Thank you all for voting in our SB Nation Reacts survey this week. It was about when you thought a Washington Wizards player would make the USA Basketball men’s national team as a Wizards player.
I won’t lie. The 2026 FIBA Women’s World Cup inspired me to make this question of the week. Three Washington Mystics players: Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen for the United States, Alicia Florez for Spain, are on teams in the quadrennial tournament. The Mystics have also seen at least one player make the World Cup roster
for Team USA in each of the last two appearances, including Shakira Austin in 2022.
Now, after asking this question, 39 percent of our respondents believe that the Wizards could see an active player as soon as the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
I voted that the 2031 World Cup would be that time, since AJ Dybantsa would be in his mid 20s. Still, more of you believe that the Wizards would see a Team USA player in the 2028 Olympics. Why?
It’s certainly possible that Dybantsa COULD make the team … if he is Rookie of the Year in 2026-27 and participates in a Select Team for the FIBA (men’s) World Cup next year. But the Americans are so loaded with talent, even if many (if not most) of the best NBA players are from Europe today instead of the USA.
That said, Anthony Davis was on Team USA for the 2024 Olympics when he was playing for the Los Angeles Lakers. If he is more healthy than not over the next two years on a playoff bound (if not an Eastern Conference power Wizards team), it isn’t out of the question that he would be invited again to play for Team USA in LA.
If that happens, then perhaps Davis may be more likely to play for the Americans than Dybantsa,
There isn’t much FanDuel data on which Wizards player makes the American men’s 5×5 Olympic team. But given that most think the Wizards will still be terrible in the 2026-27 season (though probably not as terrible as last in the Eastern Conference), if Washington remains a relative doormat, then that would likely hurt both Davis’ and Dybantsa’s chances of playing for Team USA in the next two years.
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
