USA Basketball (USAB) released the list of 30 players who will have the chance to be part of the 2016 U.S. Olympic Men's Basketball Team that will compete in Rio de Janeiro, and the dynamic duo of the Oklahoma City Thunder is included in the finalists.
Former Most Valuable Player (MVP) Kevin Durant and All-Star guard Russell Westbrook are given another shot to represent the United States.
Durant and Westbrook have been part of Team USA before, helping the nation capture gold medals in two competitions already.
The two were a part of the national teams that won gold medals in the 2010 Fédération Internationale de Basketball (FIBA) World Championships and the 2012 London Olympics.
In Durant's last stint playing for the United States, he led the team in scoring in the 2012 Olympics, averaging 19.5 points per contest.
Because of his scoring prowess during the games, the 27-year-old scored a total of 156 points in the Olympic competition which is a USAB record, the Thunder's website reported.
Westbrook on the other hand was a quality player for the gold medal-winning squad in the 2012 Olympics.
The 27-year-old guard played in all games for Team USA averaging 8.5 points and 1.6 assists in 13.5 minutes of action per outing.
Along with Durant and Westbrook, another member of the Thunder organization is set to be part of Team USA as assistant coach Monty Williams will again be helping national team head coach Mike Krzyzewski and fellow assistants Jim Boeheim and Tom Thibodeau.
Team USA has been the most dominant team in the basketball event of the Olympics and is eyeing its 15th gold medal finish in the upcoming 2016 Rio Olympics.
In the 2012 London Olympics, the United States dominated the competition, overwhelming its opponents. At the sporting event, Team USA was rarely tested in the early rounds before having a great matchup against Spain in the gold medal game.
