Two former Alabama and Auburn basketball superstars have been selected to the USA Basketball Men’s Select Team, Team USA announced on Friday.
Brandon Miller and Jabari Smith Jr. will play with the Select Team, which practices with the U.S. Olympic team in order to help them prepare for the competition they’ll face this summer in Paris.
Miller, who was selected with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft following a stellar freshman season at Alabama, had a spectacular rookie season for the Charlotte Hornets. He averaged 17.3 points, 4.3 points and 2.4 assists per game and was a three-time Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month honoree. His 2.5 three pointers per game and 184 total ranked No. 3 and No. 4, respectively, for a rookie in NBA history.
RELATED: Former Tide Hoops star named Rookie of the Year finalist after stellar first season
Smith Jr., who was the No. 3 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft after one phenomenal season at Auburn, helped the Houston Rockets improve their win total from 22 in his rookie season to 41 this past year. He has averaged 13.3 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game during his career so far.
An appearance on the Select Team is a tremendous honor, as it is composed of who are considered to be the brightest young American stars in the game today.
“There is a tremendous amount of talent on this Select squad with the significant job of helping the 2024 USA Men’s National Team as they begin their journey to the Olympics,” said former NBA player Grant Hill, the managing director of the men’s national team. “Each of these athletes will play a role in our preparation as we also develop the national team pipeline for the future.”
Michael Brauner is a Senior Sports Analyst and Contributing Writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @MBraunerWNSP and hear him every weekday morning from 6 to 9 a.m. on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5, available free online.
Don’t miss out! Subscribe today to have Alabama’s leading headlines delivered to your inbox.