Las Vegas will be the last stop for USA Basketball before the Tokyo Olympics.
The men's and women's national teams will hold training camp in Las Vegas in July, they announced Thursday, and they will also play seven appearances against other Olympic-bound national teams.
USA Basketball will open its men's training camp on July 6 in Las Vegas, led by coach Greg Popovich. The Olympic men's teams from Australia, Nigeria, Argentina and defending Basketball World Cup champion Spain will also spend some time in Las Vegas; Argentina will start its training camp there this month.
Led by coach Don Staley, the U.S. The women's training camp is likely to open around July 12; The WNBA break for the Olympics begins after the July 11 Games. US in Las Vegas The Olympic women's teams joining in are Australia and Nigeria.
It will all take place at MGM Resorts, announced as USA Basketball's training camp home and resort partner, which has now agreed a multi-year sponsorship deal.
“USA Basketball is proud to expand its partnership with MGM Resorts,” said USA Basketball CEO Jim Tooley. “We are excited to bring our national teams to their properties as we prepare for the challenging competition coming up this summer.”
American men are seeking a fourth consecutive Olympic gold medal, with American women seventh in a row. 1 at the Olympics by FIBA, the sport's international governing body - although it is unknown who the Americans will have on their roster for the rescheduled Tokyo Games.
Those rosters could be set by the end of June. Some top NBA players such as Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors, Kawhi Leonard of the LA Clippers and Damien Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers have expressed some interest in being part of the Olympic team; Others, such as LeBron James and Anthony Davis - Los Angeles Lakers teammates who were battling injuries when the season ended last week - are not planning to join the team.
All teams will participate in Las Vegas, which USA Basketball describes as "comprehensive health and safety protocols ... recommendations and CDC guidelines."
Those concerns are why international teams choose to spend time in Las Vegas. The Argentine men's team is organizing its three-week camp ahead of its flight to Tokyo, simply because it believes a controlled environment and less travel between different countries will prevent the virus before the Olympics. associated risks will be reduced.
"We were lucky and, at the same time, we were qualified to have an organization like USA Basketball give us this invitation," said Argentine coach Sergio Hernandez. "It couldn't get better in such a complex context."
The games are set up as part of five doubleheaders, and fans will be able to participate in matchups at MGM's Michelob Ultra Arena. Tickets go on sale next week.
Game Schedule
July 10 - US men v Nigeria, Argentina v Australia
July 12 - Argentina v Nigeria, US men vs Australia men
July 13 - US men v Argentina, Australia v Nigeria
July 16 - U.S. Women vs Australia, US men vs australia
July 18 - U.S. Women vs. Nigeria, US men vs spain
PREQUELS
Nigeria-U.S. The women's game will be a prequel to the Olympic teams' meeting in Tokyo on July 27, which will be the first game for both of those teams. Nigeria and the U.S., along with Japan and France. Both are in Group B in the Olympics.
The Australia–Nigeria men's game is also practice for an Olympic-starting matchup. They will play in Group B on July 25.
Men's teams from Spain and Argentina - teams that played in the 2019 World Cup final in Beijing - are both in Group C for the Olympics. They'll both spend some time in Las Vegas, but they don't have a face-to-face schedule there before heading to Japan.
FIBA Ranking
Las Vegas will see the top four men's teams in the FIBA rankings for exhibitions: Americas No. 1, Spain No. 2, Australia No. 3 and Argentina No. 4. Nigeria is at number 22.
US The women also hold the No. 1 FIBA ranking, and their 16 July rival Australia is No. 2 in the world. Nigerian women are ranked 17th.