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Many NBA stars are currently in Venezuela playing for their respective national teams as they make one last ditch effort to qualify for the 2012 Olympic games in London. Atlanta Hawks all-star center Al Horford is among those players as he is suiting up for the Dominican Republic.
Preliminary play in the tournament began on Monday and the top three finishers among the 12-team tournament will earn spots in London.
The Dominican Republic is coached by Kentucky coach John Calipari and is a part of Group C in the tournament along with Russia and Korea. That is a very tough draw for Horford and company as they may have a tough time getting past a Russian team with a lot of depth and led by NBA players Andrei Kirilenko and Timofey Mozgov.
For more on Al Horford and the Atlanta Hawks head over to Peachtree Hoops. For more on the FIBA qualifying tournament and the London Olympics be sure to check out SB Nation's NBA page.