Texas Basketball: Three Former Longhorns Named Finalists for 2020 Olympic Team
Three former University of Texas basketball players have a chance to represent the United States in the 2020 Olympics.
The United States Men's Basketball organization released its list of 44 finalists today. It included former Texas players LaMarcus Aldridge, Kevin Durant and Myles Turner.
Durant is already a two-time Olympic Gold Medalist, playing on two undefeated championship teams in 2012 and 2016.
Turner, currently with the Indiana Pacers, played on the Longhorns' 2014-15 team, averaging 10.1 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game. The former McDonalds All American was the Big 12 Freshman of the Year. He was the No. 11 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft following his one season on the Forty Acres. Turner played in the 2019 United States FIBA Basketball World Cup team, which was also coached by the San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich.
Aldridge was a third-team All American and first-team All-Big 12 honoree at Texas, where he played from 2004-06. He was drafted No. 2 overall by the Chicago Bulls but traded to the Portland Trailblazers. He currently plays for the San Antonio Spurs.
Durant is one of the most recognizable athletes on the planet. He played at Texas for one season in 2007 when he was a first-team All American and consensus college player of the year. His number 35 is one of only three Longhorn basketball jerseys to be retired in program history. Durant is highly unlikely to play on this year's team as he is still recovering from a torn Achilles tendon that will sideline him for the entire 2019-20 NBA season.