Timberwolves sending 4 players, 1 coach to Tokyo Olympics
Golden State Warriors' Andre Iguodala tries to regain control of the ball against Minnesota Timberwolves' Josh Okogie, right during the second half of an NBA basketball game Friday, March 29, 2019, in Minneapolis. Minnesota won 131-130 in overtime.[(AP Photo/Stacy Bengs)]
Five members of the Timberwolves organization will head to Tokyo to take part in the Olympic Games, including four players.
Guard Josh Okogie will represent Nigeria; forward Juancho Hernangómez and guard Ricky Rubio will compete for Spain; prospect Leandro Bolmaro will line up at guard for Argentina, joined by assistant coach Pablo Prigioni.
The four Wolves players competing in the Olympics at once ties a franchise record set in 1992 and matched in 2012.
“We’re thrilled for Josh, Juancho, Ricky, Leandro and Pablo to represent their countries and the Minnesota Timberwolves on the world’s biggest stage,” said Timberwolves President of Basketball Operations Gersson Rosas. “They all have put in so much work to get to this moment and we can’t wait to cheer them on.”
Okogie, Hernangómez and Bolmaro will make their Olympics debuts in Tokyo, while Rubio will make his third appearance for Team Spain.
All four have previous experience on the world stage, but Okogie, Hernangómez and Bolmaro will all be making their Olympics debuts.
Okogie played for Team Nigeria in the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup in China. Over five games in the tournament, he averaged 12.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 2.4 steals per game.
Hernangómez has been a member of the Spanish National Team since 2017 and was part of the gold-medal winning team at the 2019 FIBA World Cup. In eight games at the 2019 World Cup, he averaged 10.5 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game.
Rubio will make his third appearance in the Olympics with Team Spain. He first competed in the Olympics at age 17 in the 2008 Beijing Games, becoming the youngest player ever to participate in a gold-medal game. In 2019 he was named MVP of the 2019 FIBA World Cup after leading Spain to victory with 16.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game.
For the first time in his career, Bolmaro will see action on Argentina’s senior national team. The 20-year-old previously played for Argentina’s under-19 team at the 2019 FIBA Under-19 World Cup. The Timberwolves selected Bolmaro in the first round of the 2020 NBA Draft, but he spent the past season with FC Barcelona in Spain’s Liga ACB.
Prigioni will return to Team Argentina as an assistant coach after a lengthy career as a player that included a bronze-medal finish at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and a fourth-place finish in London in 2012.