If you didn’t already know, the U.S. defeated Poland to win the seventh place in the FIBA World Cup, and have now secured their spot at the Olympics 2020 in Tokyo. This is a great honor for the players, as well as all of America. People were disappointed when they got a seventh-place because they wanted the U.S. to be ranked higher. After their match against Poland, they lost to France in the quarterfinals. Donovan Mitchell, one of the most consistent Americans in the tournament, had a team-high of 16 points and 10 assists. Kemba Walker, the team’s most recognizable player, sat out with a sore neck. If nobody drops out, the U.S. player pool for the Olympic team would include LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, James Harden, Russell Westbrook, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and Anthony Davis. The USA Basketball managing director Jerry Colangelo has been voicing his concerns because of the many players who pulled out to the World Cup. Despite this, the team has clearly been successful this year.

The U.S.’ loss to France was their first loss in the FIBA World Cup since 2006 when they lost to Greece in the semifinals. People considered this as the USA’s worst international public showing ever. Many people didn’t like how the US played, but they snatched a spot in the Olympics and that’s all you need to know. Hopefully, the team that will move forward will be better able to hold their own in the international competition with the whole world watching.