FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019: 5 Team USA players who have withdrawn from the tournament
The FIBA World Cup is one of basketball's most exciting events. It is a tournament that features the best players in the world. Players from all over the globe play for their country's team in hopes of winning the gold medal. It is a highly competitive, exciting event that basketball fans from all over the world can enjoy.
The World Cup began in 1950. The first event took place in Argentina and featured ten teams. Argentina won the gold medal as they beat the United States.
Since then, the event is held typically held every four years and has grown to 32 teams. The last World Cup took place in Spain. This year, the World Cup is in China.
The World Cup begins on August 31 and ends on September 15. The 32 teams will battle each other until two teams remain. Those teams become the gold and silver medalists. In the 2014 World Cup, Team USA beat Serbia to win the gold medal. Serbia won the silver medal as they lost the game by 37 points. This blowout gave Team USA their fifth tournament win since the event's inception. They first won in 1954, then later won in 1986, 1994, 2010, and 2014.
Throughout the years, Team USA has had several talented teams. While this year's team is no exception, they are missing several players as they approach the start of training camp. In the past few weeks, players have withdrawn from Team USA for different reasons. Now, Team USA's roster is a bit different and makes their journey more difficult.
While they have enough talent to win, other nations have incredible teams that can potentially compete with USA. So, USA has their hands full. Here are five marquee players that have withdrawn from Team USA's World Cup team.
#5 Kevin Love
On Wednesday, 24 July, Kevin Love announced his decision to withdraw from Team USA's World Cup team. Shams Charania and Joe Vardon were the first to break the news. Love is one of many players to withdraw, and he is the latest to do so. He could have played a big role with the team but decided to sit the World Cup out.
Last season, Love played 22 games. He battled a left foot injury as the Cavs struggled through the season. Love returned in February and managed to boost his season averages 17 points and 10.9 rebounds. For a player like Love, withdrawing from the team makes sense.
Love is coming off his injury and is a player who typically deals with injuries throughout the season. He should use this time to rest and prepare for the upcoming season, as he'll likely be the first (scoring) option for the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs have a young group of players such as Collin Sexton, Cedi Osman, and Darius Garland, but they still need a veteran for leadership and offense. Love is that veteran.
Kevin Love has a busy season ahead of him and should use this time as a way to prepare for the same.