When a stacked, veteran Team USA heads to training camp in Las Vegas in a week, they need some quality players to play against — some sparring partners who can push them a little.
Enter the USA Select Team, a group of handpicked young college and NBA stars — potential future members of the senior Team USA — for the veterans to scrimmage against. It’s also an excellent opportunity for young NBA players on the rise to get a look at how the best in the game prepare and take care of their bodies.
The 2024 Select Team 👊@OrlandoMagic head coach Jamahl Mosley will serve as head coach of the Select Team that will train with the 🇺🇸 #USABMNT in Las Vegas pic.twitter.com/BV2UTxbGRn
— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) June 28, 2024
This year’s USA Select Team is headlined by Cooper Flagg, who is headed to Duke and is currently projected to have his name called first in the 2025 NBA Draft.
The full list of players is:
• Jalen Duren (Detroit Pistons)
• Cooper Flagg (Duke University)
• Langston Galloway (Free Agent)
• Nigel Hayes-Davis (Fenerbahçe, Turkey)
• Trayce Jackson-Davis (Golden State Warriors)
• Jaime Jaquez Jr. (Miami Heat)
• Brandon Miller (Charlotte Hornets)
• Trey Murphy (New Orleans Pelicans)
• Keegan Murray (Sacramento Kings)
• Brandin Podziemski (Golden State Warriors)
• Micah Potter (Utah Jazz/Salt Lake City Stars)
• Payton Pritchard (Boston Celtics)
• Jabari Smith Jr. (Houston Rockets)
• Jalen Suggs (Orlando Magic)
• Amen Thompson (Houston Rockets)
“As a former member of the USA Select Team, I know how important and fun this opportunity is for each of these players,” said Grant Hill, USA Basketball Men’s National Team managing director. “There is a tremendous amount of t
alent on this Select squad with the significant job of helping the 2024 USA Men’s National Team as they begin their journey to the Olympics. Each of these athletes will play a role in our preparation as we also develop the national team pipeline for the future.”
Part of the reason to have Galloway and Hayes-Davis on the team is they played for Team USA during the qualifying rounds for the FIBA World Cup (which happens during the NBA season so the biggest names cannot attend). They understand the nuances of the international game and how it is officiated differently.
These players will scrimmage against Team USA, which consists of: Devin Booker, Stephen Curry, Anthony Edwards, Tyrese Haliburton, Jrue Holiday, Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, Jayson Tatum, Anthony Davis, Bam Adebayo and Joel Embiid.
USA training camp starts in Las Vegas on July 6 and runs for four days, followed by an exhibition against a stacked Canadian National team on July 10. NBC Sports will be on hand in Vegas with updates on all the news out of training camp as the USA prepares to defend its gold medal at the Paris Olympics.
