Prince George’s Co. wishes trio of hometown Olympians well with pep rally

There are dozens of athletes from the D.C. space competing within the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, however do you know three of them are from one Maryland county?

Tennis participant Frances Tiafoe and NBA gamers Kevin Durant and Jerami Grant are all from Prince George’s County.

On Friday, buddies, household and group members gathered in School Park to want them good luck with a pep rally. Main the cheers of “Prince George’s proud” have been Durant’s mom, Wanda, and one in all Tiafoe’s coaches.

The Junior Tennis Champions Middle, the place Tiafoe nonetheless practices when he’s not enjoying on the world tour, hosted the occasion. Tiafoe not too long ago stunned the tennis world with a Wimbledon win over Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas earlier than being eradicated within the match’s third spherical.

His former coach, Oliver Akli, stated the participant’s purpose was simply to ensure world No. 1 Novak Djokovic doesn’t win the gold medal.

Wanda Durant, whose son is competing in his third Olympics after serving to the Brooklyn Nets to one in all their most profitable seasons in years, stated locations just like the tennis middle are necessary for teenagers in Prince George’s County.

“Generally it’s a spot the place they’ll simply get away and be themselves,” she stated.

Grant has performed for plenty of NBA groups, not too long ago ending the 2020-2021 marketing campaign with the Detroit Pistons, for whom he scored 22 factors per sport.

Group USA opens the Olympic basketball match on Sunday morning towards France.

More on the Tokyo Games 

WTOP’s Michelle Basch contributed to this report.

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