USA Basketball and Gregg Popovich have decided. JaVale McGee and Keldon Johnson are called upon to compensate for the packages of Kevin Love (calf) and Bradley Beal (health protocol) within the American basketball selection for the Tokyo Olympics (July 23-August 8). Info reported by Shams Charania of
The Athletic
and various other sources. Both players are due in Las Vegas on Saturday,
ESPN's
Adrian Wojnarowski said
. Remember that Devin Booker (Phoenix), Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday (Milwaukee) will not join Team USA until after the end of the NBA Finals, on July 20 or 22.
The 33-year-old JaVale McGee is coming off a 7.3-point, 5.2-rebound season with Cleveland and Denver.
He has participated in the conquest of the NBA title on three occasions, with Golden State (2017, 2018) and the Lakers (2020), he who will try to follow in the footsteps of his mother, Pamela McGee, Olympic basketball champion in Los Angeles in 1984. San Antonio player Keldon Johnson, 21, closed the 2020-21 season with 12.8 points and 6 rebounds.
He especially impressed the US staff during training camp.
Jerami Grant in health protocol
Remember that the start of the preparation of the US basketball team for the Olympics was not easy.
In addition to the Love and Beal packages, “
Coach Pop
” saw Pistons winger Jerami Grant enter health protocol Thursday.
To see if he will be able to hold his place in Tokyo.
A priori, this is a precautionary measure.
To read also: Tops / Flops of game 4 of the NBA Finals: Middleton (and Booker) on fire, the slippery hands of "CP3"
In the meantime, Team USA, quadruple Olympic champion but beaten in the quarterfinals of the 2019 World Cup by the Blues, in China, started its series of friendly matches with ... two defeats, against Nigeria (87-90) and Australia (83-91), before straightening the bar against Argentina (108-90). The American stars were to face Australia this Friday, but the meeting was canceled "
as a precaution
". Spain remains on the menu on Sunday, on the eve of the departure of the US delegation to Japan. They will face France there on July 25, for their first group match at the Olympics.