USA Basketball announced its roster for the upcoming 2021 FIBA Americup Qualifiers. Joe Johnson and Isaiah Thomas are the two biggest names.
The qualifiers will feature 16 countries from North America, Central America, the Caribbean and South America all competing to earn a spot in the 2022 FIBA Americup.
Johnson and Thoms are two of the five players on this roster who have experience on an NBA roster. Meanwhile, seven players on this team have already played for Team USA in some capacity before this tournament.
Led by head coach Joe Prunty, Team USA begins training in San Juan, Puerto Rico later this month. They will face Bahamas (Feb. 19) and Mexico (Feb. 20) on ESPN+.
Johnson, the former 2001 10th overall pick, played 18 seasons in the league before being cut by the Detroit Pistons in 2019. The 39-year-old forward represented Team USA in the 2006 FIBA World Championship, winning a bronze medal.
Thomas, who is turning 32 next month, is hoping to use this opportunity to bolster a comeback to the NBA after repeated hip issues. The former University of Washington star last played for the Washington Wizards where he averaged 12.2 points and 3.7 assists per game before he was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers 40 games into the season and subsequently waived.
His best season came in 2016-2017 after he averaged 28.9 points per game for the Boston Celtics and finished fifth in MVP voting. Celtics team president of basketball operations Danny Ainge tweeted Thomas’ season long performance encapsulated a “legendary season” for the 5’9 guard.
Although Team USA has earned its spot in the 2022 AmeriCup after two dominant performances in Group D of the second qualifiers window back in November, they are looking to continue their stellar offense against the Bahamas on Feb. 19 and Mexico on Feb. 20. Veteran NBA assistant coach Joe Prunty, who most recently served as the lead assistant coach for the Phoenix Suns, is set to coach the U.S. squad, according to ESPN.
The third and final window of the 2022 AmeriCup Qualifiers will be held in a “bubble” format with Groups A and B playing in Cali, Colombia, and Groups C and D playing in San Juan. Each group consists of four teams. The top three finishing teams in each group will qualify for the 2022 tournament.