One day after Bradley Beal entered health and safety protocol, putting his Olympic status in question, Team USA is looking to replace the Washington Wizards shooting guard before heading to Japan for Tokyo 2020. Beal, who was second in the NBA in scoring this past season, was set to be the first active Wizards player to represent the USA on the Olympic stage. Unfortunately, the Wizards will have to wait a few more years before they have a player representing them on the Olympic stage for Team USA.
Bradley Beal, who was placed under USA Basketball's health & safety protocols on Wednesday, will remain in protocol & will be unable to participate in the Tokyo Olympic Games.
— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) July 15, 2021
Out of an abundance of caution, Jerami Grant has been placed under health & safety protocols.
It’s an unfortunate development just days before the team heads for Japan. The whole thing devolved fairly quickly. Less than 24 hours from the time news broke that Beal, who is reportedly asymptomatic and in good health, entered the health and safety protocol, it was announced that he would not join the team in Tokyo.
Team USA is scheduled to depart for Tokyo on Monday, July 19 after their final exhibition games vs. Spain on Sunday, July 18. Their first official Olympic game will be against France on Sunday, July 25. Beal was literally days away from heading to the Olympics after an All-NBA season, the latest step during his rapid ascent up the NBA’s player power rankings. Luckily Beal is reportedly feeling fine, but this is a straight-up bummer. You can’t help but feel for Beal.
Bradley Beal’s Olympic run has officially ended. Team USA will replace the Washington Wizards star after he entered health and safety protocol.
This is also a blow for Team USA. There’s no shortage of NBA stars ready to join the Olympic team, but few of them are of Beal’s caliber. Finding another player to take Beal’s spot won’t be hard. Finding a player that can replace Beal’s offensive production will be. He led the team in scoring in their only exhibition win thus far, a 108-80 victory over Argentina. Plus, Beal had taken on the personal challenge of becoming Team USA’s defensive stopper, a role we’ve seldom see him play for the Wizards. He was ready and willing to do it all for his country to secure the gold.
Beal may not be the only player currently on the roster that has to stay home when the Olympics officially start. Jerami Grant has also entered health and safety protocol. Considering that he entered a day after Beal, who will not play in Tokyo, the likelihood of Grant playing with Team USA feels slim.
Even with Beal staying home, Wizards fans can still see some familiar faces during the Olympic action. Rui Hachimura will be playing for host-country Japan, while Isaac Bonga will be playing for Germany.