UF Men’s Basketball: Gator Great Bradley Beal on Final USA Basketball Olympic Roster
Courtesy of University Athletic Association
BY DENVER PARLER
Beal will become the first Gator to compete in men’s basketball at the Olympics
Florida men’s basketball great Bradley Beal will be part of the 12-man USA Basketball roster that will compete in the Tokyo Olympics later this summer.
Beal, a first-team All-SEC performer at UF in 2011-12 and a three-time NBA All-Star, recently earned third-team All-NBA honors and will be the first Gator to compete in men’s basketball at the Olympics. Beal is coming off a 2020-21 campaign where he averaged 31.3 points per game and led the Washington Wizards to a playoff spot.
This will be Beal’s first competition with the senior men’s national team, but prior to his time at Florida, Beal earned MVP honors and led the USA to a gold medal at the 2010 FIBA U17 World Championships, held in Germany.
While Beal will be the first men’s basketball Olympian from the Gators, he will not be the first former UF men’s basketball player to compete in the Olympics. Harry Winkler, who played at Florida from 1965-68, competed in team handball at the 1972 Munich and 1976 Montreal Olympics.