Durant, Booker banner US Olympic squad

LOS ANGELES – Kevin Durant will spearhead a powerful United States basketball team chasing a fourth consecutive Olympic gold medal after being named in the squad for next month’s Tokyo Games on Monday.

Brooklyn Nets star Durant was included in a 12-man roster which will be led by San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich with assistant coaches Steve Kerr, Lloyd Pierce and Jay Wright.

Several notable NBA stars are not part of the squad, including LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Steph Curry.

James had indicated after the Los Angeles Lakers’ playoff exit that he planned to concentrate on his fitness, along with Davis, who spent large parts of last season dealing with injuries.

Curry is skipping the Olympics after previously indicating an interest in playing in Tokyo.

The squad contains only three players – Phoenix’ Devin Booker and Milwaukee duo Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday – currently playing in the NBA playoffs.

The NBA finals are scheduled to finish on July 22 – a day before the Olympics open in Tokyo on July 23.

“I’m happy for the selected players and looking forward to having the opportunity to work with this wonderful group when practice gets under way on July 6 in Las Vegas,” said Popovich.

“I’m excited to represent the United States in our quest to earn a gold medal in Tokyo.”

The others named to the US Olympic basketball squad are Bam Adebayo (Miami Heat), Bradley Beal (Washington Wizards), Jerami Grant (Detroit Pistons), Draymond Green (Golden State Warriors),  Zach LaVine (Chicago Bulls), Damian Lillard (Portland Trail Blazers), Kevin Love (Cleveland Cavaliers), and Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics).

USA men’s team managing director Jerry Colangelo said the disruption caused by the pandemic, which forced the 2020-2021 NBA season to run later than usual, made selection of the team “challenging.”