Trae Young Reacts to Team USA Snub From 2023 World Cup Roster

The Hawks point guard had plenty to say about the decision.

Team USA is set to take part in the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup from Aug. 25 to Sept. 10, and ahead of the action in the Philippines, Indonesia and Japan, there have been numerous questions about the team’s current roster. Although the lineup includes players such as Anthony Edwards, Paolo Banchero, Brandon Ingram, Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, Tyrese Haliburton and Jaren Jackson Jr., one notable player was disappointed not to receive an invitation.

Trae Young.

One could easily make an argument that Young would be among the top two or three players on Team USA’s World Cup roster. The Hawks guard has been named to two NBA All-Star teams and was a third-team All-NBA selection in 2022, yet he was omitted from this group.

During a recent interview with longtime NBA guard Gilbert Arenas on the Gil’s Arena podcast, Young certainly sounded as if he wanted an opportunity to play for Team USA but didn’t get the chance.

“I would love to play with guys and show off my passing and not have to go out and score a lot and just be there if they need me to,” Young said. “I’d be happy to, obviously, I’d love to play, but I respect the OGs and understand you need to take your turn, but I believe that I should be on there,” Young said.

Arenas went on to address what he described as a “sorry a-- group,” and called it “embarrassing” that there are star players who want to play for Team USA but the response seems to be to “automatically say, ‘Yeah, he’s not gonna fit our style.’”

It’s an interesting situation for Young, especially when factoring in that he openly stated he would have loved to play at the World Cup and believes he should be on the roster—which appears to be a fair assessment on his part.