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After being absent from the 2024 Team USA Olympic basketball roster, Zion Williamson and Ja Morant have been deemed necessary additions to the 2028 roster.
Per The Athletic’s Joe Vardon, one USA basketball source said the New Orleans Pelicans and Memphis Grizzlies stars would be integral to winning gold in 2028.
“We will still have a great chance to win gold, but it won’t be easy,” the source said. “Ja and Zion need to be in the mix. Moving forward, hopefully they can get on track and stay on track.”
Williamson and Morant, drafted with the No. 1 and No. 2 picks in the 2019 draft, respectively, have been stars early on in their careers, though they have faced their share of setbacks.
Williamson has dealt with a number of injuries, missing most of his rookie year, the entirety of the 2021-22 season and the majority of the 2022-23 season. He finally avoided injuries for the most part last year, playing 70 games and averaging 22.9 points, 5.8 rebounds and five assists.
Morant has also missed plenty of time due to both injuries and suspensions. After facing a 25-game suspension to start the 2023-24 season, Morant had to undergo season-ending right shoulder surgery after just nine games back. He put up 26.2 points, 8.1 assists and 5.9 rebounds during the 2022-23 season.
Despite both missing so much time throughout their careers, they have four All-Star appearances between them and always seem due for big seasons.
But their constant absences bring on the question of whether they will be able to represent the United States in 2028. By then, stars like LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Steph Curry could be out of the league and Morant and Williamson could very well be two faces of the league.
Team USA would need players like Morant and Williamson to compete with the increasing global talent that is only going to get better four years from now.
