USA National Team Member Blake Griffin To Have Left Knee Evaluated

July 12, 2012 • Las Vegas, Nev.

After completing a full practice yesterday, USA Basketball Men’s National Team member Blake Griffin (Los Angeles Clippers) reported he was experiencing discomfort in his left knee. Griffin will fly back to Los Angeles today for further evaluation and will miss this evening’s USA-Dominican Republic exhibition game.

The USA National Team concludes its Las Vegas training tonight (July 12, 6:00 p.m. PDT) with the USA Basketball Showcase that features the USA facing the Dominican Republic at UNLV’s Thomas & Mack Center. The game is being televised live by ESPN.

Named on July 7 to the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team were: Carmelo Anthony (New York Knicks); Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers); Tyson Chandler (New York Knicks); Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder); Griffin; James Harden (Oklahoma City Thunder); Andre Iguodala (Philadelphia 76ers); LeBron James (Miami Heat); Kevin Love (Minnesota Timberwolves); Chris Paul (Los Angeles Clippers); Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City Thunder); and Deron Williams (Brooklyn Nets).

The 2012 USA coaching staff is led by Duke University Hall of Fame mentor Mike Krzyzewski, who has led the USA Basketball Men’s National Team to gold medal finishes at the 2010 FIBA World Championship and 2008 Beijing Olympics. Assisting Krzyzewski is Syracuse University and Hall of Fame coach Jim Boeheim, and former NBA head coaches Mike D’Antoni and Nate McMillan.

Following the USA’s training and exhibition contest in Las Vegas, the USA will move on to the nation’s capital, Washington, D.C., to train July 13-15 and play an exhibition contest versusBrazil at the Verizon Center on July 16 (8 p.m. local time). The game will be part of a doubleheader with the USA Basketball Women’s National Team, which will face Brazil’s Women’s National Team (5:30 p.m. local time).

The USA men will continue their preparations July 17-18 in Manchester, England, and on July 19 (7:30 p.m. local time) will play Great Britain at the Manchester Arena. The USA women will square off against the Great Britain women at the ManchesterArena on July 18 (7:30 p.m. local time). Tickets for both the USA men’s and women’s national team games against their respective Great Britain counterparts are available by calling +44 (0) 844 847 8000 or at www.ticketmaster.co.uk.

Twenty years after the USA Dream Team made its debut in Barcelona, Spain, the U.S. returns and will conclude its tour with a pair of exhibition games against FIBA’s No. 2 and No. 3 ranked world powers. Facing No. 3 ranked Argentina on July 22 (9:30 p.m. local time) at the Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona, the USA will close out its exhibition tour against FIBA’s No. 2 ranked power Spain on July 24 (9:30 p.m. local time) at the Palau Sant Jordi. Tickets for the games in Barcelona are available at www.entradas.com/entradas/comprar-entradas-torneo-usa-espana-argentina.

USA Basketball
Based in Colorado Springs, Colo., USA Basketball is a nonprofit organization and thenational governing body for men's and women's basketball in the United States. As the recognized governing body for basketball in the United States by theInternational Basketball Federation (FIBA) and the United States Olympic Committee (USOC), USA Basketball is responsible for the selection, training and fielding of USA teams that compete in FIBA sponsored international basketball competitions, as well as for some national competitions.

Since 2008, USA Basketball men’s and women’s teams have compiled a sterling 134-6 win-loss record in FIBA or FIBA Americas competitions. USA teams are the current men’s and women’s champions of the Olympics and the FIBA World Championships; FIBA women’s U19 world champions; the men’s and women’s title holders for the FIBA U17 World Championships; and the men’s and women’s U18 and U16 FIBA Americas champions. USA Basketball currently ranks No. 1 in all five of FIBA's world ranking categories, including combined, men's, women's, boys and girls.

For further information about USA Basketball, go to the official Web site of USA Basketball at www.usabasketball.com and connect with us on facebook.com/usabasketball, twitter.com/usabasketball and www.youtube.com/therealusabasketball.