USA Basketball is in the planning stages of creating a pre-Olympic bubble in Las Vegas for teams from the United States, Australia and Spain to train and play exhibition matches before departing for Tokyo, the CEO said Jerry Colangelo a ESPN.
Given that NBA players are expected to make up the core of all three teams and the League playoffs are scheduled for May 22 to July 22, this concept would create an environment in which players can limit travel. and possible exposure to COVID-19 before going to Japan. Team USA is tentatively planning to open training camp the week of July 4, as the NBA playoffs continue.
Gregg Popovich’s Team USA squad closed out its trip to China with a win and a seventh-place finish. Lintao Zhang/Getty Images
“On paper it makes perfect sense,” Colangelo said. “We have to be flexible.”
Spain, current world cup champion, has five current NBA players who have played on the national team in the past: Marc Gasol, Ricky Rubio, Serge Ibaka, Juancho Hernangomez and Willy Hernangomez. The Australians named their Olympic roster this week, and it has 10 current NBA players, including Ben Simmons, Patty Mills, Joe Ingles, Dante Exum and Matisse Thybulle.
Also in the name of flexibility, Colangelo said USA Basketball has requested the United States Olympic Committee, the International Olympic Committee Y FIBA, who runs the Olympic basketball tournament, to change the rules about when rosters for the Games must be submitted. Rosters typically need to be set several weeks in advance, but with the NBA playoffs up to three days before Team USA is scheduled for its first Olympic game, Colangelo is calling for changes.
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Team USA has requested to allow roster changes even during the Olympics, as players can fly late and join teams, Colangelo said. He is waiting to hear from the governing bodies on the matter.
“These are not normal times. The lists for a certain date do not make any sense,” Colangelo said. “What we are looking for is flexibility to substitute players and get the best players on the pitch. It not only applies to us, but to all countries.”
On Wednesday, the IOC released its first set of parameters for the Games, which said athletes should not be vaccinated or quarantined upon arrival, but would need to undergo tests before traveling and upon arrival in Japan.
