Bradley Beal To Miss Tokyo Olympics, Twitter Discusses Replacement Players

Source: Ethan Miller / Getty

Bradley Beal has said, according to reports, that playing in the Summer Olympics was a dream of his since he was a young boy but now those hopes have been dashed for reasons out of his control. The Washington Wizards All-Star guard was placed on health and safety protocols which rules him out for the Summer Games and Twitter is currently discussing the situation and his potential replacement. As reported by ESPN and several other outlets, Beal was put into the health and safety protocol ahead of a now-canceled Friday night game in Las Vegas that was shuttered due to concerns around the coronavirus. Beal was shut down this past Wednesday under the protocol and was informed he will not be joining Team USA on Thursday. Detroit Pistons combo-forward Jerami Grant was also placed under protocol but has not been ruled out from the games as of yet.

The exhibition contest against the Australian team was to take place at 6 PM ET but officials from the group want to move ahead cautiously considering all world teams are expected to head towards Tokyo at the top of next week. scheduled for Sunday against Spain, with a charter to Japan set for Monday. The U.S. women’s game against Australia will be played as scheduled Friday in Las Vegas. “Our goal overall is we’re trying to get everybody safely to Tokyo,” Team USA head coach Gregg Popovich said, “and at the same time prepare a basketball team to be successful. We’re trying to be vigilant about what we do, where we go.” Despite the tough news, Team USA is forging ahead and is looking to replace Beal. On Twitter, names are being floated about but nothing has been officially announced. We’ll update this post when it happens. Check out the reactions below. — Photo: Getty