Top Ad
I DIG Radio
www.idigradio.com
Listen live to the best music from around the world!
I DIG Style
www.idigstyle.com
Learn about the latest fashion styles and more...

USA Basketball to hold Olympic camps in Vegas

Written by 
Published in Basketball
Thursday, 10 June 2021 06:43

For USA Basketball, the last stop before the Tokyo Olympics will be Las Vegas.

The men's and women's national teams will hold training camps in Las Vegas in July, they announced Thursday, and they'll be playing seven exhibitions there against other Olympic-bound national teams as well.

USA Basketball will open its men's training camp, led by coach Gregg Popovich, in Las Vegas on July 6. The Olympic men's teams from Australia, Nigeria, Argentina and reigning Basketball World Cup champion Spain will also be spending some time in Las Vegas; Argentina will start its training camp there this month.

The U.S. women's training camp under coach Dawn Staley will likely open around July 12; the WNBA break for the Olympics starts after the games of July 11. The Olympic women's teams joining the U.S. in Las Vegas are Australia and Nigeria.

It'll all take place at the MGM Resorts, which was announced as USA Basketball's training camp home and resort partner with the sides having now agreed to a multiyear sponsorship deal.

"USA Basketball is proud to expand its partnership with MGM Resorts," USA Basketball CEO Jim Tooley said. "We're excited to bring our national teams to their properties as we prepare for the challenging competition that lies ahead this summer."

The U.S. men are seeking a fourth consecutive Olympic gold medal, the U.S. women their seventh in a row. Both will enter the Olympics ranked No. 1 by FIBA, the sport's international governing body -- though it remains unknown who the Americans will have on their rosters for the rescheduled Tokyo Games.

Those rosters could be set by the end of June. Some top NBA players such as Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors, Kawhi Leonard of the LA Clippers and Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers have expressed some interest in being part of the Olympic team; others, such as LeBron James and Anthony Davis -- Los Angeles Lakers teammates who were dealing with injuries when their season ended last week -- are not planning to join the team.

All teams in Las Vegas will be taking part in what USA Basketball described as "comprehensive health and safety protocols ... including mandatory and regular COVID-19 PCR testing, administered to athletes, coaches, officials and staff in accordance with FIBA and USA Basketball recommendations and CDC guidelines."

Those concerns are why the international teams opted to spend time in Las Vegas. Argentina's men's team is conducting the entirety of its three-week camp there before flying to Tokyo, simply because it believes a controlled environment and less traveling between different countries will minimize virus-related risks before the Olympics.

"We were lucky and, at the same time, we deserved it to get an organization like USA Basketball to extend this invitation to us," Argentina coach Sergio Hernandez said. "In such a complicated context it doesn't get better than this."

The games are set up as part of five doubleheaders, and fans will be able to attend the matchups at MGM's Michelob Ultra Arena. Tickets go on sale next week.

GAME SCHEDULE

July 10 -- U.S. men vs. Nigeria, Argentina vs. Australia

July 12 -- Argentina vs. Nigeria, U.S. men vs. Australia

July 13 -- U.S. men vs. Argentina, Australia vs. Nigeria

July 16 -- U.S. women vs. Australia, U.S. men vs. Australia

July 18 -- U.S. women vs. Nigeria, U.S. men vs. Spain

PREQUELS

The Nigeria-U.S. women's game will be a prequel to the teams' Olympic meeting on July 27 in Tokyo, the first game there for both of those teams. Nigeria and the U.S. are both in Group B at the Olympics, along with Japan and France.

The Australia-Nigeria men's game is also the warm-up for an Olympics-opening matchup. They'll play in a Group B game on July 25.

The men's teams from Spain and Argentina -- the teams that played in the World Cup final at Beijing in 2019 -- are both in Group C for the Olympics. They'll both spend some time in Las Vegas but are not scheduled to face off there before flying to Japan.

FIBA RANKINGS

Las Vegas will see the top four men's teams in the FIBA rankings there for the exhibitions: The U.S. is No. 1, Spain No. 2, Australia No. 3 and Argentina No. 4. Nigeria is ranked No. 22.

The U.S. women also hold the No. 1 FIBA ranking, and their July 16 opponent Australia is ranked No. 2 in the world. Nigeria's women are ranked No. 17.

Read 369 times

Soccer

Utd hire Wilcox as tech. director in Ratcliffe reboot

Utd hire Wilcox as tech. director in Ratcliffe reboot

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsManchester United have confirmed the appointment of Jason Wilcox as...

With Man City reeling, Arsenal and Liverpool face moment of truth in Premier League title race

With Man City reeling, Arsenal and Liverpool face moment of truth in Premier League title race

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsArsenal and Liverpool have their own problems right now as they att...

Gündogan: Barça united despite Araújo criticism

Gündogan: Barça united despite Araújo criticism

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsIlkay Gündogan has told ESPN that Barcelona are aligned in their pu...

2026 FIFA


2028 LOS ANGELES OLYMPIC

UEFA

2024 PARIS OLYMPIC


Basketball

Coban Porter, brother of Nuggets star, sentenced

Coban Porter, brother of Nuggets star, sentenced

EmailPrintCoban Porter, the younger brother of Denver Nuggets star Michael Porter Jr., has been sent...

Brunson using season-ending turnover as fuel

Brunson using season-ending turnover as fuel

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsGREENBURGH, N.Y. -- Ahead of the New York Knicks opening up the pla...

Baseball

Struggling Hendricks to start, but Cubs worried

Struggling Hendricks to start, but Cubs worried

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsCHICAGO -- Cubs right-hander Kyle Hendricks will make his scheduled...

Rocky flight: FAA probes MLB coach's video post

Rocky flight: FAA probes MLB coach's video post

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsThe Federal Aviation Administration and United Airlines are investi...

Sports Leagues

  • FIFA

    Fédération Internationale de Football Association
  • NBA

    National Basketball Association
  • ATP

    Association of Tennis Professionals
  • MLB

    Major League Baseball
  • ITTF

    International Table Tennis Federation
  • NFL

    Nactional Football Leagues
  • FISB

    Federation Internationale de Speedball

About Us

I Dig® is a leading global brand that makes it more enjoyable to surf the internet, conduct transactions and access, share, and create information.  Today I Dig® attracts millions of users every month.r

 

Phone: (800) 737. 6040
Fax: (800) 825 5558
Website: www.idig.com
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Affiliated