I think this will resonate for foreseeable future like the Raptors championship run. Soccer viewership, interest, and participation will rise even more so.
Our men's program specifically since we have so much NBA talent, completely dropped the ball. It would have been huge for basketball in this country. Makes me sad :(
The first of a 10 part platinum edition NFT series commemorating the amazing 2021 UArizona Women’s Basketball Team National Runner-Up performance goes up for auction tomorrow on The Asset Marketplace. Bidding begins on Nov 11th at 10:00 am EST. This is a 1 DAY auction, so don't miss out!
https://preview.redd.it/3wwj1kzidm281.png?width=503&format=png&auto=webp&s=3cd917a30d4f8446e977d88df80cb57f1dcaaae1
Led by Evan Fournier, Rudy Gobert, and Nic Batum, France has defeated Team USA in their first basketball game of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. This is USA Basketball's first loss in the Olympics since the infamous 2004 USA team.
As you all undoubtedly remember, the infamous 2004 USA squad finished with a disappointing bronze medal after Manu Ginobili gave USA a 30 piece. Manu, along with Luis Scola and Andres Noicioni, led Argentina to their first gold medal in basketball. Although being regarded as a weaker USA team, they were still led by 2 MVPs in Tim Duncan and Allen Iverson.
Despite the proclamations from r/nba that "world fucked", Team USA appears to be very much beatable, losing exhibition games to Australia and Nigeria and now a real one to France.
Of course, those that follow international basketball knew the USA was vulnerable when they finished 7th at the 2019 FIBA World Cup (their worst placing in history), dropping games to Serbia, France and Australia.
Fortunately for the Americans, they were placed in the easiest group and play the Czech Republic and Iran next, both of which are guaranteed wins. The top teams in other groups (Australia, Spain, Slovenia) will almost certainly try to tank games to avoid the possibility of playing USA in the first round, as the group winners and 2nd place finishers in each group are randomly paired for the knockout stage.
EDIT: If you're looking for a secondary team to cheer for in addition to the overwhelmingly favorites, there is no one more deserving than Olympic Patty and Australia, long overdue for their first medal in basketball. After years of heartbreak and horrific officiating, it's now or never for Patty Mills to get his medal.
https://www.pulse.ng/sports/more/argentina-is-the-4th-best-team-in-world-basketball-but-nigerias-dtigers-just-beat/px5fg3t?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily-2021-07-13
A new asset commemorating the amazing 2021 UArizona Women’s Basketball Team - National Runner-Up performance is now available on The Asset Marketplace. This gold edition digital collectible is limited in quantity, so don't miss out!
https://preview.redd.it/pn0vdusl9m281.png?width=567&format=png&auto=webp&s=e46f1a1627efa6238040b307acedb783365369cc
