Paul George Plans to Join Team USA This Summer
By Jared Wade
Paul George was hesitant to commit to playing for Team USA in Rio this Summer but now says he wants to “give it a shot.”
Yesterday, video game 2K Sports unveiled the cover for its upcoming basketball game NBA 2k17. As many had speculated, Paul George will be the player featured, an honor generally reserved for the best and most famous NBA players. In addition to showing PG in his Indiana Pacers jersey, he also appears in a photo wearing a Team USA uniform.
Why would he appear on the cover in that jersey unless he was planning to suit up for country and represent this Summer in the Rio Olympics?
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Well, today Paul George all but said he will there, telling Cari Champion of ESPN that he is going “to give it a shot.”
Despite USA Basketball offering him a guaranteed spot on the team heading to Brazil if he wants it (due to the price he paid last time he put on the USA uniform), PG had been unsure. Earlier this season PG mentioned that he might just want to take the summer off so he could rest given that he missed a full season and felt run down at times this year.
But after spending some time this offseason resting his body and thinking about the opportunity, it sounds like he’s going to play.
"“I was just hesitant on the simple fact that, the past couple years has obviously been tough for me — just felt like I didn’t have enough time to myself, and time to recover, and you know, give my body a rest. I didn’t want to jump out of a season, jump right into the Olympics. But I think I kind of said that too prematurely.“I didn’t give myself enough time to really think it through. I think since I’ve been off, my body’s telling me yes, my mind is telling me yes, people around me are telling me yes. So I feel good about it. And, you know … I want to give it a shot.”"
He is clearly leaving the door open to eject from the team if he starts to feel it is taking too much of a toll on his body. But, yeah, he’s going to join Team USA. And given how fresh and dominant he looked against the Toronto Raptors in the playoffs even after playing 81 games of and 82-game season, I’m guessing he’ll be fine during scrimmages.
PG is heading to Brazil.
His full interview with Champion is scheduled to air on Monday during Sports Center.