Micah Potter Gets Chance Of A Lifetime With Team USA Before Olympics (2024)

It’s July 17, 2024, and Team USA is playing Serbia in a Men’s Basketball exhibition during the USA Basketball Showcase in Abu Dhabi. Superstars were battling — four former NBA MVPs played in the game, and the 2024 Olympics were set to kick off in just nine days.

The United States, who took home the top spot in the Olympic tournament last weekend, are cruising against the to-be bronze medalists. LeBron James, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, hit a shot with 5:20 left in the action to give his team a 30-point lead. The result was decided.

Just over two minutes of time passed in the game, and James exited — the Ohio native finished with 11 points and two assists in the victory. He is replaced by a different Ohio native, but it’s not one of the many NBA stars involved in the game or even someone fans know much about.

It’s Micah Potter, a frontcourt player who recently signed a two-way deal with the Utah Jazz, a contract that will pay him half of the rookie minimum salary. He’s played in 26 games across the last three NBA seasons, including 16 last year with Utah. The 26-year old, who grew up 45 minutes from James’ hometown of Akron, Ohio, doesn’t have a lengthy NBA resume.

Yet there he is, on the floor with a loaded Team USA group. Potter was chosen to be on the 2024 USA Basketball Men’s Select Team, which gave him a chance to train the Olympic squad in early July. But Potter, along with Nigel Hayes-Davis and Langston Galloway, had the unique opportunity of being the only three players from that Select Team that got to travel with the senior squad during the USA Basketball Showcase.

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“The G League coach of the Jazz organization recommended me for it,” Potter said of earning his spot on the Select Team. Steve Wojciechowski is the head coach of the Salt Lake City Stars, and he has long standing ties to Mike Krzyzewski — and Krzyzewski used to be the head man with Team USA. The legendary coach is still involved in basketball.

“My agent was just like, ‘you’re doing this’,” Potter said of the opportunity. “I was ecstatic. I was excited, speechless... And then the whole aspect of being able to travel with them to Abu Dhabi and London, that whole idea was nuts.”

Potter wasn’t sure if he would dress for games — he wasn’t even thinking about playing much. But he did, and more than once. The Wisconsin product hit the hardwood against both Canada and Serbia in the leadup to the Olympics.

Galloway and Hayes-Davis have experience playing within the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) style and rule set, so they were natural candidates to head overseas and play with the United States leading up to the Olympics. Potter didn’t have that. He mentioned that the opportunity came because of his connection to Wojciechowski and his specific big man skills — Potter can shoot and space the floor. That is valuable, and he’s a low-maintenance player when it comes to the intangibles.

And so, suddenly, Potter is playing on a team with James, Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, and other NBA legends. Less than 80 seconds after checking in against Serbia, Potter drilled a three. A week earlier, it took the Jazz big man 36 seconds to score — two-time All-Star guard Jrue Holiday set him up with a clean pass.

“We were just kind of expecting to be there, be your typical end-of-the-bench cheerleader guys or whatever,” Potter recalled of the game against Canada. “And then they call all three of us [into the game]. So at that point, I’m just like, ‘oh, man, I’m going in’. But then after that, I’m like, ‘Okay, this is what I do. I have trained my whole life for this’.”

Utah’s reserve big man, who has one NBA double-double to his name, looked right at home. He cashed in threes and played focused defense — Potter never looked like he didn’t belong on the floor. If anything, the opposite reaction came for most people. They wondered why Potter had not yet been signed by an NBA team.

The Ohio native did finally agree to a contract with the Jazz while the Olympics were going on. It’s his third two-way agreement in the association.

“After the game, you look back, you’re like, ‘Wow, I just hit a three for Team USA, with this team, and arguably the greatest Olympic team ever assembled’... So it was crazy,” Potter shared.

Potter showed he could fit in and get up attempts from deep quickly. He didn’t know any of his teammates too well at first, so he would lightly trash talk during practices and shooting drills to connect with them. Because he shot it so well in practice, his teammates knew he could do it in games.

“If you watch the video, you can see me turn around and look right back at the bench, kind of like smirking at [them]. I was looking at (assistant coach) Ty Lue because he’s the one I’ve been talking the most trash with,” Potter shared when asked about one of his core memories from the Team USA experience. That moment came after he hit a three against Serbia.

Throughout the summer, there were many more of those moments. For a player that has been in the NBA for three years yet only has about 1/3rd of a season’s worth of experience, getting to play in meaningful games ahead of the Olympics was a major accomplishment. And while James, one of his favorite players growing up, was on the team, Potter remained confident.

The talent on the roster was remarkable. It was Curry’s only Olympics, and former MVP Joel Embiid was with Team USA for the first time. The United States had a second unit that featured five former All-Stars during the gold medal game against France.

Micah Potter got to be a part of it. “I say that’s where the awe factor came from was all of these guys being on the same team at the exact same time. But there’s still the element of, ‘I belong here... I was chosen for a reason. I have to prove that I belong here’,” The big man said. He noted he felt like he had had a chance to showcase himself for future NBA opportunities. “That was my mindset going into the whole thing was to enjoy it, get to know these guys, but also show that I belonged.”

His shooting stood out in practice sessions, and Potter was accurate during game action, too. He did what he was asked to do on the biggest stage of his life to date. Now, the Olympics are done, and Potter is getting ready for his third season with Utah and his fourth in total. That Team USA experience is a thing of the past.

More specifically, the experience with the 2024 Olympic squad is in the rearview mirror. Many players have gotten a chance with Team USA’s senior team in future tournaments, including the World Cup and other major events, after a Select Team invite. Perhaps Potter could be next.

“I’d love to put USA on my chest again. I think that’s an honor every single time you’re considered for the opportunity,” he said. He made the most of that honor this summer with the Olympic team, and next up is another chance to prove himself with the Jazz.

Micah Potter Gets Chance Of A Lifetime With Team USA Before Olympics (2024)
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