6/23/16 UPDATE:
Paul George has accepted an invite to play for Team USA in the 2016 Rio Olympics. Following from Marc J. Spears of ESPN.
Pacers guard Paul George has accepted an invitation to play for USA Basketball’s 2016 Rio Olympics team, a source told The Undefeated.
(Original Story from 6/2/16)
After suffering a gruesome leg injury during a Team USA scrimmage in the summer of 2014, Indiana Pacers All-Star Paul George has announced that he will “give it a go” this summer in the Olympics, according to ESPN.
The annual Olympics, held every four years in case for some reason you didn’t know, is the mega-event of events. It’s the real deal. Superstars like Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and others have represented America in the events’ Basketball portion for Team USA over the years.
Who would want to miss this?
Unfortunately, the grind of the NBA season is sometimes wears a player down. In many cases, it causes NBA players to want the summer off. In other instances, injuries play a key role in keeping players out as well. Wizards All-Star John Wall will likely miss the Olympics this year due to knee surgery, it was announced last month.
George, knowing this was his first season back from injury, originally doubted he could play for Team USA this summer.
“I was just hesitant on the simple fact that, the past couple years has obviously been tough for me — just felt like I didn’t have enough time to myself, and time to recover, and you know, give my body a rest. I didn’t want to jump out of a season, jump right into the Olympics. But I think I kind of said that too prematurely.
“I didn’t give myself enough time to really think it through. I think since I’ve been off, my body’s telling me yes, my mind is telling me yes, people around me are telling me yes. So I feel good about it. And, you know … I want to give it a shot.”
Other factors besides injuries can affect player decisions as well. For Pau Gasol, a widespread deadly illness is making him second-guess himself over representing Spain this summer.
Paul George, a three-time NBA All-Star, had an inconsistent year with the Pacers. Despite starting off hot for the club, George’s numbers gradually regressed as the season moved on, a clear sign of possible fatigue from the NBA season.
Nonetheless, George remains committed to representing his country if his body continues to hold up. He has never played in the Olympics before, something most can only dream of doing.
Despite the slight drop-off from George, he still had his typical stellar year with Indiana. Leading his team to a Playoff berth and taking the Raptors to seven games, George averaged 23.1 points and 7 rebounds per game this season.
Paul George would be a valuable commodity to a USA team seeking another Gold medal this summer.
