The NBA season ended just a few days ago, but for fans who want their basketball fix, the Olympics will help provide necessary excitement.
When the United State’s men’s national team begins to play against other top competition from around the world, the men’s team will be coached by Gregg Popovich. He is a five-time NBA champion leading the San Antonio Spurs and has served as head coach for Team USA since taking over for Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski back in October 2015.
Also on the coaching staff for the United States is Steve Kerr, who won five NBA titles as a player and has also already been crowned champion three times as a coach. Kerr played for Popovich for several years when he was a professional player.
Others on the coaching staff are Lloyd Pierce — who was head coach of the Atlanta Hawks until this past season and was recently hired as lead assistant for the Indiana Pacers — as well as Villanova men’s basketball head coach Jay Wright.
Meanwhile, the United States women’s basketball team is led by Dawn Staley, who has held the position since 2017.
She played professional basketball for more than a decade both domestically and internationally and is now the head coach for South Carolina’s women’s basketball team. She was recently considered a candidate for the head coaching position with the Portland Trail Blazers.
Her staff includes Dan Hughes (who recently retired as head coach of the Seattle Storm), Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve and former George Washington women’s basketball head coach Jennifer Rizzotti — who recently took over as head coach of the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun.
Men’s basketball at the Tokyo Olympics is set to begin Sunday, July 25, and Team USA’s first game is against France at 8 a.m. ET.
Women’s basketball at the Games begins Monday, July 26, and Team USA’s first matchup is against Nigeria at 12:40 a.m. ET on Tuesday, July 27.
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