76ers' Iguodala named to U.S. Olympic team

LAS VEGAS - The 76ers' Andre Iguodala, along with Blake Griffin and James Harden, was chosen Saturday to complete the roster for the U.S. Olympic basketball team.

They earned the final three spots that opened after a rash of injuries knocked out at least four players who would have been on the team. They beat out Eric Gordon, Rudy Gay, and No. 1 draft pick Anthony Davis of New Orleans, who couldn't scrimmage last week because of a sprained ankle.

Also heading to London for the defending gold medalists are: LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Tyson Chandler, and Kevin Love.

Iguodala, who will wear No. 9 for Team USA, is a defensive specialist who can guard multiple positions. Griffin showed he was healthy again after being slowed by a knee injury during the playoffs, putting on an impressive dunking display following practice Saturday. Harden, the NBA's sixth man of the year with Oklahoma City, gives the Americans more scoring punch off the bench.

"On behalf of the entire Philadelphia 76ers organization, I would like to congratulate Andre Iguodala on receiving the tremendous honor of being named to the United States Men's Basketball Team and representing our country during the upcoming Olympic Games," said Sixers managing owner Joshua Harris. "We have no doubt he will be an incredible ambassador for our country, our city, our team, and our fans while going for the gold in London. We wish him all the best."

"Congrats to 'Dre," said Sixers coach Doug Collins. "Nobody could be more pleased than I am that he's starting to get the recognition for being a great player. Being an Olympian in 1972, I know what this means for him and I'm very proud."

The Americans lost Dwight Howard, Derrick Rose, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh to injuries in recent months, forcing them to scrap plans to name their 12-man roster June 18. They asked the US Olympic Committee for a roster extension and added Harden and Davis to their original pool of finalists who was chosen in January.

The injuries leave the Americans shorthanded at center, where Howard started four years ago in Beijing and Bosh backed him up. Chandler is the only natural center left, so the Americans will be forced to use some players out of their normal NBA positions.

The Americans opened training camp Friday and will practice here through next Wednesday, then play an exhibition game against the Dominican Republic on Thursday.