Colangelo: USA Basketball won't hold tryouts for Tokyo 2020

LAS VEGAS, NV - AUGUST 05: Head Coach Gregg Popovich of USA Basketball and Coach Jerry Colangelo are seen during the game at Mendenhall Center on the University of Nevada, Las Vegas campus on August 05, 2019 in Las Vegas Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE
Andrew D. Bernstein / National Basketball Association / Getty

USA Basketball managing director Jerry Colangelo revealed Wednesday how he and head coach Gregg Popovich will determine the final roster for Tokyo 2020.

After numerous players attended training camp for the 2019 World Cup only to pull out at the last minute, Colangelo vowed not to repeat the same mistake.

"Pop and I are going to not have a tryout. We're not going through that again," Colangelo told Frank Isola and Amin Elhassan on SiriusXM NBA Radio. "We're just going to pick 12 players."

Colangelo added that an announcement for the final cut will be made during the first week of June.

USA Basketball recently named the 44 finalists - including LeBron James and Stephen Curry - for its Olympic squad.

The 80-year-old executive wanted a group of players who committed to the national team in the past and would represent the United States in Tokyo if selected.

"We took the players that we felt had equity," Colangelo said. "In other words, they had played for us in previous competitions ... and basically, they're all there because they were asked a simple question. If you're asked, 'Are you in or are you out?' They all said, 'We're in.'

"So we have a whole group of 44 who all want to play. That's how I look at it."

The Americans are the three-time defending gold medalists.

XRedditFacebookWhatsAppEmailSMS