SYDNEY (Australia) – Josh Giddey, Josh Green, Dyson Daniels and Duop Reath will make their Olympic bows after being named in the squad for the Summer Games in France.
With experienced campaigners and international basketball icons Pat Mills, Joe Ingles and Matthew Dellavedova also included, Australia will go after a second straight medal at the Olympics after claiming the first in their history, a bronze, in Tokyo.
Dellavedova was dropped from the team that played at last year’s FIBA Basketball World Cup in Okinawa but returns, along with Jock Landale, who had to miss the 2023 event after getting hurt shortly before the tournament.
Dellavedova, Mills and Ingles grabbed bronze in Tokyo
Opponents will have to spend a lot of time trying to limit the contributions of Giddey, Australia’s top player at the World Cup and winner of the Rising Star Trophy.
He’s thrilled to be headed to France.
“It’s an absolute honor to represent my country,” Giddey said. “To make my debut in Paris is a childhood dream and I can’t wait to get on the court in front of my family and friends who have all made this journey possible for me.
“To be part of the Boomers legacy, well it’s everything. We have a really great group, we know what we need to do and we are just ready to get into it.”
Green, fresh off his first NBA Finals experience after playing for Dallas against Boston and since traded to Charlotte, is in the team along with Dante Exum, a key man in the Boomers team that won the country’s first medal in Tokyo.
In addition to the 2.11M (6’11”) Landale, coach Brian Goorjian has size with the inclusion of Reath, the 2.11M (6’11”) center who was very effective for last year’s team in Okinawa.
Duop Reath’s rim protection is important for Australia
Also in is guard Daniels, who played sparingly at the World Cup but could be set for a bigger role after getting more minutes last season with New Orleans. Daniels was traded a week ago to Atlanta.
A couple of others to make their Olympic debuts will be NBL stars Jack McVeigh and Will Magnay.
McVeigh bolstered his claim for a spot in the team when he scored 24 points in 13 minutes in a July 2 win over China in Melbourne.
Mills and Ingles will play in their fifth Olympics for Australia while Dellavedova will play in his fourth.
FIBA