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Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal will join the USA Basketball men’s national team for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium.
Washington Wizards star Bradley Beal has committed to Team USA for the Tokyo Olympics, sources tell me and @joevardon. Beal joins Portland’s Damian Lillard, Boston’s Jayson Tatum and Golden State’s Draymond Green among initial pledges.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 18, 2021
Beal is the second Washington Wizards player who will be on an Olympic team, if all goes according to plan. He will join forward Rui Hachimura who will represent Japan, the host country.
The news is also historic for the Wizards. Since NBA players were allowed to participate in the Olympics in 1992, no Wizards player has been on the American men’s team. Now, the cold stretch has been broken and Beal will have a chance to lead (yes, LEAD) the USA to their fourth consecutive gold medal.
With Beal and Hachimura, one of Japan’s biggest athletic figures already, this should help Beal and the Wizards improve their profile during the Games and next season.
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