Grant Hill Acknowledges ‘You Can’t Keep Everyone Happy’ on USA Basketball at Olympics

Paul KasabianFeatured Columnist IIAugust 7, 2024

Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images

Basketball Hall of Famer and USA men’s national basketball team managing director Grant Hill admitted in an interview with Joe Vardon of The Athletic that “you can’t keep everyone happy” as Team USA continues its quest for an Olympic gold medal.

“You can’t keep everyone happy, but I think you win a gold medal and everyone feels like they contributed,” Hill said. “I think people will come out of this with a positive outlook on the entire experience. And, you know, we’ll have to revamp and figure things out in four years, but, right now my only goal is to win, to win this gold medal.”

Team USA is a 12-man roster that includes legends, MVP winners, perennial All-NBA talents, champions and young, rising superstars.

The fact of the matter is they can’t all see decent playing time, especially when the international game is 40 minutes long compared to 48 in the NBA.

In the United States’ 110-84 group play win over Serbia, the Boston Celtics’ Jayson Tatum and the Indiana Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton did not play at all. Just a few months earlier, they were leading their respective teams in the Eastern Conference Finals.

In the United States’ 103-86 win over South Sudan (also in group action), Philadelphia 76ers big man and 2022-23 NBA MVP Joel Embiid didn’t see the floor.

Celtics guard Jrue Holiday was the only player who didn’t play in a 104-83 win over Puerto Rico, although he sat due to an ankle injury.

All 12 players saw action in the 122-87 quarterfinal win over Brazil, ranging from Kevin Durant and Anthony Edwards (21 minutes each) to Haliburton (eight).

Per Vardon, the following players are getting fewer than 17 minutes per game: Embiid (11.9), Tatum (11.1), Derrick White (14.7), and Haliburton (9.8).

Ultimately, the goal is to win the gold, and the United States is doing quite well on that front, outscoring its four opponents by 99 points.

Up next is a rematch with Serbia in the semifinals on Thursday at 3 p.m. ET. The winner plays the France-Germany semifinal winner on Saturday in the finals.