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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.”
Between USA Basketball’s outlay and other resources provided by the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee and the State Department, Forbes estimates it cost $15 million to send the American basketball squads to the Olympics, an astronomical figure compared with other sports.
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At USA Basketball’s 50th anniversary party Tuesday night, Obama, whose attendance was a surprise to most in the room, opened his message by telling the audience that there is no bigger basketball fan in the world than him. He talked about the importance of uniting the country and showing the world what America is capable of at its best. “I’m pretty confident that they’re going to be bringing back the gold and representing us the way we should be represented around the world," Obama said.
Jayson Tatum: "My first practice today at USA Basketball, one of the coaches came up to me and said that they were so impressed by my willingness to dominate in all areas, even on nights I wasn't shooting well. Hearing that meant a lot. Seeing that growth from early in my career when I would shut down if I had an off shooting night."
Boylen, an assistant coach with the Indiana Pacers, has been selected as USA Basketball’s coach of the year for his work leading the men’s World Cup qualifying teams — groups of primarily G League players who were selected to play in two-game windows. The Americans went 9-3 in those six qualifying windows, with Boylen coaching essentially six different teams between November 2021 and last February. “I get this award, this recognition, but I wasn’t the only guy in the trenches, you know,” Boylen said in an interview this weekend about the award. “And that’s what I thought about when I heard about this. It was an unbelievable honor. I’m so thankful, I’m so grateful, all those things. But it was a lot of people involved with this.”
Ben Golliver: USA Basketball’s Jerry Colangelo was holding back tears while praising Kevin Durant for leading gold medal win over France at 2020 Tokyo Olympics. He added: “The last [gold medal] is always the best one. … I want a glass of champagne.”
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“USA Basketball is proud to expand its partnership with MGM Resorts. We’re excited to bring our national teams to their properties as we prepare for the challenging competition that lies ahead this summer,” USA Basketball CEO Jim Tooley said in a statement. “Training camps are such an important foundation for our preparation and having such a strong commitment from MGM positions us for great success.”
On top of all that, Olympic organizers in Japan are proceeding as though the COVID-19 vaccine does not exist. There is going to be frequent testing and restrictions on where athletes can go and what they can do when they aren’t playing. And they certainly cannot bring their families to the Games. “That’s not our call, the Japanese government won’t allow it,” said Jim Tooley, chief executive officer for USA Basketball. “So will we do some sort of hybrid program in Vegas (during training camp) for family members.”
Tim Reynolds: Brandon Bass, a veteran of 758 NBA games for six clubs, has been added to USA Basketball's roster for FIBA AmeriCup qualifying games in San Juan next week. He's one of eight players with NBA experience on the U.S. roster, headlined by Joe Johnson and Isaiah Thomas.
LeBron James has made it known to top officials at USA Basketball that he wants to play in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, but the uncertainty surrounding the 2020-21 NBA season has made planning next to impossible. “I was told he wants to plan on being able to play, but no one can totally commit under these circumstances,” USA Basketball managing director Jerry Colangelo told BasketballNews.com on Thursday.