The locker room pain driving Dante Exum’s maiden Olympic campaign with the Boomers

Dante Exum is a proven star when fit, so his inclusion in the Boomers’ Tokyo Olympic team is a major boost for Australia.

Dante Exum has experienced the pain of Australia’s failed campaigns, so it was a no-brainer to put his NBA career to the side and commit to his first Olympics in a bid to break the Boomers’ medal hoodoo.

Exum will make his Olympic debut in Tokyo despite being in and around the Australian system for almost a decade, including an appearance at the 2014 World Cup.

Injuries, most noticeably a torn ACL while representing Australia in 2015, have repeatedly prevented the seven-year NBA veteran from donning the green and gold, but he fully understands the hurt driving the Boomers’ medal hopes.

“I was with the team in Spain when we lost to Turkey (at the 2014 World Cup), and I wouldn’t want to be in one of those locker rooms ever again,” Exum recalled.

“Just the feeling when you have a great team and you felt like you could have done so much more, it is obviously disappointing.

“So, to see them (the Boomers) at the Olympics and World Cup go through that same thing and just watching at home I felt that.

“Once you are a Boomer, you always feel those losses and that hurt, but you also feel the energy that we can do something.

“We have the team, but we need to perform.”

Dante Exum is a proven star when fit, so his inclusion in the Boomers’ Tokyo Olympic team is a major boost for Australia. Photo: Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images.

Exum’s deep passion for the Boomers is why he didn’t hesitate when weighing up the Tokyo Olympics as part of his NBA off-season plans.

As a free agent looking to secure his NBA future, he could have spent the off-season honing his skills following another injury-interrupted season but he has long harboured a desire to represent his country on the world’s biggest stage.

“I told my agent straight away it was just always the Olympics, and I didn’t care what anyone had to say if they had any advice or anything,” he said.

“Honestly, it was no decision. It has always been my dream to play in an Olympic Games.

“It is what I’ve been brought up (to do) and what I know, so when I’m healthy I’m definitely going to put my foot forward to play whenever I can.”

Exum hasn’t played since January due to a calf injury, restricting him to just six games in the 2020-2021 NBA season.

The 25-year-old has had a horror run with injuries in recent years, but he is feeling fit ahead of Sunday’s opening Olympic exhibition game against Argentina from 1.30pm (AEST).

Exum is also confident that his body will hold up in Tokyo, even if he has to guide his way through the tournament.

“In my head, I’m good to go,” he said.

“I looked it up to today and I haven’t played in 186 days, so I think it is always smart to just manage in some capacity what I’m doing.

“But it is definitely going to be a play it by ear and see how I feel.

“I haven’t played a game. I’ve played scrimmages and five on five and I felt good after that, and I haven’t had any troubles.

“But it is something that we are going to manage. I’m talking to medical staff every day, but in my head I’m ready to go and I wouldn’t have put my foot forward if I wasn’t 100 per cent.”

Dante Exum is fit and ready to fire ahead of his maiden Olympic campaign with the Boomers. Picture: (AAP Image/Joel Carrett.

Australian guard Matthew Dellavedova is excited to see Exum healthy and back doing what he does best with the Boomers.

Dellavedova believes his former Cleveland teammate is primed to perform strongly following his standout form during the team’s pre-Olympic camp.

“Dante has had a tough run with injuries, but he has always been committed to the Boomers,” Dellavedova said.

“He is getting into the paint, the rim and being aggressive on the defensive end.

“He is really enjoying it and it has been great fun having him apart of the group and I’m excited to see what he can do for us.

“I got to play with him in Cleveland for last year and part of last year and it has been great to see him healthy, back on the floor and moving really well.”

Originally published as The locker room pain driving Dante Exum’s maiden Olympic campaign with the Boomers