University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
UCLA's Kevin Love, Russell Westbrook Named to USA Olympic Team
July 08, 2012 | Bruin Athletics, Olympics
July 8, 2012
USA Basketball Official Olympic Announcement
LAS VEGAS, Nev. - Former UCLA standouts Kevin Love and Russell Westbrook are among the final 12 nominees for the 2012 USA Basketball Men's National Team that will participate at the upcoming Olympic Games in London this month, as announced Saturday by USA Basketball.
UCLA is the only college to have at least two former basketball players named to this year's Olympic team.
In addition, the 2012 London Olympics will mark the first time since 1936 (Berlin) in which UCLA will have at least two former players on the USA Olympic Team (five players represented UCLA in 1936).
Following two USA Basketball Men's National Team training sessions, USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo announced on Saturday the official nominees for the 12-man U.S. basketball roster, which is pending final approval by the U.S. Olympic Committee.
Love, 23, starred for the Bruins as a freshman in 2007-08, helping lead UCLA to its third consecutive NCAA Final Four appearance that season. A consensus first-team All-America selection that year at UCLA, Love was selected fifth overall in the 2008 NBA Draft by the Memphis Grizzlies before being traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Westbrook, 23, competed at UCLA for two seasons (2006-07, 2007-08), guiding the Bruins to consecutive NCAA Final Four appearances. He was selected fourth overall in the 2008 NBA Draft by the Seattle SuperSonics. The guard from Hawthorne, Calif., most recently led the Oklahoma City Thunder to the 2012 NBA Finals and the NBA's Western Conference title.
Both Love and Westbrook have enjoyed very successful NBA career the last four years, since being drafted in June 2008. A two-time NBA All-Star and one of the game's top rebounders, Love holds the longest streak for consecutive games recording double figures in points and rebounds since the merger between the American Basketball Association (ABA) and the NBA.
In four seasons, Love has averaged 17.3 points and 12.0 rebounds per game. Love and Westbrook represented the United States at the 2010 FIBA World Championships in Turkey, where Team USA captured the gold medal.
Westbrook has also been a two-time NBA All-Star and was a member of the NBA All-Rookie First Team in 2008-09. In four NBA seasons, he has registered 19.0 points and 6.8 assists per game.
The other 10 members of the 2012 USA Olympic Team include Carmelo Anthony (New York Knicks), Kobe Bryan (Los Angeles Lakers), Tyson Chandler (New York Knicks), Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder), Blake Griffin (Los Angeles Clippers), James Harden (Oklahoma City Thunder), Andre Iguodala (Philadelphia 76ers), LeBron James (Miami Heat), Chris Paul (Los Angeles Clippers) and Deron Williams (Brooklyn Nets).
The USA National Team will be training through July 12 in Las Vegas, Nev. The Americans' Las Vegas training concludes July 12 (6:00 p.m. local time) with the USA Basketball Showcase that features the USA facing the Dominican Republic at UNLV's Thomas & Mack Center.
Following the USA's training and exhibition contest in Las Vegas, the USA will move on to the nation's capital, Washington, D.C., to train July 13-15 and play an exhibition contest versus Brazil at the Verizon Center on July 16 (8 p.m. local time). The game will be part of a doubleheader with the USA Basketball Women's National Team, which will face Brazil's Women's National Team (5:30 p.m. local time).
The USA men will continue their preparations July 17-18 in Manchester, England, and on July 19 (7:30 p.m. local time) will play Great Britain at the Manchester Arena.
