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sports Thursday 3 december 2020

Popovich knows filling U.S. Olympic roster may be a challenge

By TIM REYNOLDS Curry, Draymond Green,
AP Basketball Writer Devin Booker, James Hard-
Game 7 of the 2021 NBA en and more all said enter-
Finals, as of now, would be ing last season that they
played on July 22. were interested in playing
The opening cermony of in the Tokyo Games.
the Tokyo Olympics, as of That, of course, was months
now, would be the next before the coronavirus
day. struck and changed so
And when presented with much.
this potential scheduling The complexities aren’t just
conundrum, San Antonio limited to U.S. players.
coach Gregg Popovich — Many international play-
who will coach USA Basket- ers — like Milwaukee’s
ball men’s national team at two-time MVP Giannis An-
the next Olympics — came tetokounmpo of Greece
up with a very quick, very and Denver’s Nikola Jokic
lighthearted solution. of Serbia — have said they
“I don’t think we’re going would like to play, but their
to let the finals go seven nations need to still qualify
games,” Popovich said. next summer just to get to
All jokes aside, Popovich Tokyo and those qualifying
knows that the NBA sched- In this Sept. 1, 2019, file photo, U.S. coach Gregg Popovich talks to players before a Group E match rounds will take place dur-
ule and how it comes very against the Czech Republic in the FIBA Basketball World Cup in Shanghai. ing the NBA playoffs. To-
close to the start of the re- Associated Press ronto coach Nick Nurse is
scheduled Tokyo Games slated to coach Canada in
will be a challenge for USA this scenario, as it stands first step in what the Ameri- team could be picked in its efforts to qualify; he, too,
Basketball to navigate next right now, does seem prob- cans hope is a somewhat mid-to-late June, around may face a schedule con-
year when choosing the 12 lematic in the sense that or- normal sequence of events the end of the second flict if the Raptors go deep
players who will try to win a ganizing things and figuring leading up to the Tokyo round of the NBA playoffs. into the playoffs again.
fourth consecutive men’s out who’s going to be part Games. “We know there’s so many Popovich sounded confi-
Olympic gold medal. of the team is yet to be de- The 2016 Olympic team variables,” said Sean Ford, dent that the U.S. is more
Popovich will be head termined.” was picked about six weeks USA Basketball’s men’s than capable of figuring
coach of the Olympic There is a plan. As with ev- before the start of the Rio national team director. things out.
team for the first time, suc- erything else in a coronavi- Games, allowing time for “We’re going to talk to all “The timing does make ev-
ceeding Duke coach Mike rus world, it’s tentative, but a training camp and exhi- the organizations that we erything difficult,” Popovich
Krzyzewski. there is a plan. bitions before heading to can, to try to find a path- said. “And it will demand
“The Olympics is always on The pool of finalists — if past Brazil. If the same timetable way to include as many some real soul-searching
my mind, just as Coach K form holds, it’ll be around holds next year — and as- NBA players in our final ros- and out-of-the-box type
told me it would be,” Popo- 40 or 50 names — will be suming the NBA schedule ter as possible.” of thinking to put together
vich said Tuesday. “You revealed by USA Basketball isn’t changed along the Plenty of elite NBA players the best team we possibly
can’t get away from it. So, sometime in early 2021, the way — the U.S. Olympic like LeBron James, Stephen can.”q
Gwen Berry wins humanitarian award, insists U.S. can do better

By EDDIE PELLS outspoken skeptic of the want to speak for people
AP National Writer USOPC when it took steps who can’t speak for them-
Gwen Berry won a human- to deal with social injustice selves.” For winning the
itarian award Wednesday issues in the aftermath of award, Berry gets $10,000
for raising social justice is- George Floyd’s killing in to distribute to charities of
sues in the United States May. Berry has consulted her choice. The beneficia-
— a journey that began in with the USOPC but de- ries are all schools that en-
2019 when she raised her clined a spot on athlete- courage minority students:
fist on the medals stand at led committees that were Fannie Lou Hamer Free-
the Pan-Am Games during formed to tackle some dom School (New York),
the national anthem. of the issues, including New Era Prep (South Flor-
Berry, the 31-year-old the federation’s stance ida) and Scholars Educa-
hammer thrower, won on controversial Rule 50, tion Centre (New Orleans).
the Toyota Humanitar- which bars protests at the Berry captured head-
ian Award, given annually Olympics. Still, Berry says lines for making the same
by USA Track and Field, she will not stand by quietly gesture in Lima that John In this Aug. 10, 2019, file photo, Gwendolyn “Gwen” Berry of
for her role in the debate at the Olympics next year. Carlos and Tommie Smith the United States waves as she is introduced at the start of the
about social inequality on “I am an American, but I made in 1968 at the Mex- women’s hammer throw final during athletics competition at
the Pan American Games in Lima, Peru.
and off the playing field can honestly say I’m not ico City Games. Carlos Associated Press
over the past 16 months. proud of things this coun- and Smith got sent home;
The U.S. Olympic and try stands for, and we can the USOPC sent Berry a let- over the summer did the months to come up with
Paralympic Committee do better,” she said in an ter of reprimand. USOPC appear to get se- solutions the U.S. might ask
placed Berry on proba- interview with The Associ- Not until Floyd’s death rious about spearheading for from the IOC, which has
tion for her actions after ated Press. “I want to rep- in police custody in Min- change. Dozens of ath- appointed its own athletes
winning a gold medal in resent people who cannot neapolis sparked social letes have been meet- committee to discuss Rule
August 2019. Berry was an represent themselves and I unrest across America ing over the past several 50 and related issues.q