The ongoing horrifying African Ebola outbreak has raised enough legitimate concerns that USA basketball has elected to cancel a planned August trip to Senegal ahead of the FIBA World Cup.
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USAB chairman Jerry Colangelo told ESPN:
"“I speak for all at USA Basketball when I say we’re extremely disappointed we will not be able to visit Senegal,” Colangelo said. “Our entire traveling party was very much looking forward to the experience.”After the World Health Organization “noted that the Ebola outbreak in West Africa constitutes an extraordinary event and a public health risk to other [African] states,” Colangelo said, USAB officials made the determination that “any risk, however small, is one we cannot take.”“The circumstances,” Colangelo said, “just don’t allow us to go.”"
Over 1,000 people have reportedly died in West Africa since the horrible outbreak began in March. Senegal itself has not been as hard hit as other countries like Sierra Leone and Liberia, but USA basketball weren’t going to take any chances.
USA basketball will play an exhibition against Slovenia on Aug. 26, and will begin FIBA World Cup play in Spain Aug. 30 against Finland. The team has suffered the loss of several star players including Kevin Durant, Kevin Love, Blake Griffin, Russel Westbrook and Paul George, but should still have enough firepower to win the tournament you would think.
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