The 12-man roster for the U.S. Olympic men's basketball team has been released, but Irving's name is not among them. On April 19, Beijing time, Irving was interviewed while preparing for the playoffs and talked about his failure to select the U.S. Olympic men's basketball team.
"I would have liked to play [for the U.S.] and now I want my brothers all the best, and I just don't fit into this team. Growing up in an era where we actually had to try out for the U.S. men's basketball team, and during the tryout and selection process, we earned each other's respect and then see which of those five guys worked well together...... I kind of miss the days when we could get together, eat together, and compete with each other......"
From Owen's words, it is not difficult to see that he still has some regrets. Before the list came out this time, Irving was also one of the players who was very eager to participate, and many fans thought that the guard line of the U.S. men's basketball team needed a player like Irving, but General Manager Hill focused on defense after watching the World Cup, which is not Irving's forte. Perhaps, this is the main reason why Irving said that he is not suitable for this team.
In addition, Irving also emphasized that at this stage of his career, the focus should still be on hitting the NBA championship. He'll also focus on it.
In 2010, Irving represented the U.S. in the U18 U.S. Championships, averaging 13.6 points, 5 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.6 steals per game. In 2014, Irving was named to the 12-man squad for the Men's Basketball World Cup, where he helped the U.S. men's basketball team defeat Serbia to win the gold medal, and he was named to the All-Star team and the MVP of that World Cup. In 2016, Owen was named in the 12-man squad for the Rio Olympics and won the Olympic gold medal with the team.
As Irving said, since he missed the national team, he focused on the playoffs. This season, Irving averaged 25.6 points, 5 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game, and the Mavericks' first-round opponent was the Clippers.