Philadelphia 76ers guard Ben Simmons (25) passes the ball as Toronto Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard (2) and teammate Fred VanVleet (23) look on during first half NBA Eastern Conference semifinal action in Toronto on Sunday, May 12, 2019. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)
MELBOURNE, Australia — Ben Simmons, Andrew Bogut, Patty Mills and Aron Baynes are among the NBA players picked in an extended Australia squad to prepare for the FIBA World Cup.
Boomers coach Andrej Lemanis announced a 17-man squad on Thursday for warmup games the U.S. team and Canada in August.
Simmons, who missed Australia’s run to the semifinals at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, confirmed his availability for the World Cup after his Philadelphia 76ers were knocked out of the Eastern Conference semifinals last week on Kawhi Leonard’s Game 7-ending buzzer-beater for Toronto.
Matthew Dellavedova, Joe Ingles, Jonah Bolden and Deng Adel were also included in Australia’s squad, but Dante Exum and Thon Maker were unavailable for selection.
The will squad will be trimmed to 12 players before leaving for China for the Aug. 31-Sept. 15 World Cup, where the Boomers are in Group H with Canada, Senegal and Lithuania.