candidate in nothing, 22ppg. Draymond, 14ppg 7 rebounds 6 assist, Steph a mvp just like Joel was. I don’t get how the warriors team is better on paper."
Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant said Saturday that LeBron James and the new-look Philadelphia 76ers have the offensive firepower to compete for the 2027 NBA championship. What's more, Durant evoked his two Golden State Warriors championship teams, which also featured Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, when praising the combined scoring prowess of Philadelphia's James, Jaylen Brown, Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. "The last time they put three 20-point scorers on a team, they said it was unfair, which was the [Warriors] team I was on," Durant said at a USA Basketball event Saturday. "[The 76ers] have got four 25-point scorers on this team. So, hell yeah, I think they're going to be a contender. They're going to be a fun team to watch. It's going to be League Pass-worthy."
Durant and James won gold medals as teammates in the 2012 London and 2024 Paris Olympics. "It's really on [USA Basketball managing director] Grant Hill and what Team USA wants to do," Durant said. "I stay on top of my game and hopefully I get that call, but there's so many great players who deserve to be on the team."
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WNBA free agency this year had the makings of a high-octane, drama-filled blockbuster. Instead, it’s shaping up to be nothing more than a blip. More than 100 players are set to become free agents as a result of most veterans signing contracts that expired following the 2025 season in anticipation of a new collective bargaining agreement. But after CBA negotiations carried on for more than 15 months, ultimately leading to a deal being reached in March, free agency was put on hold. Now, the league’s 15 general managers will have no more than two weeks to fill out their rosters, with free agency dates still not set by the league and training camp opening on April 19. “A lot of decisions will have to be done relatively quickly,” New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu said. “I think GMs have been working for a really long time, though.” Teams can’t officially negotiate with free agents yet. Players, meanwhile, have had less to say when it comes to their recruitment efforts. “I don’t know if I can answer that,” Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers said when asked about her efforts to woo impending free agents at USA Basketball camp. “But I’m friendly with everyone.”
Celtics stars Jayson Tatum, Derrick White and Jrue Holiday had a chance to chat with Tom Brady at USA Basketball’s 50th anniversary party Monday. White said he had never met the Patriots legend. “That was dope,” White said. “He’s obviously the GOAT and I was pretty excited to see him. He congratulated us [on the NBA championship] and we talked a little bit about the parade and how it compared to theirs.” So, how were Celtics and Patriots duck boat festivities different? “Ours was warmer,” White said, smiling.
During the game between Team USA and Brazil for the Olympic Games quarterfinals, Kevin Durant became the all-time leading scorer in USA Basketball’s Olympic history, passing Hall of Famer Lisa Leslie. “Records are meant to be broken,” Durant said. He finished with 11 points as USA won 122 – 87. “So it’s going to come along.”
