Stephen Curry and Donovan Mitchell opt out of Team USA in Tokyo Olympics

Team USA Basketball is looking to be a phenomenal side ahead of the Olympics. Big names like Kevin Durant and James Harden have all committed to play for the team. But according to a few sources, it has been reported that Warriors star Stephen Curry will not be part of Team USA at the Tokyo Olympics. To add to the disappointment, even Donovan Mitchell has opted out of the tournament citing the ankle injury he suffered in the Playoffs.

Why did Stephen Curry and Donovan Mitchell opt-out of the Olympics?

Stephen Curry was on the top of his game the entire season and finished the League as the scoring champion, but the 33-year-old had a few injuries this year and he is expected to keep himself out of the Olympics to keep his body fit for the next season as he will be all set to play with his Splash Brother, Klay Thompson, who will play for the Golden States Warriors after a long two-year injury layoff. Curry featured in the 2010 and 2014 FIBA Championships for Team USA but is still to play for them in the Olympics as he had to pull out due to an ankle injury.

Donovan Mitchell averaged 32.3 PPG in the NBA  Playoffs and looked unstoppable for the Utah Jazz, but after a disappointing exit in the second round, Mitchell has opted to not play for Team USA in the Tokyo Olympics after he injured his ankle in the series against the Clippers and the Jazz star will be on rehab this offseason. Mitchell played for the national team in the 2019 FIBA Championship, where he managed to average 13.1 PPG in a disappointing tournament for Team USA where they finished 7th.

Team USA roster

Team USA are shaping out to be a stunning side, Kevin Durant, James Harden, Bradley Beal, Devin Booker, Jayson Tatum, Draymond Green, Damian Lillard, Bam Adebayo have all committed to play at the Tokyo Olympics. This team looks stacked and definitely start as the favourite to finish at the podium. There are some uncertainties surrounding a few players as 16 of the 57 players selected in the final list are currently playing in the NBA  Conference Finals and it looks like many players would miss the trip to Tokyo, but keeping that aside players like Jayson Tatum, Bradley Beal and Kevin Durant are all proven scorers, and if they get going Team USA is on track to claim its 4th consecutive Gold medal.

Team USA Olympics schedule 

Team USA will have a camp prior to the Olympics in Las Vegas. They will take on France in their opening group game on July 25 and conclude their group stage fixtures on July 31. The Gold medal game is scheduled to be played on August 6. All the basketball games will be played at the Saitama Super Arena and the newly introduced 3x3 basketball will be played over a span of 5 days at the Aomi Urban Sports Park.

Image Credits: AP, Donovan Mitchell/Instagram