San Antonio Spurs All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge will be among the 18 players selected for a Team USA training camp in August, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich will lead a 12-man team into the FIBA World Cup in China before the start of the next NBA season. The pool of players available for the red, white and blue is beginning to take shape, Wojnarowski reports.
League sources told ESPN that Aldridge will be joined in the Las Vegas training camp by other top-level NBA players, including Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum (Trail Blazers), Bradley Beal (Wizards), Kevin Love (Cavaliers), Khris Middleton (Bucks), PJ Tucker (Rockets) and Andre Drummond (Pistons).
Other players that are reportedly interested in playing in China for Team USA include Anthony Davis (Pelicans), James Harden and Eric Gordon (Rockets), Jayson Tatum (Celtics), Donovan Mitchell (Jazz), Brook Lopez (Bucks) and Kyle Kuzma (Lakers).
USA Basketball’s training camp will run August 5-8 before exhibition games in California and Australia. Popovich is the head coach of Team USA for the FIBA World Cup August 21-September 15 in China. He’ll also be in charge of the team for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. More of the NBA’s best players are expected to participate in that process. The 2016 Olympic team that won the gold medal included Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Paul George and DeMar DeRozan.
