TORONTO, 30 July 2003 — Toronto Raptors forward Vince Carter was added to the US team on Monday for next month’s men’s Olympic qualifying tournament, replacing Los Angeles Lakers’ Kobe Bryant.
Charged with sexually assaulting a 19- year-old woman at a Colorado spa, Bryant ruled himself out of the tournament scheduled for Aug. 20-31 in San Juan, Puerto Rico because of recent shoulder and knee surgery.
USA Basketball, however, said in a statement that Bryant would retain his place on the roster for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens should the U.S. qualify.
“USA Basketball’s Senior National Team committee is very pleased to announce that Vince has accepted an invitation to play for the USA in this summer’s FIBA Americas Olympic Qualifying Tournament,” said Stu Jackson, chairman of the committee. “We are thrilled to have an exciting and versatile player like Vince back in a USA Basketball uniform.” The acrobatic Carter starred for the U.S. at the Sydney Olympics, averaging 14.8 points per game to lead the team in scoring as the Americans won the gold medal. However, Carter, a four-time All-Star and 1999 NBA Rookie of the Year, has struggled with injuries the past two years, appearing in just 43 games last season.
Lumbering Laker Madsen Joins Rebuilt T-Wolves
In Minneapolis, Minnesota, Mark Madsen will be dancing to a different tune next season. The free agent forward, whose three National Basketball Association seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers were most notable for spastic dance moves at title celebrations, signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday.
Madsen averaged 3.2 points and 2.9 rebounds in 54 games last season for the Lakers, 22 of them as a starter. He will be counted upon to bang bodies with rival big men near the basket, including Laker ex-teammate Shaquille O’Neal.
