SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Harrison Barnes told ABC10 last summer while he was a member of USA Basketball's FIBA World Cup team that he would never turn down an opportunity to represent his country.
Well, Team USA has come calling again, naming the 27-year-old Kings forward one of 44 finalists who will compete for one of the final 12 roster spots for the 2020 Men’s Basketball Team to participate in the Summer Olympics, which begin July 24 in Tokyo.
The final 12-man Olympic roster will be selected later this summer, and the list of players competing for a spot is sure to be tough. But Barnes' experience and commitment to USA Basketball has rewarded him before with a gold medal from the 2016 Olympic games in Rio de Janeiro.
Barnes averaged 11.6 points and 4.6 rebounds during his time with last summer’s FIBA World Cup team that finished with a 6-2 record, coming up short against France and Serbia, to settle for a disappointing seventh place finish in the tournament.
"The commitment, desire and excitement of all of our athletes to represent their country is genuine and remarkable,: said Jerry Colangelo, who has served as the Managing Director of the USA Basketball Men’s National Team since 2005. "All of the finalists are exceptionally gifted athletes who offer us amazing versatility and depth, and the group of finalists features a range of players from those who are very experienced and accomplished in international basketball to players who will be future international stars."
Like Barnes, Kings teammates De'Aaron Fox and Marvin Bagley III were finalists for the FIBA World Cup team last summer. They advanced with Barnes to the second stage of competition as the camp moved from Las Vegas to Los Angeles, but both ultimately bowed out of contention to turn their focus to the upcoming NBA season.
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Fox and Bagley were not among the 44 finalists for Team USA's 2020 Olympic roster.
Sacramento will have three other players competing internationally for a spot at the Olympics. Bogdan Bogdanovic and Nemanja Bjelica are members of the Serbian team and are expected to play this summer, and Cory Joseph is a member of the Canadian National Team.
Team USA will be coached by San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich, who led the 2019 FIBA World Cup team. Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, Atlanta Hawks head coach Lloyd Pierce and Villanova head coach Jay Wright will serve as his assistants.
The 44 finalists for the 2020 USA Olympic Team will also include:
- Jaylen Brown (Boston Celtics)
- Gordon Hayward (Boston Celtics)
- Marcus Smart (Boston Celtics)
- Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics)
- Kemba Walker (Boston Celtics)
- Kevin Durant (Brooklyn Nets)
- Joe Harris (Brooklyn Nets)
- Kyrie Irving (Brooklyn Nets)
- Kevin Love (Cleveland Cavaliers)
- Andre Drummond (Cleveland Cavaliers)
- Mason Plumlee (Denver Nuggets)
- Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors)
- Draymond Green (Golden State Warriors)
- Klay Thompson (Golden State Warriors)
- James Harden (Houston Rockets)
- Russell Westbrook (Houston Rockets)
- Malcolm Brogdon (Indiana Pacers)
- Victor Oladipo (Indiana Pacers)
- Myles Turner (Indiana Pacers)
- Kawhi Leonard (L.A. Clippers)
- Montrezl Harrell (L.A. Clippers)
- Paul George (L.A. Clippers)
- Dwight Howard (Los Angeles Lakers)
- LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers)
- Anthony Davis (Los Angeles Lakers)
- Kyle Kuzma (Los Angeles Lakers)
- JaVale McGee (Los Angeles Lakers)
- Bam Adebayo (Miami Heat)
- Jimmy Butler (Miami Heat)
- Brook Lopez (Milwaukee Bucks)
- Khris Middleton (Milwaukee Bucks)
- Brandon Ingram (New Orleans Pelicans)
- Chris Paul (Oklahoma City Thunder)
- Tobias Harris (Philadelphia 76ers)
- Devin Booker (Phoenix Suns)
- Damian Lillard (Portland Trail Blazers)
- LaMarcus Aldridge (San Antonio Spurs)
- Derrick White (San Antonio Spurs)
- DeMar DeRozan (San Antonio Spurs)
- Kyle Lowry (Toronto Raptors)
- Mike Conley (Utah Jazz)
- Donovan Mitchell (Utah Jazz)
- Bradley Beal (Washington Wizards)
For more Sacramento Kings coverage, follow Sean Cunningham on Twitter.
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