By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Carrying international experience from the 2016 Olympic Games and the 2014 FIBA World Cup, Kyrie Irving is set to sit out the 2024 Olympic Games.
“I just didn’t fit into this team,” the Melbourne-born American combo guard reacted to missing the cut, “The deliberation process was a tough one. But again, I have nothing but respect for those guys over at USA Basketball.”
“At this point in my career, I think my focus should be on winning a championship and in the summertime just going to support those guys when I get a chance,” he added referring to the Dallas Mavericks getting ready to compete in the 2024 NBA Playoffs presented by Google Pixel.
“I grew up in a time when we actually had to try out for USAB,” he recalled securing a spot in the final squad for the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games, “We did meet up as a group and as peers and there was a mutual respect that we earned from one another in trying out and seeing what five meshed well.”
“The timing is a little different but I kind of miss those days of just being able to get everybody together, break bread, and then compete against one another, and then the deliberation process happens,” he mentioned.
Irving earned a gold medal for representing the United States in Rio de Janeiro. Two years earlier, he helped finish first in the World Cup in Spain.
Photo Credit: FIBA.BASKETBALL