Inside The Thunder

Chris Paul Won't be Going to Tokyo

The Olympics have been postponed till 2021 leaving three members of the Thunder's Olympic hopes in the air.
Erik Gee|
Chris Paul Won't be Going to Tokyo
Chris Paul Won't be Going to Tokyo

International Olympic Committee member Dick Pound is saying the 2020  Olympic Games will be postponed most likely Till next Summer. Pound says, "On the basis of the information the IOC has, postponement has been decided."... "The parameters going forward have not been determined, but the Games are not going to start on July 24, that much I know."

Those quotes come from a story in USA Today. It's hard to determine what good news is in our current state of flux. 

On the one hand, the fact that Chris Paul, Lou Dort, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander won't have to worry about getting COVID-19 from other Olympians is a blessing. On the other hand, especially for Paul, 2020 might be your last shot at competing for your country. 

In February, Paul was named one of 44 finalists for Team USA.  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.

Paul's sensational season with the Thunder is garnering him support from players and Team USA coaches. Paul is being seen as taking on the same role he has in Oklahoma City mentoring young players through the Olympic experience. 

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski says, "There is a lot of traction for Chris Paul to be on this 2020 Olympic team."...." I'm I'm told, Jerry Coloango, Greg Popovich, they really like the idea of Chris Paul a little bit in that Jason Kidd role from 2008." Kidd helped lead the U.S. to perfect 8-0 record, and a Gold Medal in 08 Paul was also part of that team.  

Dort and Gilgeous-Alexander were slated to play for Team Canda in Tokyo. Considering both are still young, there is a good chance they will be ready to go in 2021. 

Diallo Seeking Your Help:

Hamidou Diallo wants your help with Guinea's unclean drinking water. We've posted Diallo's tweet below.  The tweet has instructions on how you can get more involved in the process. Diallo's parents immigrated from Guinea to New York.  

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Erik Gee
ERIK GEE

With more than 20 years of experience hosting local and national radio shows, Erik Gee is a fixture of Oklahoma sports media. He has covered the Oklahoma City Thunder for the past six seasons. He is also the co-host of the Pat Jones show on 97.1 The Sports Animal in Tulsa. 

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