The NBA had already announced the lineup for the US Basketball Team for the coming 2008 Beijing Olympics.When the 2008 U.S. Men’s Olympic Basketball team hits the court in Beijing this August, it will feature several experienced Olympians leading the way as the United States begins its quest to recapture the gold medal.
The 12-player U.S. team, which was announced June 23, will include Olympic gold medalist and veteran team leader Jason Kidd, who plays professional basketball for the Dallas Mavericks. Kidd was a member of the 2000 Olympic team that earned the gold at the Sydney Games. Four additional members of this year’s squad have previous Olympic experience: Carmelo Anthony of the Denver Nuggets, Carlos Boozer of the Utah Jazz, Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James and Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat all were members of the 2004 team that won the bronze medal in Athens, Greece.
After finishing third in Athens, USA Basketball created a new system to select players and field an Olympic team. This year’s 12-man team was selected from a pool of 33 NBA players that has competed as the USA Senior National Team since 2006, earning a combined overall record of 23-1.
Also on the 2008 Olympic team are Chris Bosh (Toronto Raptors), Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers), Dwight Howard (Orlando Magic), Chris Paul (New Orleans Hornets), Tayshaun Prince (Detroit Pistons), Michael Redd (Milwaukee Bucks) and Deron Williams (Utah Jazz).
