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Damian Lillard and Bobby Portis make it to the player pool for the Paris Summer Olympics

Damian Lillard and Bobby Portis have a shot at making Team USA again.

Matthew Dugandzic

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USA Basketball has released a list of 41 players that make up the pool for the team competing in the Paris Summer Olympics. Aside from the biggest names in American basketball, such as LeBron James, Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, Joel Embiid, and Jayson Tatum, the list includes Milwaukee Bucks aces Damian Lillard and Bobby Portis.

Olympic gold medalist

Lillard, a seven-time All-Star and All-NBA team member, already has experience playing basketball at the FIBA level, as he was part of the Team USA squad that won the gold medal in the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics. Lillard was one of the team’s leading scorers, averaging 11.2 points and 3.2 assists, including 11 markers in Team USA’s gold-medal-clinching win over France in the finals.

Portis also has experience donning the Team USA jersey, as he played in the 2023 FIBA World Cup in the Philippines, where they finished in fourth place.

Build-up for the Summer Olympics

USA Basketball’s managing director, Grant Hill, relayed that having the NBA’s biggest stars in the player pool goes a long way toward building a squad that could help them reclaim supremacy on the world stage.

“The United States boasts unbelievable basketball talent, and I am thrilled that many of the game’s superstars have expressed interest in representing our country at the 2024 Olympic Summer Games,” Hill said.

“It is a privilege to select the team that will help us toward the goal of once again standing atop the Olympic podium. This challenging process will unfold over the next several months as we eagerly anticipate the start of national team activity.”

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Matthew Dugandzic
MATTHEW DUGANDZIC

Matthew finished his bachelor's degree in Economics (Management) at the University of Split and got his master's degree in the same field at the University of Zadar. Whether it is playing the game as an undersized 6'3'' power forward or simply watching it, Matthew can't get enough of it. After all, he has been an avid NBA fan since the 2000s. But don't get him wrong, as Matthew still loves the old-school NBA and is a true student of the game. From on-court moments to off-court stuff, whether it's about the stars of modern-day basketball or legends of the game, Matthew covers every category of the NBA world and basketball in general, as long as it makes for an engaging and exciting story.