It’s July 17, 2024, and the U.S. team is playing Serbia in a men’s basketball exhibition game as part of the USA Basketball Showcase in Abu Dhabi. Superstars were battling for victory – four former NBA MVPs were in play and the 2024 Olympics were set to begin in just nine days.

The USA, which took first place in the Olympic tournament last weekend, had a commanding victory against the would-be bronze medalists. LeBron James, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, scored with 5:20 left to give his team a 30-point lead. The result was decided.

James left the court just over two minutes into the game. The Ohio native scored 11 points and had two assists to help secure the win. He was replaced by another Ohio native, but it wasn’t one of the many NBA stars who played in the game, nor was it someone fans know particularly well.

It’s Micah Potter, a frontcourt player who recently signed a two-way contract with the Utah Jazz, a deal that pays him half the rookie minimum salary. He has played 26 games over the past three NBA seasons, including 16 with Utah last year. The 26-year-old, who grew up 45 minutes from James’ hometown of Akron, Ohio, doesn’t have a long NBA resume.

And yet, he now finds himself on the court with a high-caliber Team USA squad. Potter was selected for the 2024 USA Basketball Men’s Select Team, giving him a chance to coach the Olympic team in early July. But Potter, along with Nigel Hayes-Davis and Langston Galloway, had the unique opportunity to be the only three players from that Select Team to travel with the senior team during the USA Basketball Showcase.

“The Jazz organization’s G-League coach recommended me for this,” Potter said of his spot on the Select Team. Steve Wojciechowski is the head coach of the Salt Lake City Stars and has long-standing ties to Mike Krzyzewski – and Krzyzewski was formerly the head coach of Team USA. The legendary coach is still active in basketball.

“My agent was like, ‘You’re doing this,'” Potter said of the opportunity. “I was thrilled. I was excited, speechless… And then the whole prospect of being able to travel with them to Abu Dhabi and London, the whole idea was crazy.”

Potter wasn’t sure he would dress for games – he didn’t even think about playing much. But he did, and more than once. The Wisconsin native played against both Canada and Serbia in the lead-up to the Olympics.

Galloway and Hayes-Davis have experience in the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) style of play and rules, so they were natural candidates to go overseas and play with the U.S. in the lead-up to the Olympics. Potter did not. He mentioned that the opportunity came about because of his connection with Wojciechowski and his special skills as a big man – Potter can shoot and space the court. That’s valuable, and he’s a player who doesn’t make big demands when it comes to the intangibles.

And so Potter suddenly finds himself playing on a team with James, Steph Curry, Kevin Durant and other NBA legends. Less than 80 seconds after coming on as a substitute against Serbia, Potter sank a three-pointer. A week earlier, the Jazz big man needed 36 seconds to score – two-time All-Star guard Jrue Holiday set him up with a clean pass.

“We just expected to be there, to be the typical cheerleaders at the end of the bench or something,” Potter recalled of the game against Canada. “And then they call all three of us (to the game). At that point I was like, ‘Oh man, I’m going in.’ But after that I was like, ‘Okay, this is what I’m doing. I’ve been training for this my whole life.'”

Utah’s reserve big man, who already has an NBA double-double, seemed right at home. Sinking threes and playing focused defense, Potter never looked like he didn’t belong on the court. Most people reacted in the opposite direction, wondering why Potter hadn’t been signed by an NBA team yet.

The Ohio native finally signed a contract with the Jazz during the Olympics. It is already his third two-way contract with the association.

“After the game, you look back and think, ‘Wow, I just hit a three-pointer for Team USA, with this team, arguably the best Olympic team ever assembled’ … It was just crazy,” Potter said.

Potter showed he could fit in and quickly shoot from distance. He didn’t know his teammates very well at first, so he would easily trash talk during training and shooting drills to build a connection with them. Because he shot so well in training, his teammates knew he could do the same in games.

“If you watch the video, you can see me turn around and look right back at the bench, like I’m smirking at (them). I looked at (assistant coach) Ty Lue because he was the one I talked the most trash about,” Potter said when asked about one of his most memorable memories from the Team USA experience. That moment came after he hit a three-pointer against Serbia.

There were many more moments like that over the course of the summer. For a player who has been in the NBA for three years but only has about a third of the experience of a season, it was a major accomplishment to be playing in major games before the Olympics. And even though James, one of his favorite players from his youth, was on the team, Potter remained confident.

The talent on the roster was remarkable. These were Curry’s only Olympic Games and former MVP Joel Embiid was on Team USA for the first time. The United States had a second unit with five former All-Stars in the gold medal game against France.

Micah Potter was allowed to attend. “I say that was the awe of all those guys being on the same team at the same time. But there’s still that element of, ‘I belong here… I was chosen for a reason. I have to prove I belong here,'” the big man said. He noted he felt he had a chance to showcase himself for future NBA opportunities. “That was my mindset when I approached the whole thing: to enjoy getting to know these guys, but also to show that I belong.”

His shots stood out in practice, and Potter was accurate during the game, too. He did what was asked of him on the biggest stage of his life so far. Now the Olympics are over, and Potter is preparing for his third season with Utah and fourth overall. That experience with Team USA is a thing of the past.

More specifically, the experience with the 2024 Olympic team is behind us. Many players have been invited to the Select Team for a chance to play with the senior U.S. national team in future tournaments, including the World Cup and other major events. Perhaps Potter could be next.

“I would love to wear the USA on my chest again. I think it’s an honor any time you’re considered for that opportunity,” he said. He made the most of that honor this summer with the Olympic team, and next he’ll have another chance to prove himself with the Jazz.