By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Former NBA commissioner David Stern said he believes that the reason so many NBA stars withdrew from joining Team USA for the 2019 World Cup, was the fact that they didn’t want to play in back-to-back summer tournaments.
Here’s what Stern said to The Undefeated. The interview was published prior to Team USA’s defeat to France in the quarterfinals.
What’s your take on notable players dropping out of the World Cup team?
FIBA made a mistake moving the World Cup into odd years. And as a result, you are asking players to play in the FIBA world championship, play in the season and then play in the Olympics. And I think that pushed a lot of players to feel that they should make a choice between back-to-back years of international competition. And that’s it. I actually love the idea that there are a bunch of young players that are playing in the World Cup. I hope they win. But I think they will, and I think it’s exciting to see the young players step out and be recognized.