Jazz teammates at Olympics again

Utah's pro basketball team has two of its players on America's Olympic basketball team. Sound a bit familiar, doesn't it?

Ever since the Jazz drafted Deron Williams and teamed him with Carlos Boozer in the summer of 2005, the comparisons have been right there. Are they the next John Stockton and Karl Malone?

Well, now that Williams and Boozer are both on the Olympic team, the first time NBA teammates have been Olympic teammates since Stockton and Malone did it back in 1992 and 1996, the side-by-side comparisons are unavoidable.

"They've had two Olympians before. Two gold medal winners in Karl and John, so [Boozer] and I look to be the next," Williams says.

Jazz head coach Jerry Sloan was an assistant coach on the American team when Stockton and Malone won gold in Atlanta in 1996. He says, "It was terrific thing just for me to watch it and see how excited players get when it happens. They can talk about it all they want, but you can't hide the excitement that comes with winning a gold medal. I know because I had an opportunity to see it firsthand.

Stockton and Malone are forever connected in bronze statues and retired jersey's at the EnergySolutions Arena. The new breed of Jazz point guard and power forward are still making their way through all the weighty comparisons.

"[I] got to remember we haven't had a chance to play for an NBA title, but we're having the chance to play for a world title in the Olympics," says Boozer, "So the most important thing now is to win the Olympic title; win the gold."

"We got a long way to go before we can be compared to those two guys. The things that they did, it's just another stepping stone for me and Carlos though," Williams says.

Boozer added, "You were with me, Tom. Where we came from when I first got here in '04 to now. We're an elite team in the NBA. [We were] this close to winning a championship, and I want to win a championship in a Jazz uniform, and I want to have the opportunity to have my jersey hanging from the rafters when I get done playing."

There's been a bolt of galvanized steel bridging the Stockton-Malone era to this time of Boozer and Williams.

"It's a huge honor, and everybody growing up wants to be on an Olympic team," says Sloan. "It's just like when you have that opportunity to win a championship you've got to take it right now. [You] can't say 'we'll get them next year."

Current head coach of Team USA Mike Krzyzewski says of Sloan, "He's just one of the best coaches ever, and those two guys benefit from him being there, and he's not afraid of coaching them."

Stockton and Malone set the Olympic standard. Until now, they were the only NBA teammates to win the gold, and now Williams and Boozer are almost halfway to matching them.

"They paved the way for us. Now we're just trying to follow in their footsteps and bring home that gold," added Williams.

E-mail: tkirkland@ksl.com

Related topics