Tag: Duke in the Olympics

Duke basketball freshman Khaman Maluach talks about his Olympic experience

Khaman Maluach talked about the Olympics on The Brotherhood Podcast on Tuesday after the 17-year-old represented South Sudan in Paris.

One member of the Duke basketball team joined up with the rest of the Blue Devils in Paris a little later than everyone else, but freshman [autotag]Khaman Maluach[/autotag] had a pretty good excuse for his delayed arrival.

Maluach represented South Sudan at the Olympic Games in France this summer, and at just 17 years old, he was the youngest basketball player in the competition. He talked about the experience during a Tuesday episode of The Brotherhood Podcast, including one game against Team USA that pitted him against the best players in the world.

“I didn’t really realize that during the game until the game was finished and I was like, wow, I just played against LeBron James,” Maluach told sophomore teammate Caleb Foster. “Embiid, A.D. (Anthony Davis), the guys I always looked up to, those are the bigs I watched, so me playing against them, being on the same floor motivated me more.”

He and his countrymen picked up South Sudan’s first Olympic win in history during pool play, beating Puerto Rico, but losses to the United States and Serbia kept them from the quarterfinals.

Maluach said that, while sharing the court with NBA superstars was surreal, he got the full Olympic experience once he was eliminated from the competition.

“That’s when I really got to see other sports like beach volleyball and just tour around Paris with my team,” Maluach said.

Maluach, who stands 7-foot-2, is a projected lottery pick in the 2025 NBA draft and many think he’ll be one of the best rim protectors in college basketball from his first game.

Five-star Duke basketball freshman Khaman Maluach back on campus after Olympic run

After representing South Sudan in the Olympic Games, Duke basketball freshman Khaman Maluach is back with the Blue Devils.

Five-star center [autotag]Khaman Maluach[/autotag] is back on campus and practicing with the rest of the Blue Devils.

While the rest of his 2024-25 teammates have been getting work in as a team and facing off in scrimmages, Maluach spent the first part of his summer in France representing South Sudan at the 2024 Olympic Games.

South Sudan took Team USA down to the final minute in an exhibition last month and picked up the country’s first Olympic win ever, but Maluach and his countrymen couldn’t advance to the quarterfinals.

The incoming freshman averaged 4.4 minutes per game between the three contests in group play, scoring 0.7 points and pulling down 1.3 rebounds per game.

One of four five-star signees in Duke’s esteemed 2024 recruiting class, Maluach is expected to be one of the sport’s best rim defenders from the first game. Some of his international contests and exhibition games show a few growing pains on offense, but he offers one of the best ceilings in the country and is a presumed lottery pick in the 2025 NBA draft.

Maluach makes his debut in front of Duke fans at the Countdown to Craziness on October 4.

Duke basketball players most likely to make their Team USA debut at the 2028 Olympic Games

Jayson Tatum seems like a lock to make his third straight Olympic team in 2028. Here are the five Blue Devils most likely to join him.

Team USA men’s basketball always brings a Blue Devil.

There’s been at least one Duke basketball alum on four of the last five Olympic rosters for the Americans. Carlos Boozer won his gold medal in 2008, Kyrie Irving won his in 2016, and Jayson Tatum became the first Blue Devil with multiple gold medals after he played in both Tokyo and Paris. Even on the coaching staff and at an administrative level, legendary Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski won three consecutive gold medals from 2008-16 as the U.S. head coach and Grant Hill served as the managing director for the American team for 2024.

That trend seems certain to continue in 2028. Tatum is still just 26 years old, and after he joined a rare list of players with a First Team All-NBA selection, an NBA title, and an Olympic gold medal in one year, he’d have to turn down Team USA to not make the roster in Los Angeles.

He assuredly won’t be the only Duke basketball alum in four years’ time, however. One NBA reporter said he expects two more Blue Devils will make the American team in 2028, and the program keeps churning out NBA talent.

Tatum and Irving will be threats to make any Olympic roster, but here are the five Blue Devils most likely to make their Olympic debuts for Team USA in 2028.

The closest thing to a lock on this list, fans were clamoring for Flagg to replace Kawhi Leonard on this year’s team despite the 17-year-old not even making his college debut yet. The top-ranked player in the Class of 2024, Flagg’s athleticism and defensive prowess turned heads at Olympic training camp when he played for the Select Team. The upcoming Blue Devil has repeatedly said he takes pride in his work on the defensive end, and the tape against Team USA backed that up. He’s taking steps forward as a three-level scorer, and analysts are already insisting he’s the next face of USA Basketball. At this point, if Flagg is upright and still playing in 2028, it’s hard to imagine him not making the Olympic team.

If Flagg has a 99% chance to make the American team in 2028, Banchero’s currently hovering around 98%. The No. 1 pick in the 2022 NBA draft has taken a step forward every year he’s been in the national spotlight. He led Duke to the Final Four as a freshman, won NBA Rookie of the Year honors in 2022-23, and led the Orlando Magic to the playoffs as the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference this past year. He averaged 22.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 5.4 assists in his second NBA campaign, and he already has Team USA experience at the 2023 FIBA World Cup.

Williamson’s chances to make the next wave of USA Basketball rosters entirely revolve around his health. The former Duke star is still only 24 years old, and he’s averaged 24.7 points per game throughout his NBA career thus far. Granted, he’s only played 184 games across five seasons. To earn genuine consideration for the squad, he’ll need to either become a more regular fixture on the court or become a 30-point-per-game guy when he is healthy. In terms of tape and talent, however, there’s no justification for Williamson to miss out on Los Angeles.

There’s a little bit of projection here, but it’s hard to not get excited after Lively averaged 8.8 points and 6.9 rebounds as a rookie. He finished his first postseason with four double-doubles, including two in the NBA Finals, and he seems like a future fixture in the Dallas point. A center on a team with Luka Doncic will certainly pick up more and more star power, and the American big men are only getting older. Joel Embiid is 30 and implied he might play for Cameroon in 2028, Anthony Davis is 31, and even Bam Adebayo is 27. If two of those three aren’t on Team USA in four years, the staff will be desperate for a 7-footer built to dominate the glass like Lively.

Speaking of projection, the 16th pick in the 2024 NBA draft hasn’t played a single game for the 76ers yet. However, like Lively, he fits a weakness on the American roster. Steph Curry and Devin Booker filled the role of perimeter shooters in France, and despite his stunning performance in the gold medal game, Curry will be 40 in 2028. He was the only player to average more than five 3-point attempts per game in 2024, and Booker and Anthony Edwards were the only players under the age of 34 to average more than three attempts per game. Enter Jared McCain, the 41% sharpshooter who could earn some traction if he blossoms in Philadelphia.

NBA reporter expects Paolo Banchero and Cooper Flagg to make Team USA for 2028 Olympics

NBA reporter Evan Sidery listed three young basketball stars expected to play for Team USA at the 2028 Olympics, including two Blue Devils.

[autotag]Jayson Tatum[/autotag] was the only Duke basketball alum on Team USA at the 2024 Olympic Games, but NBA reporter Evan Sidery thinks the Americans will look a little more blue in four years.

Sidery listed three young Americans on Monday whom he expects to make the American roster at the 2028 Olympic Games, including former Duke basketball star [autotag]Paolo Banchero[/autotag] and future Duke basketball star [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag].

Banchero nearly made the roster for France this summer, according to a Monday report from The Athletic’s Joe Vardon. Team USA managing director Grant Hill apparently sees his fellow Blue Devil as a future staple of Olympic rosters, and with national team experience at the 2023 FIBA World Cup, the Orlando Magic star seems to be getting prepared for future Team USA work.

Flagg might be even more of a lock. The top-ranked player in the Class of 2024 already faced the current Olympic squad with the Select Team at training camp this summer and walked away with the spotlight, making back-to-back baskets during a scrimmage and impressing Kevin Durant.

Fellow Duke alum Zion Williamson will also be a serious candidate for a roster spot if his health cooperates.

Paolo Banchero nearly made Olympic roster for Team USA, The Athletic reports

According to The Athletic’s Joe Vardon, former Duke basketball star Paolo Banchero nearly made the Team USA roster for the 2024 Olympic Games.

[autotag]Jayson Tatum[/autotag] became the first Duke basketball alum with two gold medals in France this summer, but he nearly wasn’t the only Blue Devil on the Team USA roster.

According to a Monday report from The Athletic’s Joe Vardon, former Duke star [autotag]Paolo Banchero[/autotag] nearly made the American roster for the 2024 Olympic Games. Vardon said Grant Hill, another Blue Devils legend and the Team USA managing director, wants Banchero on future Olympic teams after the Orlando Magic star was under “serious consideration” for a roster spot.

Banchero led the Blue Devils to the Final Four in 2021-22, Coach K’s final season in Durham, before he won NBA Rookie of the Year honors in 2022-23. The last of Duke’s five No. 1 NBA draft picks, Banchero averaged 22.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 5.4 assists during his second season.

He even proved himself on the playoff stage, taking the Cleveland Cavaliers to seven games during the opening round and putting together three 30-point performances in the process.

Banchero does have Team USA experience as he made the 2023 FIBA World Cup roster. The Americans finished fourth in that tournament, and Banchero averaged 8.1 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 15.2 minutes per game.

Duke women’s basketball coach Kara Lawson posts photo with Olympic gold medal

Duke women’s basketball coach Kara Lawson, who served as an assistant coach for Team USA, shared a photo of her third Olympic gold medal on Sunday.

For the third time in her career, [autotag]Kara Lawson[/autotag] won a gold medal at the Olympic Games on Sunday.

The United States took down France in the gold medal game by a single point, 67-66. Lawson, an assistant coach on the team, posted a selfie with her gold medal to X (the social media platform formerly known as Twitter) after the medal ceremony.

“Never gets old,” Lawson wrote in her caption. “Mission accomplished.”

Lawson also won a gold medal with Team USA as a player in 2008, and she became the fifth American woman in history to appear on the Olympic team as both a player and a coach. She also coached the U.S. women’s 3×3 basketball team at the most recent Olympics in Tokyo, another gold-medal-winning squad.

Three other Duke Blue Devils won gold on the Olympic basketball court this year. [autotag]Chelsea Gray[/autotag] played for Lawson on the women’s team, and [autotag]Jayson Tatum[/autotag] became the first Duke men’s basketball alum with multiple gold medals. You can even include Blue Devils legend Grant Hill, the managing director for Team USA on the men’s side.

Lawson returns to Durham for this fall’s Countdown to Craziness on October 4, the debut for her 2024-25 team.

The best photos from former Duke basketball star Chelsea Gray at the 2024 Olympic Games

Check out the best photos from former Duke basketball star Chelsea Gray at the 2024 Olympic Games.

At the 2020 Olympic Games, [autotag]Chelsea Gray[/autotag] became the first Duke women’s basketball alum to make the U.S. national team and the first to win an Olympic gold medal.

In France on Sunday, she became the first former Duke women’s basketball player to win her second Olympic gold medal.

The WNBA star tallied four assists in just 13 minutes during the gold medal match against France, a 67-66 victory that required a nine-point comeback over the final 17 minutes for Team USA.

She dealt 13 assists in the Americans’ first game in France, another bullet point on a resume that already includes three WNBA championships and a WNBA Finals MVP.

For any Duke basketball fans who had a hard time keeping track of the Olympic competition over the last week and a half, or for any Blue Devils who simply want to relive Gray’s big week in Paris, here are the best photos from her gold medal run.

Duke women’s basketball coach Kara Lawson helps Team USA win gold medal

The United States defeated France 67-66 in the Olympic women’s basketball gold medal game on Sunday, giving Duke coach Kara Lawson her gold.

Duke women’s basketball coach [autotag]Kara Lawson[/autotag] has her gold medal.

The United States defeated France 67-66 in the Olympic gold medal match on Sunday, surviving a French buzzer-beater that turned out to only be a 2-pointer. The win gave Lawson, an assistant coach on Team USA, her third career Olympic triumph.

Lawson already made history just by being on the U.S. coaching staff. After she represented the United States as a player in 2008, another run to gold in Beijing, she became the fifth former Olympian to coach the American team.

The Blue Devils coach also helmed the U.S. women’s 3×3 basketball team at the previous Olympics in Tokyo, leading that squad to yet another gold medal.

The win offers an exclamation point on a phenomenal start to 2024 for Lawson. Her Blue Devils upset 2-seed Ohio State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, and she landed two five-star prospects from the Class of 2024 and a former five-star from the transfer portal in Maryland’s Riley Nelson.

Lawson debuts her 2024-25 squad at Countdown to Craziness on October 4 before her team’s schedule gets underway a month later.

Former Duke basketball star Chelsea Gray wins her second Olympic gold medal

Less than 24 hours after Jayson Tatum won his second Olympic gold medal, Chelsea Gray matched him with a second triumph of her own.

[autotag]Jayson Tatum[/autotag] was the only Duke basketball alum with multiple Olympic gold medals for less than 24 hours.

After the U.S. men’s team defeated France in the Olympic final on Saturday, the U.S. women’s team defeated France in their Olympic title match 67-66 on Sunday to give former Blue Devil Chelsea Gray her second consecutive gold medal.

The win gave Team USA its eighth consecutive gold in the sport and the country’s sixty-first consecutive Olympic victory, but it didn’t come without nerves. The home French crowd empowered its national team, and France led by nine points midway through the third.

The Americans stormed back for the lead, however, and the game came down to the final possession with the United States leading by three. France’s Gabby Williams banked in a jumper at the buzzer, but instant replay showed her foot clearly on the 3-point line, only awarding her team two points.

Despite being a member of the Team USA starting lineup, Gray only took one shot from the floor, but the Point Gawd played her role. She dished out four assists, remaining the team’s main distributor on offense.

Gray becomes the first Duke women’s basketball player with multiple Olympic gold medals. In fact, she’s the first Blue Devil to make the U.S. women’s national team or win an Olympic medal period. After three WNBA championships, her run into the history books rolls on.

Jayson Tatum becomes the fourth basketball player ever to do these three things in a year

Jayson Tatum’s win at the 2024 Olympics made him the fourth player ever with an All-NBA First Team, an NBA title, and a gold medal in one year.

[autotag]Jayson Tatum[/autotag] didn’t just make Duke history with his second consecutive gold medal on Saturday. He also made basketball history.

Tatum became the fourth men’s basketball player of all time with an All-NBA First Team nomination, an NBA title, and an Olympic gold medal in one calendar year.

As with any other feat in basketball history, LeBron James and Michael Jordan did it first. Jordan actually managed the trifecta twice, first doing it in 1992 before matching himself in 1996. Scottie Pippen, his Chicago Bulls teammate, matched him in the latter year.

James, who did it in 2012, was previously the only player to accomplish the feat this century.

Tatum scored two points and snagged three rebounds in the championship game, a 98-87 victory over the hosting French team. He also tallied his first Olympic double-double against Puerto Rico earlier in the bracket, and he averaged 5.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per game across his four appearances for Team USA.

Duke could sweep the Olympic gold medals in the basketball competitions on Sunday if former Blue Devil [autotag]Chelsea Gray[/autotag] and the U.S. women’s team defeat France in the women’s gold medal game.