OLYMPIC GAMES
How many NBA players play for Puerto Rico?
Puerto Rico face the United States in Lille this afternoon as the group stage reaches its conclusion at Paris 2024.
The group stage of the men’s basketball event at the 2024 Paris Games reaches its conclusion this afternoon with just Group C left to be decided. First on the menu is Puerto Rico versus the United States, with Serbia and South Sudan concluding the round later this evening.
In one way, the outcome is already a foregone conclusion - USA Basketball, a team packed with superstars, sit unbeaten at the top of the group and are already practically through to the next round. All LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Steph Curry and Co need is another victory to make sure they enter the knockout stage draw as winners of the group and as top seeds.
Los Gallos’ Olympic run almost at an end
Nelson Colón’s Puerto Rico on the other hand are practically out. At the opposite end of the table in last place, they need a miracle to remain in Paris. Their only option of making it to the next round is by beating the United States today...
Believe it or not, it has happened before - Los Gallos stunned Team USA at the 2024 Athens Games, winning the opening group game 92-73. But realistically, it’s hard to see a repeat of that happening this time and even if the Puerto Ricans were to defy the odds and get a result, their points difference is so bad (-52) that they’d be eliminated anyway.
Puerto Rico’s NBA-based players
In any case, the game will be special for two members of the Puerto Rico team as they will be up against opponents they know from the NBA. Jose Alvarado and Davon Reed are the only two players in the Olympic roster who are based at NBA franchises or have played in the best league in the world.
Alvarado signed four-year deal with the New Orleans Pelicans in 2021. He has played 171 regular season games for New Orleans and four in the Play-In. Last season, he finished with an average of 7.1 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists, hitting a season-high of 17 points in the 111-88 win against the Heat in March.
Up until recently, Davon Reed was an NBA player, having spent time with the Suns and the Pacers but he’s been on the move in recent years. Reed was selected by the Suns as the 32nd pick of the 2017 NBA draft, signing a four-year contract in July of that year. Injuries problems affected his progression and he was waived the following year.
His next destination was Indiana, where he played 10 regular season games and once again had fitness issues. The following three years were spent on the books with the Nuggets and the Lakers. In March this year, he returned to his homeland after being selected by Santeros de Aguada.