Chris Paul Named Finalist for USA Basketball
From Thunder Public Relations:
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Chris Paul was named a finalist for the 2020 U.S. Olympic Men’s Team, it was announced today by USA Basketball.
Paul is a two-time gold medalist, previously representing the United States in both the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games. He holds a perfect 16-0 record in Olympic play, registering averages of 8.3 points, 3.1 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 2.38 steals in 12.8 minutes. With the 2012 U.S. Olympic team in London, Paul started in each game and grabbed a team-best 20 steals. In Beijing in 2008, he led the team with 33 assists and ranked second with 18 steals.
While all finalists possess international experience, Paul ranks second only to LeBron James with 50 international games under his belt, including a bronze medal at the 2006 FIBA World Championship in Japan.
The 2020 U.S. Olympic Men’s Basketball Team finalists include 44 players from around the NBA. The official, 12-member 2020 U.S. Olympic Men’s Team that will compete in Tokyo will be comprised of players from this group of finalists and announced at a later date. Only three players have earned the honor of becoming three-time U.S. Olympic male basketball players (Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James and David Robinson).
In 52 games with the Thunder this season, Paul is averaging 17.2 points, a team-leading 6.6 assists, 5.0 rebounds and a team-best 1.58 steals per game and is slated to make his 10th-career All-Star appearance.
