Bradley Beal has played all nine of his NBA with the Washington Wizards, the club that drafted him No. 3 overall in 2012.
Gators In Olympic Games: Bradley Beal
Tuesday, July 13, 2021 | General, Men's Basketball, Chris Harry, Olympics
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By: Chris Harry, Senior Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The "04s" (any one of them or all of them) will forever have a special place in the hearts of Florida fans. For some, maybe the most special of places.
What Joakim Noah, Al Horford, Corey Brewer and Taurean Green gave Gator Nation with those back-to-backs (and let's not slight Lee Humphrey, Chris Richard and Walter Hodge, either) might be the most remarkable achievement in UF sports history. Kudos to them.
That said, Bradley Beal, who arrived four years after those NCAA titles and was so special that he stuck around for just one season, now stands as the most accomplished post-Florida basketball player.
Bradley Beal: UF's all-time NBA scorer, one of just two so-called "one-and-dones" in program history, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2012 draft, three-time all-star, runner-up league scoring leader, All-NBA honoree, and now the first Gator to wear the Olympic jersey for the United States' men's basketball team.
Just where Beal fits into Coach Gregg Popovich rotational plans for Team USA will play out in Tokyo, but once all the team members show up the 6-foot-4 shooting guard will be very much in the mix alongside Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Jayson Tatum, Jrue Holiday, Damian Lilliard, et al. The weekend's exhibition "Nigerian Nightmare" aside, it should be fun to watch.
Like Beal was in his short-but-special stint at Florida.
The 2011 Gatorade National Player of the Year at St. Louis Chaminade Prep, Beal had his pick of the college basketball blue bloods (Duke, Kansas, North Carolina, Kentucky, name 'em), but believed in Billy Donovan and what UF was building in the reconstruction — NITs in 2008 and '09; a first-round NCAA loss in '10; an Elite Eight in '11 — from those consecutive national championships. Beal, ranked the No. 4 overall recruit in the country, maintained his commitment even after Orlando guard Austin Rivers, the nation's No. 2 prospect who'd committed to UF earlier, reneged on his pledge and went to Duke, instead.
Beal, mere weeks after his 18th birthday, showed up in Gainesville and over the next eight months displayed a remarkable level of maturity and professionalism as a collegiate rookie on his way to starting all 37 games, being named first-team All-Southeastern and helping guide the Gators to a second straight Elite Eight. Beal was thisclose to opting to return for his sophomore year, but Donovan knew his freshman's NBA stock was soaring through the roof and encouraged him to go.
On his 19th birthday, Beal was the third overall player taken in the 2012 NBA Draft (behind fellow "one-and-doners" Anthony Davis and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, both of NCAA champion Kentucky). In '20-21, Beal was a starter in the NBA All-Star Game and this past spring battled Golden State's Stephen Curry in a down-to-the-wire run fpr the NBA scoring title — including a franchise record-tying 60-point eruption against Philadelphia — before finishing second at a career-high 31.3 points per game.
Along the way, Beal blew past Horford, 35, as the highest-scoring NBA Gator of all time. Barring unforeseen circumstances, he won't be challenged for that unofficial crown anytime soon. Beal's lead is now more than 1,000 points … and he just turned 28.
He's in his prime. And in a Team USA uniform.
After a first-team 2012 All-SEC freshman season with Coach Billy Donovan at Florida, Bradley Beal became just the second "one-and-done" player in Gators history, with the Washington Wizards taking him third overall in the NBA Draft. [Photo by The Tampa Bay Times]
AT A GLANCE Bradley Beal SPORT: Men's basketball
HOW HE QUALIFIED: Beal and his 11 teammates were selected by the USA Basketball Board of Directors, with significant input from Jerry Colangelo, who will serve as the national team's managing director, and Team USA coach Gregg Popovich, winner of five NBA titles as head coach of the San Antonio Spurs.
TOKYO SCHEDULE: July 25 to Aug. 2 -- Three-group (12 teams) preliminary play, with the top two teams in each group advancing, plus the two third-place teams with the best record. Aug. 3 -- Quarterfinals. Aug. 5 -- Semifinals. Aug. 7 -- Gold and bronze medal games.
UF CAREER: Arguably the most decorated prospect ever to sign with the Gators, Beal started every game his freshman season, averaged a team-best 14.8 points, 6.7 rebounds and 34.5 minutes per game in helping guide UF to the Elite Eight, shooting 53 percent from the floor and 43 from the 3-point line during his lone postseason. Beal was named both to the SEC All-Freshman team and All-SEC first team.
NEED TO KNOW: If Beal plays out his current contract in Washington and then opts to re-sign with the Wizards he would eligible, by remaining with the club that originally drafted him, to sign a five-year, $235 million deal that at $47 million per would give him the highest annual salary for any athlete in the history of American sports.
QUOTE OF NOTE: "I think I kind of know, but it hasn't really hit me yet. I haven't really dialed into it because I want that medal first before anything. But I do understand it propels guys' games to another level. It propels your brand to a new level, your legacy to a new level. Once you get that gold medal, that's a path to the Hall [of Fame]." -- Beal on what an Olympic gold medal could mean to his personal legacy.
