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The 11-man roster for USA Basketball, filled with NBA stars, was reported by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski on Monday. Although the 12th spot reportedly will remain open until some careful consideration on who will be selected, there are a few who felt some players were snubbed.
The 11-man roster consists of LeBron James, Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Anthony Davis, Anthony Edwards, Joel Embiid, Jayson Tatum, Jrue Holiday, Tyrese Haliburton and Bam Adebayo.
With the star power they have for the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, many expect them to win gold. For this list, let's take a look at which players were snubbed in the 11-man roster for Team USA.
Also read: Team USA Basketball Paris Olympics roster: All 11 finalists revealed
5 players snubbed from Team USA Basketball Paris Olympics roster
#5, Paul George
Paul George has experience playing internationally as part of the 2016 Olympic roster for USA Basketball. He's also been healthy this season for the LA Clippers, as he played 74 games. George helped the country win gold in 2016 and finished fourth in scoring for the team.
George can still be selected as the 12th man as they may need his two-way presence.
#4, Paolo Banchero
Despite being part of USA Basketball last summer, Paolo Banchero was not selected for the 11-man roster. Banchero had a great season as he led the Orlando Magic to the fifth seed. This season will be the Magic's first playoff appearance since drafting the forward.
Last year, he had 9.3 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists for Team USA. His presence was important to the team and could've also been useful for this year's USA Basketball iteration.
#3, Jalen Brunson
The unforgettable USA roster in 2023 had a few notable names. One of those was Jalen Brunson, who was important to the team's success. For this season, he became an All-Star for the first time in his career, and his international experience played a lot in it.
Many believe that Brunson should've been named among the initial roster finalists. The team will miss out on his scoring prowess.
#2, Kyrie Irving
Fans miss the showmanship that Kyrie Irving often displays in games. As part of the 2016 roster that won the gold medal, many thought that Team USA would consider him as a finalist. However, the scoring guard was left off the list.
This could've been the perfect opportunity to see Irving reunite with James and Durant.
#1, Kawhi Leonard
Scoring is the one thing that the current group can do extremely well. What they'll need is a defensive wing who can lock up the other team's best players. That should've been the perfect opportunity for the team to have Kawhi Leonard as part of the roster.
Leonard has not played internationally. But with the star power, it will be an easy transition for him to focus on defense and try to contend for gold.
Guess the Lakers players!
