The world’s foremost basketball playing nation, the United States of America, look set to finally snatch Victor Kehinde Oladipo from right under Nigeria’s nose following reports that the NBA star will be among the players set to be called up to the US national team’s training camp next month ahead of the 2016 Olympic Games.
Oladipo, who has Nigerian parents but was born in the United States of America, was first called up to the US national team’s camp in July 2014 after having a breakthrough campaign with the Orlando Magic in his debut NBA season and finishing second in the NBA Rookie of the Year polls behind Michael Carter-Williams.
In 2013, the 23-year-old trained with the Nigerian national team and is one of several US-born players the Nigeria Basketball Federation has expressed an interest in calling up ahead of next year’s Olympic Games.
But that does not look likely to happen with Oladipo’s impending call-up to the US national team, following a report by ESPN.com which quoted unnamed sources as stating that Oladipo will be one of seven new players set to be called up by the USA Basketball (USAB) to a training camp in Las Vegas.
According to ESPN.com, USAB has extended invitations to Oladipo and his Orlando teammate, Tobias Harris; Chicago’s Jimmy Butler, Memphis’ Mike Conley, and Golden State’s Draymond Green and Harrison Barnes, as well as Utah’s Trey Burke to its August 11 to 13 camp on the campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
In January 2014 USAB announced a 28-player pool to cover the ensuing three summers – 2014 to 2016. The roster ultimately expanded to 34 players, thanks to a string of injuries and withdrawals before the inaugural 2014 FIBA World Cup in Spain.
The complete list of invitees for the forthcoming camp from the original 34 and the seven newcomers, according to ESPN.com is still being finalized, but the site quotes sources as saying that several players who represented the United States at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, as well as the 2010 FIBA World Championship, will also be given the chance to join the training camp so USAB officials can take stock of who wants to compete for a 2016 Olympic berth.
Oladipo, who has Nigerian parents but was born in the United States of America, was first called up to the US national team’s camp in July 2014 after having a breakthrough campaign with the Orlando Magic in his debut NBA season and finishing second in the NBA Rookie of the Year polls behind Michael Carter-Williams.
In 2013, the 23-year-old trained with the Nigerian national team and is one of several US-born players the Nigeria Basketball Federation has expressed an interest in calling up ahead of next year’s Olympic Games.
But that does not look likely to happen with Oladipo’s impending call-up to the US national team, following a report by ESPN.com which quoted unnamed sources as stating that Oladipo will be one of seven new players set to be called up by the USA Basketball (USAB) to a training camp in Las Vegas.
According to ESPN.com, USAB has extended invitations to Oladipo and his Orlando teammate, Tobias Harris; Chicago’s Jimmy Butler, Memphis’ Mike Conley, and Golden State’s Draymond Green and Harrison Barnes, as well as Utah’s Trey Burke to its August 11 to 13 camp on the campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
In January 2014 USAB announced a 28-player pool to cover the ensuing three summers – 2014 to 2016. The roster ultimately expanded to 34 players, thanks to a string of injuries and withdrawals before the inaugural 2014 FIBA World Cup in Spain.
The complete list of invitees for the forthcoming camp from the original 34 and the seven newcomers, according to ESPN.com is still being finalized, but the site quotes sources as saying that several players who represented the United States at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, as well as the 2010 FIBA World Championship, will also be given the chance to join the training camp so USAB officials can take stock of who wants to compete for a 2016 Olympic berth.
No comments:
Post a Comment