Who Is On The USA NBA Team?
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Our list of the 12 best American NBA players includes well-known superstars like LeBron James and Steph Curry.
Kyrie Irving
Kyrie Irving was born on March 23, 1992, in Melbourne, Australia to American parents. His father, Drederick, played college basketball at Boston University while his mother, Elizabeth, was a native of Chicago, Illinois. Kyrie has an older sister, Asia, and a younger brother, London. He is of African-American and Native American descent. Kyrie Irving grew up in West Orange, New Jersey and attended Montclair Kimberley Academy for his freshman year of high school before transferring to St. Patrick High School in Elizabeth, New Jersey for his sophomore, junior and senior years.
Cleveland Cavaliers
Kyrie Andrew Irving is an American professional basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association. He was born on March 23, 1992, in Melbourne, Australia and grew up in West Orange, New Jersey. Kyrie Irving played college basketball for Duke University before being drafted by the Cavaliers with the first overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft. He was named NBA Rookie of the Year and an All-Star in 2012.
In 2014, Kyrie Irving was part of the USA Basketball team that won the gold medal at the FIBA World Cup. In 2016, he helped lead the Cavaliers to their first NBA championship, and was named Finals MVP.
2016 NBA Champion
Kyrie Andrew Irving (/ˈkaɪri/; born March 23, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was named NBA Rookie of the Year after being selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the first overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft. A six-time NBA All-Star, Irving was selected to the All-NBA Third Team in 2015. He won an NBA championship with the Cavaliers in 2016.
A native of Melbourne, Australia, Irving grew up in West Orange, New Jersey and played basketball for Montclair Kimberley Academy. His family moved to the United States when he was two years old and he played point guard for Duke University from 2010 to 2011.
Irving excelled at dribbling and shooting, but a torn meniscus in his right knee limited his speed and explosiveness, preventing him from being a Consensus first-team All-American as many had expected. In June 2011, he declared for the NBA draft after one season at Duke and was selected with the first overall pick by the Cavaliers.
He signed a four-year rookie scale contract with Cleveland and was named as a reserve to both the 2012 NBA All-Star Game and Rookie ChallengeFormatCite=MSNBC sports]. He made his playoff debut on April 28, 2012 against the New York Knicks and scored 21 points as Cleveland lost 88–87. In Game 4 of The Finals against Golden State Warriors, he hit a three-pointer with 53 seconds remaining to give Cleveland a lead they would not relinquish en route to winning their first championship since 1970 formatCite=Yahoo! Sports]. He averaged 19 points per game over 27 games in his debut postseason FormatCite=ESPN], helping lead LeBron James – playing in his sixth consecutive Finals – and fellow teammates Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson to their maiden titles FormatCite= For The Win!].
In international play, Irving led Team USA’s Under-19 team to gold at FIBA Under-19 World Championship in 2009. He played for USA Basketball again at 2010 FIBA World Championship where he won another gold medal FormatCite= Indiana Daily Student]. In 2014, he was named co-MVP with Rudy Gobert of FIBA World Cup after leading Team USA to gold medal victory over Serbia FormatCite=FOX Sports].
2017 NBA All-Star
Kyrie Irving was selected to the 2017 NBA All-Star team, his fourth career All-Star selection. Irving was voted in as a starter by the fans, and will join teammates LeBron James and Kevin Love on the Eastern Conference All-Star team.
Jimmy Butler
One of the most well-known NBA players, Jimmy Butler is a shooting guard/small forward for the Miami Heat. When it comes to his accomplishments, Butler has been named an All-Star four times, and he has also been named to the All-NBA and All-Defensive teams.
Chicago Bulls
Jimmy Butler III (born September 14, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for Tyler Junior College and Marquette University before being drafted with the 30th overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft by the Bulls. Butler is a four-time NBA All-Star and has been named to the All-NBA Team twice.
2016 NBA All-Star
Jimmy Butler is an American professional basketball player for the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was drafted with the 30th overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft by the Bulls. In his second season with Chicago, he was named an NBA All-Star for the first time.
Butler is from Houston, Texas and played college basketball for Tyler Junior College and Marquette University. He is known for his versatility as a defender and has been described as a “two-way player”.
2017 NBA All-Star
Jimmy Butler was selected for the Eastern Conference All-Star team in 2017, his fourth All-Star appearance. He was also named to the All-NBA Third Team. In 2016–17, Butler averaged 23.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.9 steals per game, while shooting 46.5 percent from the field and 35.0 percent from three-point range. For his performance, he was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team for the second time in his career.
Kevin Durant
Kevin Durant is an American professional basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association. He played one season of college basketball for the University of Texas, and was selected as the second overall pick by the Seattle SuperSonics in the 2007 NBA draft. Durant has won two NBA championships, an NBA Most Valuable Player Award, the Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award, the NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Award, four NBA scoring titles, the NBA Rookie of the Year Award, and two Olympic gold medals.
Oklahoma City Thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder are an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The Thunder compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league’s Western Conference Northwest Division. The team plays its home games at Chesapeake Energy Arena.
The Thunder were previously known as the Seattle SuperSonics, an NBA franchise that relocated from Seattle, Washington to Oklahoma City in 2008 under the ownership of Clay Bennett. The SuperSonics won the NBA championship in 1979. In Oklahoma City, the Thunder qualified for their first playoff berth during the 2009–10 season. They followed that success by making their first Finals appearance in 2012, losing to the Miami Heat 4–2. TheThunder lost to the San Antonio Spurs 4–2 in the Western Conference Finals in 2014. Kevin Durant joined Russell Westbrook on what became known as “Durantula”, and helped lead them to an NBA record 27 consecutive wins en route to their first ever Northwest Division title, which they clinched on April 6, 2014 against the Minnesota Timberwolves with a 112–101 victory.
2017 NBA All-Star
Kevin Durant is an American professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has won an NBA Championship and an NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award, along with four Olympic gold medals. Durant has also been selected to nine NBA All-Star teams, eight All-NBA teams, and five All-Defensive teams. He is one of the most efficient scorers in NBA history, and is considered by many to be one of the greatest players of all time.
Durant was a heavily recruited high school prospect who was widely regarded as the second-best player in his class. He played one season of college basketball for the University of Texas, where he won numerous year-end awards and became the first freshman to be named Naismith College Player of the Year. He left Texas after one season to enter the 2007 NBA Draft, and was selected with the second overall pick by the Seattle SuperSonics.
After his rookie season, Durant was named the NBA Rookie of the Year behind averages of 20.3 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.0 steal per game. He played nine seasons with Oklahoma City Thunder/Seattle SuperSonics franchise, during which he helped lead them to five Northwest Division titles and appeared in six straight postseasons. In 2016–17 he recorded his tenth consecutive seasons averaging over 25 points per game becoming only third player ever in this league history achieve such a feat joining Michael Jordan & Wilt Chamberlain
Draymond Green
Draymond Green is an American professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for Michigan State University, where he earned consensus first-team All-American honors in 2012. Green was selected by the Warriors with the 35th overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft.
Golden State Warriors
Draymond Jamal Green Sr. (born March 4, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for Michigan State, where he helped lead the Spartans to two Final Fours and a National Championship game appearance. He was drafted 35th overall in the 2012 NBA draft by the Warriors. Green has earned two NBA All-Star selections and won three NBA championships with Golden State. He is also a two-time All-NBA Defensive Team member, winning back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2017 and 2018.
Green was born and raised in Saginaw, Michigan, to Wallace and Mary Babers-Green. When he was 9 years old, his father died of a heart attack at age 43. As a youngster, Green cites his mother and former Saginaw High School assistant coach Alvin Bryant as having the biggest influences on his life.
2016 NBA Champion
Draymond Green is an American professional basketball player who plays for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is a two-time NBA All-Star and won an NBA Championship with the Warriors in 2015. Green was born in Saginaw, Michigan and played college basketball for Michigan State University. He was selected by the Warriors in the second round of the 2012 NBA Draft.
2017 NBA All-Star
Draymond Jamal Green Sr. (born March 4, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for Michigan State, where he helped lead the Spartans to the 2009 NCAA Tournament Championship. He was drafted 35th overall in the 2012 NBA draft by the Warriors.
Green has emerged as a central figure in the Warriors’ run to four NBA Finals appearances in five seasons from 2014 to 2019, winning three championships in that span. Green is a two-time All-Star and was named to the All-NBA First Team in 2017 and 2018. He has also been named Defensive Player of the Year twice, winning back-to-back awards in 2016 and 2017, becoming just the third player ever to win Defensive Player of the Year in consecutive seasons.
Carmelo Anthony
Carmelo Kyam Anthony (born May 29, 1984) is an American professional basketball player for the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has been nicknamed “Melo” and “Mr. Big Shot”. He is a ten-time NBA All-Star and a six-time All-NBA Team member. Anthony played college basketball for one season with the Syracuse Orange, winning a national championship before entering the 2003 NBA draft.
New York Knicks
Carmelo Kyam Anthony (born May 29, 1984) is an American professional basketball player for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has been named an NBA All-Star nine times and an All-NBA Team member six times. He is the current NBA scoring champion.
Anthony was born in the Red Hook projects in Brooklyn, New York City. He played high school basketball at Towson Catholic High School and Oak Hill Academy before playing collegiately at Syracuse. In his only season at Syracuse, Anthony led the Orangemen to their first and only National Championship while being named as the NCAA Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.
After one season at Syracuse, Anthony left college to enter the 2003 NBA draft, where he was selected with the third overall pick by the Denver Nuggets. While playing for Denver, he led the Nuggets to two playoff appearances during his first three seasons but failed to post a winning record in either year. In 2006–07, Anthony became one of only four players ever to score 10 or more points in all 70 games during an NBA season, joining Wilt Chamberlain (three times), Michael Jordan (six times), and Karl Malone (twice) as that distinguished group.
He was traded from Denver to the New York Knicks just prior to the start of the 2011–12 season. In 2012–13, he led the Knicks to their first playoff series victory since 2000 and was named NBA’s Most Valuable Player of that season’s All-Star Game after setting a then-record with eight three-pointers en route to setting a franchise single-game scoring record of thirty-nine points.
2017 NBA All-Star
Carmelo Kyam Anthony (born May 29, 1984) is an American professional basketball player for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has been named an All-Star nine times and an All-NBA Team member six times. He played college basketball for one season with the Syracuse Orange, winning a national championship, before entering the 2003 NBA draft where he was selected with the third overall pick by the Denver Nuggets. While playing for Denver, he led the Nuggets to their first playoff appearance in nine years and their first Western Conference Finals appearance since 1985. In 2011, he was traded from Denver to the New York Knicks just days prior to the NBA trade deadline.
In 2012, he helped lead New York to its first playoff berth since 2004 and teamed up with fellow superstar Amare Stoudemire on what many hoped would be a formidable playoff duo. Anthony has been a member of USA Basketball since 2004, winning Olympic gold medals in Beijing and London. As a result of his strong play during his career so far, in 2017 he was named by ESPN as one of that organization’s Top 60 NBA players of all time.
