Even though a hamstring injury kept him out of much of the Brooklyn Nets‘ second round playoff series, James Harden is planning to suit up for Team USA at the Tokyo Olympics this summer.
Harden and his Brooklyn teammate Kevin Durant are the two latest stars to commit to Team USA, according to reports. They’ll join Damian Lillard, Jayson Tatum, Draymond Green, Bradley Beal, Bam Adebayo and Devin Booker, with four roster spots still open.
Considering Harden’s health issues this season, there were more than a few raised eyebrows at his decision to take the court in Tokyo.
At the same time, his presence makes the American squad even more formidable as they try to secure a fourth-straight gold medal.
KD and Harden both genuinely love hooping. https://t.co/J9HgoqOc6g
— Robin Lundberg (@robinlundberg) June 21, 2021
USA, obviously the favorite in Tokyo, will have at least a couple of A-level national team guys playing off a truncated NBA season. https://t.co/XYSbZhpsp3
— Josh Newman (@Joshua_Newman) June 21, 2021
Love @KDTrey5 and @JHarden13 decision to play for their country. Let’s bring home the gold! USA 🇺🇲 https://t.co/MBNUmrKDhO
— 🦅🏀 (@birdsnets) June 21, 2021
This shows you how severe the ankle injury was to Kyrie 🤕 https://t.co/OuLAYSdW9V
— BBALLBREAKDOWN (@bballbreakdown) June 21, 2021
Harden did not play for Team USA in the last Olympic games five years ago, but did help the team win gold in London in 2012. The lefty guard averaged 5.5 points in 9.1 minutes per game that summer.
The 2021 Olympics, which were rescheduled from last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will run from July 23 through August 8 in Tokyo.
The post Basketball World Reacts To James Harden’s Olympics Decision appeared first on The Spun.
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