Team USA's first day of training camp ahead of the 2019 FIBA World Cup kicked off on Monday in Las Vegas, as a number of young NBA stars got back on the court in preparation for the tournament taking place in China.
Head coach Gregg Popovich will be running the show, and he'll have some assistance from Steve Kerr, Atlanta Hawks head coach Lloyd Pierce and Villanova University head coach Jay Wright. During Monday's session, Popovich and Kerr spoke with the media about a number of topics, including the San Antonio Spurs' recent hiring of future Hall of Famer Tim Duncan. Both were ready to fire off some jokes.
Says Pop:
“Tim Duncan doesn’t know a lick about coaching. I don’t even know why I hired him. He’s given me a paycheck for 19 years so I was kind of obliged to pay him back.”
Kerr quipped:
“He’s already told the rest of the staff that he’s the only one who’s not fireable. He’s right. Pop can’t fire Tim Duncan. He probably won’t do anything, just sit on the bench and sip tea.”
The Spurs signed the five-time NBA champion to an assistant coaching position on Popovich's staff last month. At the time, Pop released a brief statement: "It is only fitting, that after I served loyally for 19 years as Tim Duncan's assistant, that he returns the favor."
Team USA's training camp will run from August 5 thru August 9. The 2019 FIBA World Cup is scheduled to tip off on August 31, with the championship game taking place on September 15.