One-third of Team USA’s basketball roster are members of the Boston Celtics.
Following a stunning defeat at the hands of Australia on Saturday, head coach Gregg Popovich finalized the 12-man squad, and Kemba Walker, Jayson Tatum, Marcus Smart and Jaylen Brown all made the cut.
Kyle Kuzma was the final roster casualty, but that was due to an ankle injury that ruled him out.
Team USA by no means is a lock to win the World Cup, which begins in one week. For one, their loss to Australia snapped a 78-game cumulative winning streak and showed that they certainly aren’t immortal. Plus, while many stars backed out of representing the United States, that wasn’t necessarily the case for other countries. The chief example is Greece, which boasts NBA superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The United States’ first game will be Sunday, Sept. 1 against the Czech Republic.
