New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson was placed on the US Team’s candidate list for the Tokyo Olympics on Thursday, one of 15 names added as the team prepares for uncertainty in the forward roster for an unprecedented summer.
Julius Randle of the New York Knicks and Zach LaVine of the Chicago Bulls, both newcomers to this season as Williamson, were among those added to coach Gregg Popovich’s roster. There were already 42 players on the list, which has now increased to 57 as USA Basketball tries to give options to the 12-player team.
There is a good chance that even more players will be considered when the training camp opens in early July. The US team’s first game in Tokyo is scheduled for July 25, just three days after the last possible date for the NBA finals.
US team managing director Jerry Colangelo has lobbied the United States Olympic Committee and Fiba, which manages the Olympic tournament, to allow for changes in roster up to and perhaps even during the Olympics to accommodate players who might be involved in deep playoff races.
Typically, lists are drawn up several weeks before the Olympics. No official decision has been made.
“It is important for us to continue to be flexible and to consider all players who can contribute to our efforts to put the best possible US team on the field,” said Colangelo. “Having a larger pool of players than what we normally have is critical because of all the uncertainties we face about availability.”
Among the names added to the list are Miami Heat’s Duncan Robinson and Houston Rockets’ Christian Wood, both of whom have no national team history.
The other 55 players now in the squad have either played on the national team or participated in training camps in the past. Also added to the list on Thursday were the Atlanta Hawks ‘Trae Young, the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Jarrett Allen, the Detroit Pistons ‘Jerami Grant, the Knicks’ Mitchell Robinson, the Toronto Raptors ‘Fred VanVleet, the Rockets’ John Wall and Eric Gordon, Milwaukee Bucks ‘Jrue Holiday and Brooklyn Nets’ DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin.