NBA News 2016: USA Basketball Releases Finalist List For Rio Olympics; Kevin Durant, John Wall Named Players Of The Week

By Miguel Vasquez, Christian Post Contributor Saturday, January 23, 2016

Team USA has announced the 30 finalists who will be part of the basketball team that will be competing in the upcoming 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in August.

According to the USA Basketball official website, the list includes 18 players who have collected 29 gold medals and six bronze for the Olympics and FIBA World Cup.

Some of the notable standouts are 2015 Most Valuable Player Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors, 2014 MVP Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder, eight-time NBA All-Star Chris Paul of the Los Angeles Clippers, Carmelo Anthony of the New York Knicks, and LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The list also includes more NBA superstars such as James Harden of the Houston Rockets, Kawhi Leonard of the San Antonio Spurs, Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Kevin Love of the Cleveland Cavaliers, and Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors.

The full list can be found here.

According to USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo, making the list to comprise the team was a rather difficult task, particularly noting the "remarkable commitment" of the said players for the national team.

"The depth of talent that exists in the national team program is extraordinary," Colangelo said. "Repeating as gold medalists at the 2016 Olympics will not be easy, but we feel confident that we have 30 finalists who offer amazing basketball abilities and special versatility."

The team will be mentored by Duke University Hall-of-Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski, and will be assisted by fellow college basketball coach Jim Boehim from Duke, and Tom Thibodeau and Monty Williams, both from the Oklahoma Thunder.

Meanwhile, the Thunder's Kevin Durant and the Washington Wizards' John Wall were named Eastern and Western Conference Players of the week for their respective performances from January 11th-17th.

In a report by NBA.com, Wall was able to lead his team to a 3-1 week, where he piled in 25.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 9.8 assists, and 3.0 steals. Durant, on the other hand, led his team to a four-game winning streak, where he averaged 26.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 4.3 assists.