Grant Holloway picks Dallas Mavericks for the NBA Finals days after setting the world lead in 110m hurdles

By Soumik Bhattacharya

Modified May 29, 2024 20:36 GMT

Grant Holloway, a silver medalist at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, recently declared which team he believes has the best chance of making it to the NBA Finals. This comes just a few days after his superb performance in the men's 110-meter hurdles event at the recently concluded Prefontaine Classic.

In the Hayward Park competition, Holloway once again demonstrated his abilities, defeating Daniel Roberts, the bronze medalist from the 2023 World Championships, by 0.10 seconds to secure the gold medal and establish a new world record (13.03 seconds).

A few days after this big win, the 26-year-old caught up with United States Track and Field (USATF) for an interview. During the interview, he was asked about the team that would make it to this season's NBA Finals. In response, Holloway said:

"Dallas Mavericks"

The Mavericks are currently in the fifth position of the NBA West Conference with 50 wins and 32 losses. They have won seven of their last ten outings and have faced defeat three times.

Grant Holloway clinches gold at the World Athletics Indoor Championships

Grant Holloway produced a superb performance in Glasgow to win his second consecutive World Athletics Indoor Championships title in the men's 60-meter hurdles event. The Virginia native's winning run in the indoor hurdles now stands at nine years.

The 26-year-old defeated Italian hurdler Lorenzo Simonelli, who recorded a run time of 7.43 seconds, by crossing the finish line in just 7.29 seconds. Just Kwaou-Mathey, the bronze medallist from the 2022 European Championships, came in third with 7.47 seconds.

However, Grant Holloway's major focus for this season will be on the quadrennial event in Paris, in which he will aim to win his first-ever Olympic gold. His previous attempt in Tokyo, where he finished second behind Hansle Parcement, was agonizingly close.

Recently, in an interview with NBC Sports, Holloway opened up about his plans to win a gold medal at the upcoming Olympics in Paris. He stated:

"In Tokyo, I wasn’t on my A game, and it showed. Some of the times when you win so much, I think it kind of overshadows what you actually accomplish. A silver medal for myself, my first Olympics, is amazing. Don’t get me wrong. I would love to have gold. Ever since that race, I don’t believe I’ve lost a major (race) yet."

However, in order to realize his Olympic dream, Holloway will need to deliver a strong performance at the trials, which are scheduled for next month.