Life is good for Kawhi Leonard.
The former Aztec star was a first round NBA draft pick who ended up in San Antonio. He finished 4th in the Rookie of the Year balloting and is a major contributor on a team that finished with the best record in the Western Conference and has won all 8 of its playoff games.
And now, he's being groomed for the US Olympic team.
On Monday Leonard was named to the 13-member USA Men's Select Team. He'll train with the team going to London in summer, with an eye on an even bigger Olympic future.
“The 2012 Select Team has an excellent collection of talents. The group has outstanding speed and versatility, some excellent shooters, and some very good size,” USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo said. “It will be great to have them involved in USA Basketball and in the National Team pipeline for our next quadrennium, 2013-16.”
So Leonard might win an NBA title this year, and an Olympic gold medal in Rio in 2016. I guess all us folks (yes, me included) who thought he should have stayed in school one more year were a bit off base.
Here's the whole roster:
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2012 USA Basketball Select Team:
Ryan Anderson (Orlando Magic / California)
DeJuan Blair (San Antonio Spurs / Pittsburgh)
DeMarcus Cousins (Sacramento Kings / Kentucky)
DeMar DeRozan (Toronto Raptors / USC)
Derrick Favors (Utah Jazz / Georgia Tech)
Paul George (Indiana Pacers / Fresno State)
Taj Gibson (Chicago Bulls / USC)
Gordon Hayward (Utah Jazz / Butler)
Kyrie Irving (Cleveland Cavaliers / Duke)
Kawhi Leonard (San Antonio Spurs / San Diego State)
Jeremy Lin (New York Knicks / Harvard)
Klay Thompson (Golden State Warriors / Washington State)
John Wall (Washington Wizards / Kentucky)
