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Kevin Durant, Damian Lillard headline U.S. Olympic men's basketball roster

Kevin Durant, Damian Lillard headline U.S. Olympic men's basketball roster
Posted at 8:14 AM, Jun 24, 2021
and last updated 2021-06-24 10:49:28-04

After days of players revealing their intent to play for Team USA at the Summer Olympics, the roster is reportedly set for the men's U.S. basketball team headed to Tokyo.

Headlined by two-time NBA champion Kevin Durant and six-time NBA All-Star Damian Lillard, Team USA is once again expected to be one of the favorites for gold at the Olympics. Joining Durant and Lillard will be Bam Adebayo, Bradley Beal, Devin Booker, Jerami Grant, Draymond Green, Jrue Holiday, Zach LaVine, Kevin Love, Chris Middleton and Jayson Tatum.

Shams Charania of Stadium and The Athletic was the first to report the 12-player Olympic roster.

Durant, 32, will be playing in his third consecutive Olympics after helping Team USA win gold in London and Rio. The 11-time NBA All-Star is coming off his first season with the Brooklyn Nets in which he finished with a career-high .537 field goal percentage and averaged 26.9 points per game.

SEE MORE: Rio 2016: USA routs Serbia for third straight gold medal

Also returning to the Olympics will be Draymond Green, who helped the U.S. win gold in Rio. The 31-year-old is a three-time NBA champion and former NBA Defensive Player of the Year. The three-time All-Star remains one of the top defensive players in basketball and figures to be a key cog for Team USA in the paint.

Lillard, meanwhile, will be making his Olympic debut in Tokyo. Often called "Logo Lillard" for his shooting ability from beyond the arc, the 30-year-old (he turns 31 just before the start of the Olympics) is likely to play a key role for Team USA as one of the squad's top point producers.

Beal, who is fresh off the best season of his career, will also making his Olympic debut this summer. At 27 years old, Beal finished second in the entire NBA in points per game for the second consecutive year. Only Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry (32.0 PPG) was a more efficient scorer than Beal (31.3 PPG) during the 2020-21 season.

The Olympic men's basketball tournament will kick off on Sunday, July 25 at Saitama Super Arena in Japan.