22 of the 25 members of Team USA have been announced. Here’s the list:
Carmelo Anthony, Denver
Gilbert Arenas, Washington
Shane Battier, Memphis
Chauncey Billups, Detroit
Chris Bosh, Toronto
Bruce Bowen, San Antonio
Elton Brand, L.A. Clippers
Kobe Bryant, L.A. Lakers
Dwight Howard, Orlando
Josh Howard, Dallas
LeBron James, Cleveland
Antawn Jamison, Washington
Joe Johnson, Atlanta
Rashard Lewis, Seattle
Shawn Marion, Phoenix
Brad Miller, Sacramento
Chris Paul, NO/Okla. City
Paul Pierce, Boston
Michael Redd, Milwaukee
Luke Ridnour, Seattle
Amare Stoudemire, Phoenix
Dwyane Wade, Miami
The final three spots will be filled by players from the college and high school ranks. Adam Morrison and J.J. Redick are believed to be two of the frontrunners at this point.
Shaquille O’Neal has a standing offer to join the team at any time.
Kevin Garnett, Jermaine O’Neal, Ray Allen, Vince Carter, Jason Kidd, Tracy McGrady, Rip Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince declined to play.
Looking at the list, the three names that are really surprising are Luke Ridnour, Rashard Lewis and Antawn Jamison. The fact that Team USA elected not to extend an offer to Allen Iverson makes their presence even more surprising. I’m not a huge fan of AI, but his gritty, determined play in the ’04 Olympics was one of the best things about that team.
