Sacramento Kings forward Rudy Gay has been added to the U.S. national basketball team pool after the withdrawal of NBA MVP Kevin Durant and injury to Indiana Pacers star Paul George.
Gay, who helped the national team win a gold medal in the World Basketball Championships four years ago, will rejoin the team according to USA Basketball managing director Jerry Colangelo.
In a statement via ESPN, Colangelo said: "We both felt he would be a valuable addition because of his outstanding skills and the fact that he is so familiar with USA Basketball and our national team program. Rudy has been an integral member of USA Basketball since 2005 and was a tremendous contributor to our 2010 world championship team. He has a lot of equity in the USA Basketball national team."
Gay will be the 16th player in the U.S. national pool which will have to be trimmed down to 12 in time for the FIBA World Cup of Basketball scheduled late this month in Spain. The Americans will go back to practice in Chicago on Thursday after taking a week off.
"I am extremely excited to once again be part of Team USA and its rich tradition," Gay said. "I can't wait to join my teammates in Chicago and work hard to make certain the USA takes home the gold in Spain."
Gay played in all nine games in the 2010 championship, providing instant offense off the bench. He was also one of the final cuts in the 2012 Olympic team. He could fill in the void left by Durant and George, who broke his right leg in a scrimmage last week.
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