With Olympic rosters being announced within the past few months for men’s basketball this summer, there are some key Chicago Bulls players to watch that will be representing their respective countries. The 2020 Summer Olympics are set to take place in Tokyo, Japan, starting next month.
And the Bulls have one player that will be the captain for his country. Combo guard Tomas Satoransky is usually one of the few or the only, active NBA player on the Czech roster for the FIBA World Cup or the Summer Olympics.
There are a few players on the Czech team that otherwise played their college basketball in the United States. But none of the Czech players on the Qualifiers team (set to be played in Canada next month) are on an active NBA roster besides Sato.
A few players of note that played their college ball in the states that are also on the qualifying team for the Czech Republic this summer are power forward Patrik Auda (Seton Hall), power forward David Bohm (Northern Kentucky), and small forward Blake Schilb (Loyola-IL).
“Obviously Canada's favorite of this group in my mind; when you put them on a paper I would say they are the second-best team in the world.” — Czech captain and Chicago Bulls guard Tomas Satoransky on @CanBball #FIBAOQT
— Michael Grange (@michaelgrange) June 28, 2021
Chicago Bulls G Tomas Satoransky set to captain the Czech Republic in Qualifiers
Sato played with the Czech Republic in EuroBasket 2020, the qualifiers this year and in 2017, and for a few FIBA World Cup teams. He’s often represented the Czech team very well. In eight games played in the FIBA World Cup back in 2019, Sato averaged 15.5 points per game, 5.6 rebounds, 8.5 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.4 blocks.
And he shot a solid 45.7 percent from the field, 48.1 percent from beyond the arc, and 90 percent from the free-throw line.
Sato helped to lead the Czech Republic to a surprising sixth-place finish in the 2019 FIBA World Cup. That is one of the better finishes in any big international basketball event for the past few decades for this Czech squad.
Moreover, the most notable Bulls player that will be representing his country in the Summer Olympics in Tokyo this year is the star shooting guard Zach LaVine. He will be a part of a very talented backcourt for the United States this summer.