While most of the basketball world is focused on the NBA Finals between the Denver Nuggets and Miami Heat, Team USA is getting ready to make a run at a gold medal in the FIBA World Cup, which will take place late this summer.
A few of the notable NBA players who have committed to representing Team USA there are Minnesota Timberwolves All-Star guard Anthony Edwards, New York Knicks standout Jalen Brunson, and Austin Reaves of the Los Angeles Lakers.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski, star forward Brandon Ingram of the New Orleans Pelicans and the Memphis Grizzlies’ Jaren Jackson Jr. will also be making the trip to Southeast Asia for the FIBA World Cup.
ESPN Sources: Two Western Conference All-Star forwards — New Orleans’ Brandon Ingram and Memphis’ Jaren Jackson Jr., — are committed to play for Team USA’s FIBA World Cup team this summer in the Philippines. USA Basketball plans to finalize a 12-man roster later this month.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 6, 2023
Jackson will give Team USA some size, rebounding, and rim protection, not to mention the NBA’s reigning Defensive Player of the Year.
Ever since FIBA allowed NBA players to take part in international competition, the United States has largely dominated both the FIBA World Cup and the Olympics in basketball.
However, it fell well short of winning the gold in the last FIBA World Cup in 2019 when it lost to France in the quarterfinals.
It seems as if a number of the NBA’s best players have been reluctant to commit to Team USA in recent years, possibly because it would mean less rest and more wear and tear during the NBA’s offseason.
Still, Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Jayson Tatum were in Tokyo for the 2021 Olympics, where they led the Americans to a fourth straight gold medal.
