We ‘ship it: The Team USA table tennis and men’s basketball teams burgeoning alliance has seemingly turned into a full-blown friendship, after the American table tennis team dropped in on the U.S. men’s basketball practice on Friday.
U.S. table tennis athletes Lily Zhang, Rachel Sung, Amy Wang and Kanak Jha got a front-row seat to watch the very best in the basketball biz shoot some hoops, per a USA Table tennis Instagram post.
This unlikely allegiance between the two groups of world class ballers and shot callers comes after a series of inter-sport crossovers throughout the 2024 Games.
The teams first met on the Team USA boat at the Opening Ceremony, when basketball’s Steph Curry tried to stir up a potential rivalry between the two troupes when he told shooting guard Anthony Edwards that the table tennis team was talking smack.
“In what? Ping pong?” Edwards asked.
“I don’t believe it, I don’t believe it,” Edwards responded. “I’m scoring one point.”
That Opening Ceremony boat banter undoubtedly sparked Edward’s “ping pong” curiosity, and he was seen in attendance of American Lily Zhang‘s epic Round of 32 win over Brazil’s Bruna Takahashi.
At basketball practice on Thursday, Edwards greeted the table tennis group.
“I had fun watching you,” Edwards told Zheng.
The table tennis team could be seen talking to point guard Tyrese Haliburton, and swapping Olympic pins with Curry.
“Ping-pong diplomacy” was in full force when Curry asked the table tennis crew to sign a ball for him.
“That is high-action right there,” Curry said of the rapid sport of table tennis, in a true game-respects-game moment.
Edwards succinctly wrapped-up the sporting crossover event post on social media, commenting in just one word:
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