Andrew Nembhard is going to be an Olympian: 'It's a surreal moment'
It was fully expected, but Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard was officially named to the 12-member Canadian Olympic Team for Paris on Wednesday. He has excelled in training camp.
LAS VEGAS — Indiana Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard was invited to spend last summer with the Canadian National Team, to compete in camp and potentially play in the FIBA World Cup.
He declined.
It may sound crazy to pass up on an opportunity like that, but Nembhard had the big picture in mind. He was 23 years old and coming off a rookie season where he exceeded all expectations, especially for a second-round pick. The Pacers knew they got a good one at pick No. 31 of the 2023 NBA Draft — and he proved them to be correct.
Nembhard participated in Pacers rookie/free-agent camp last July, then played in a few games at NBA Summer League.
Now one year later, he’s back in Las Vegas and representing his country after the roster was trimmed down from an original group of 20. Nembhard making the 12-man Olympic Team roster was inevitable, but it became official Wednesday morning.
Then, the Canadian Olympic Team held shootaround at T-Mobile Arena to prepare for an exhibition game tonight against USA Basketball. The game is scheduled to start at 10:30 p.m. ET and air nationally on FS1.
“It's crazy. It's a surreal moment for sure,” Nembhard said of making the roster. “It's something I thought I could do, but it's nice to be able to say I'm doing it now.”
The other 11 players: Nickeil Alexander-Walker (Toronto, Ont.), RJ Barrett, Khem Birch, Dillon Brooks, Luguentz Dort, Melvin Ejim, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Trey Lyles, Jamal Murray, Kelly Olynyk, Dwight Powell.
Yes, that’s Indy product Trey Lyles, the 2014 Indiana Mr. Basketball. (And former Pacers head coach Nate Bjorkren is an assistant coach.)