Kyle Lowry Accepts Invite to Play in Rio 2016 Olympics

Following the best season of his 10-year NBA career, Toronto Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry will represent the United States men's basketball team at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro this summer.

Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical was the first to report that the two-time All Star had accepted the invitation. Marc Stein of ESPN confirmed the report.

While the 30-year-old Philadelphia native was left off Team USA's original 30-player finalist list for the Olympics, several high-profile stars declining to play put him back on the radar.

Per ESPN.com, two-time reigning MVP Stephen Curry, Los Angeles Clippers All-Stars Chris Paul and Blake Griffin and New Orleans Pelicans big man Anthony Davis have all decided against playing in the Olympics.

The same can be said for Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook, Houston Rockets guard James Harden, Washington Wizards guard John Wall and San Antonio Spurs forward LaMarcus Aldridge, according to ESPN.com's Royce Young.

NBA Finals MVP LeBron James has yet to make an official declaration, but he said he was leaning against competing in Rio, per Chris Haynes of the Plain Dealer.

With so few elite options, particularly in the backcourt, the United States turned to Lowry on the heels of a campaign that saw him average 21.2 points, 6.4 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game for a Raptors team that reached the Eastern Conference Finals.

Lowry's play suffered in the postseason, as he shot just 39.7 percent from the field and averaged 19.1 points per game, but if he can channel his regular-season form, he should play a significant role for the gold-medal favorites. 

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