The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
06.27.2016 | Men's Basketball
Former Longhorn will make his second consecutive appearance at the Olympic Games after earning a Gold Medal in London in 2012.
Official Kevin Durant biography from USA Basketball
LAS VEGAS, Nev. — Former University of Texas standout Kevin Durant has been named to the 12-man 2016 United States Olympic Men's Basketball team roster, USA Basketball announced Monday morning. The roster was approved by the USA Basketball Board of Directors and is pending final approval by the United States Olympic Committee.
Durant will make his second consecutive appearance at the Olympic Games, after leading the United States to a Gold Medal in London in 2012. During the eight games at the 2012 Olympics, Durant led Team USA in scoring (19.5 ppg) and ranked second in rebounding (5.8 rpg) while averaging 26.0 minutes per contest. He added five blocks (led the team), 13 steals (second on the team) and 21 assists against nine turnovers.
Durant's 30 points in the 2012 gold medal game tied for the third-highest single-game total in U.S. Olympic history. His 156 points during the Olympic tournament set a record for most points scored by an American player in an Olympic competition, topping the previous mark of 145 set by Spencer Haywood in 1968 (Mexico City). In addition, Durant set the U.S. record for most three-pointers made in an Olympic tournament with 34 (previous mark was 17, shared by Kobe Bryant in 2008 and Reggie Miller in 1996).
Durant is the fourth player in Texas Basketball history to compete in the Olympics. He is the second former Longhorn to make multiple appearances at the Games, joining Albert Almanza who represented Mexico in 1960 and 1964.
The USA National Team will train July 18-21 in Las Vegas, prior to hosting the USA Basketball Showcase presented by Verizon that features the USA facing Argentina at the T-Mobile Arena on July 22 (8 p.m. CT). Team USA will play two exhibition games against 2015 FIBA Asia zone champ China, the first at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on July 24 (7 p.m. CT) and the second on July 26 (9 p.m. CT) at Oracle Arena in Oakland. Continuing its exhibition tour in Chicago, the USA will play on July 29 (8 p.m. CT) at the United Center against FIBA Americas gold medalist Venezuela and will conclude the USA Basketball Showcase facing 2015 FIBA Africa zone champion Nigeria on Aug. 1 (7 p.m. CT) at the Toyota Center in Houston.
The 2016 Summer Olympic Games will be held Aug. 5-21 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Twelve nations will compete in the 2016 Olympic men's basketball competition. Nations qualified for the Olympic competition include the host country, Brazil; the United States, which earned its berth by virtue of claiming the gold medal at the 2014 FIBA World Cup; Africa zone champ Nigeria; Venezuela (gold medalist) and Argentina (silver medalist) from FIBA Americas; FIBA Asia gold medalist China; Spain (gold medalist) and Lithuania (silver medalist) from FIBA Europe; and FIBA Oceania gold medalist Australia.
FIBA will host three Olympic Qualifying Tournaments (OQT), from which the remaining three nations will earn a berth to the Olympics. A total of 18 nations, six teams in each tourney, will compete for the right to advance to Rio. Turin, Italy will host one OQT from July 4-10, and the field features Croatia, Greece, Iran, Italy, Mexico and Tunisia. Belgrade, Serbia, will host the second OQT from July 4-10, and that field includes Angola, Czech Republic, Latvia, Japan, Puerto Rico and Serbia. The third and final OQT will be held in Manila, Philippines from July 5-11, and the field includes Canada, France, New Zealand, Philippines, Senegal and Turkey. The gold medalist from each of the three FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments will punch its ticket to the 2016 Olympic men's basketball tournament.
Men's basketball preliminary play at the 2016 Olympics will be held Aug. 6-15. Quarterfinal play is scheduled for Aug. 17, with the semifinals set for Aug. 19 and the gold and bronze medal games on Aug. 21.
Gilbert "Gib" Ford, a three-year letterwinner at Texas (1952-54) earned a gold medal with Team USA at the 1956 Melbourne Games. Ford, who had finished his playing career at UT in 1954, was 25 at the time of the Olympics and enlisted in the U.S. Armed Forces. Ford played in all eight games and averaged 4.9 points per contest, as the Americans went 8-0 in Melbourne and posted a +53.5 points per game margin of victory en route to the gold medal.
A three-year letterwinner for the Longhorns (1958-60) who garnered All-America honors as a senior, Jay Arnette earned a gold medal with Team USA at the 1960 Rome Olympics. Arnette, who had just completed his collegiate ability, played in all eight games and averaged 2.9 points per contest. The U.S. squad went 8-0 mark in Rome and recorded a +42.4 points per game margin of victory en route to the gold medal.
Almanza, a three-year letterwinner at Texas (1959-61), was a two-time member of the Mexican Olympic team. In the 1960 Rome Olympics, Almanza served as a co-captain and led the team in scoring (19.8 ppg) while helping Mexico to a 4-4 record and a 12th-place finish. He returned for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics and again led the squad in scoring (14.7 ppg) while helping Mexico to a 3-6 mark and a 12th-place finish.
2016 U.S. Olympic Men's Basketball Team Roster
|
Name |
Position |
Current Team/College or HS |
|
Carmelo Anthony |
F |
New York Knicks/Syracuse |
|
Harrison Barnes |
F |
Golden State Warriors/North Carolina |
|
Jimmy Butler |
G |
Chicago Bulls/Marquette |
|
DeMarcus Cousins |
F |
Sacramento Kings/Kentucky |
|
DeMar DeRozan |
G |
Toronto Raptors/USC |
|
Kevin Durant |
G/F |
Oklahoma City Thunder/Texas |
|
Paul George |
G/F |
Indiana Pacers/Fresno State |
|
Draymond Green |
F |
Golden State Warriors/Michigan State |
|
Kyrie Irving |
G |
Cleveland Cavaliers/Duke |
|
DeAndre Jordan |
C |
Los Angeles Clippers/Texas A&M |
|
Kyle Lowry |
G |
Toronto Raptors/Villanova |
|
Klay Thompson |
G |
Golden State Warriors/Washington State |
Texas Basketball Players who have Participated in the Olympic Games
|
Year (Site) |
Player |
Country |
Team Result |
|
1956 (Melbourne) |
Gib Ford |
United States |
Gold Medal |
|
1960 (Rome) |
Jay Arnette |
United States |
Gold Medal |
|
1960 (Rome) |
Albert Almanza |
Mexico |
12th Place |
|
1964 (Tokyo) |
Albert Almanza |
Mexico |
12th Place |
|
2012 (London) |
Kevin Durant |
United States |
Gold Medal |
