(ATR) The United States men’s basketball team will play five exhibition matches in the weeks leading up to the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics this August.
Around the Rings is told that tickets for four of the five games are currently being pre-sold and tickets open up to the general public on Friday, April 29.
The USA Basketball Showcase is presented by Verizon and begins in Las Vegas on July 22 with the venue and ticket sale date to be announced in May, USA Basketball spokesperson Craig Miller tells ATR. USA will face world number four Argentina in the first exhibition, a potential preview of a medal game in Rio.
The team will then travel to California to play two games against China, facing off in Los Angeles on July 24 and in Oakland on July 26. Venezuela will take on the U.S. team in Chicago, Illinois on July 29 before the exhibition draws to a close on Aug. 1 against Nigeria in Houston, Texas.
"With only a short period of training available, our training and exhibition games are critical in helping us prepare for the challenges we will face in Rio in defending our gold medal," USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo said in a statement.
The U.S. men’s basketball team is seeking its third straight gold medal in Rio.
"Building our team chemistry quickly is vital, and the 2016 USA Basketball Showcase will offer our players and coaches the opportunity to become familiar with each other, to develop chemistry and to gain critical international experience against a variety of differing styles," said USA head coach Mike Krzyzewski.
Miller tells ATR that USA Basketball’s broadcast partner for the showcase will be announced at a later date. The women’s national team exhibition games are still to be determined but will also take place in July.
The basketball tournament in Rio runs from Aug. 6-21.
Written by Kevin Nutley
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