Coronavirus: Popovich committed to Team USA for 2021 after Olympics postponement

Sacha Pisani
March 25, 2020 00:26 MYT
United States head coach Gregg Popovich is committed to leading Team USA in 2021 after the Olympic Games were postponed due to coronavirus.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) confirmed the postponement of Tokyo 2020 on Tuesday amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

This year's Games were scheduled to get underway on July 24, but the spread of coronavirus has wreaked havoc across the globe.

However, USA Basketball managing director Jerry Colangelo said San Antonio Spurs coach Popovich remains committed.

Stay safe & keep pushing forward. We will come together to defend our golds in 2021. pic.twitter.com/mLzQPnvSgm

— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) March 24, 2020
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"The commitments everyone made for 2020 are still there; we're all-in and we're committed," Colangelo told ESPN.

"It's important to deal with the unknowns and this virus. This too shall pass, and we'll be back for everyone's well-being."

The rescheduling of the Olympics could impact the NBA, which is already on hiatus.

Today, we begin our new path to Tokyo in 2021. pic.twitter.com/a6MAgvGGFt

— Team USA (@TeamUSA) March 24, 2020
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"We will follow the leader. We have to wait to see how everything is laid out and we'll make the adjustment," Colangelo said. "Our players are NBA players first, let's face that."

Colangelo added: "Changing the window for the NBA is easier said than done. There's a lot of logistics and contracts to deal with. Same for the Olympics. You have to assume it will be around the same dates."

Globally, more than 18,800 people have died from coronavirus, with over 421,360 confirmed cases.

#United States #Gregg Popovich #basketball #Olympics #Tokyo 2020 #Team USA