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2016 Rio Olympics: USA Men’s Basketball Team—LeBron James & Steph Curry Out, Kyrie Irving & Kevin Durant In

By Dustin Murrell
Published on: 06:48 PST, Jun 26, 2016

While Stephen Curry, LeBron James and Kevin Love have all opted out of playing on the USA Men’s Basketball Team for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, both teams from the 2016 NBA Finals will be sending players to represent the United States. Kyrie Irving of the Cleveland Cavaliers has been confirmed for Team USA 2016, while Draymond Green, Klay Thompson and Harrison Barnes of the Golden State Warriors will playing for their country, as well.

Along with Irving, Green, Thompson and Barnes, the Western Conference runners-up Oklahoma City Thunder will be sending Kevin Durant, who has recently been the subject of rumors related to the New York Knicks, now that Phil Jackson and company have acquired the services of Derrick Rose. As reported by USA Today, Durant will join the 12-man super squad of NBA All-Stars, a tradition dating back to the original Dream Team of 1992 that featured Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, and Magic Johnson. Durant, who also played in the 2012 Olympics, is one of just two players to be making a return to the Olympics for the USA Men’s Basketball Team.

Rose’s marquee teammate in New York, Carmelo Anthony, will be on the Olympic Team as well. As reported at the Inquisitr, Kevin Durant won’t likely sign with New York, meaning someone else will have to step in if the New York Knicks hope to have their own “Big 3” for the 2016-17 NBA Season. This will be Carmelo’s fourth consecutive appearance on the United States Men’s Basketball Team for the Summer Olympics, having also played in 2004, 2008, and 2012.

DeMarcus Cousins of the Sacramento Kings will be making his first Olympic appearance. Cousins was an NBA All-Star in 2015 and 2016. The Kings finished 3rd in the Pacific Division this season, with a record of 33-49. As indicated by the Tweet below, Cousins has expressed some concern over the choices Sacramento made in the 2016 NBA Draft, which included Marquese Chriss in Round One (8th overall) and Isaiah Cousins in Round Two (59th overall).

The Indiana Pacers will be sending small forward Paul George to the Olympics. George is a 3-time NBA All-Star, and helped the Indiana Pacers reach the playoffs, where they lost to the Toronto Raptors in the first round after seven games.

George and the Pacers were up against DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry in their losing effort against the Raptors, and both men from the NBA’s only Canadian team will represent the USA in Rio. Both DeRozan and Lowry are two-time NBA All-Stars. The Raptors were the first team to defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2016 NBA Playoffs, although LeBron and company eventually won the series 4-2.

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Jimmy Butler of the Chicago Bulls will be in Rio as well, although his stint with the Bulls may be nearing its end, according to recent rumors. Butler is a two-time NBA All-Star and has thrice been named to the NBA’s All-Defensive Second Team.

Finally, rounding out the team of 12 for the USA Men’s Basketball Team in the 2016 Summer Olympics is DeAndre Jordan of the Los Angeles Clippers. Jordan was named to both the All-NBA First Team and NBA All-Defensive First Team in 2016.

The 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro begin August 5 and conclude on August 21. Pre-Olympics contests begin for the Men’s USA Basketball Team on June 22 when they face Argentina at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

[Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images]

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