Competition for the 12 spots on Team USA will be fierce ahead of the 2024 Olympics.
As NBA teams gathered Monday for media day, public commitments regarding U.S. participation in upcoming games in Paris were made. Last month, it was reported that Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James was recruiting other stars to join his national team, and his success rate appeared to be 100%.
The 38-year-old’s reported “strong” interest in playing for Team USA comes shortly after Team USA finished an unusually fourth at the FIBA ​​World Cup. He reached out to teammates Anthony Davis, Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry, Jayson and the Boston Celtics, according to Shams Charania and Joe Walden of The Athletic. Tatum and Kevin Durant of the Phoenix Suns. Warriors forward Draymond Green expressed his desire to play, and other stars mentioned did the same during media day.
Suns players Devin Booker and Bradley Beal, Celtics forward Jaylen Brown, Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo and Clippers star Kawhi Leonard also went public Monday as one of the key players in the United States who indicated that it would be available next summer.
Team USA doesn’t have any players with Olympic experience on this year’s World Cup roster, and only three of them are NBA All-Stars. According to reports, James’ desire to compete in another Olympics has nothing to do with the World Cup, but he is primarily recruiting players with Olympic experience.
Durant has competed in the last three Olympics and was the MVP of the 2020 gold medal team. Green has competed in the last two Olympics. Davis won a gold medal with Team USA in 2012 and Tatum also won a gold medal in 2020. Curry is the only exception, but he is no stranger to international competition. He won the 2010 and 2014 World Cup titles with Team USA.
The 35-year-old told reporters on Monday that he had discussed the possibility of helping the United States reassert its dominance on the world stage.
“That’s something I didn’t do,” he added. “I really want to be part of the team.”
“I want to play. That’s one thing I haven’t done yet. … I really want to be there, I really want to be a part of the team.
Stephen Curry on the 2024 Olympics ???? pic.twitter.com/SPuENNASfe
– NBA TV (@NBATV) October 2, 2023
For Durant, another Olympic victory would make him the first men’s basketball player to win four Olympic gold medals.
“I’m going to the Olympics next year,” he exclaimed at Suns media day.
Chicago Bulls’ DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine say they’ll play if asked. Brown, Donovan Mitchell of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez of the Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks star Julius Randle, Aaron Gordon of the Denver Nuggets, Fred VanVleet of the Toronto Raptors, Booker and Beal all share the same sentiment. Kyrie Irving said the same thing at Dallas Mavericks media day last week.
Asked Monday about efforts to add two Olympic gold medals, he noted that the wealth of talent would make it easier for James.
“I don’t think it’s going to be a huge physical burden, just from the players we have in mind to fill out this roster,” he said. “I don’t need to do much. Rebound a little, pass a little, defend, block shots, you know what? But we’ll see. “We’ll see what happens. “
In addition to media days providing unexpected information about the potential Olympic pool, team protocols have also given us more details than ever about Joel Embiid. The Philadelphia 76ers MVP still doesn’t know if he will play for Cameroon, France or the United States next summer.
“My goal is to go to the Olympics. I like all three options. Cameroon, where I was born, where I come from and I have always wanted to represent my country. But the goal is also to go to the Olympics. If we get the chance, or if we qualify for the Olympics, it will be an easy decision,” he said. “But it’s still up in the air (because Cameroon still has to qualify for the 12-team Paris tournament next July). And I really want to go to the Olympics.
France has given him until October 10, which could leave him with only two options.
Other stars choose to focus on upcoming seasons
Like Booker and Irving, De’Aaron Fox of the Sacramento Kings and Milwaukee newcomer Damian Lillard reportedly expressed interest in the Olympics early on, but were not recruited by James. Lillard has yet to discuss his plans for next summer, and Fox answered some questions about the Summer Olympics on Monday.
Fox, who last season led the Kings to the playoffs for the first time since 2006, had to “find a good way to do it” and said at media day he wasn’t thinking about Team USA . Earlier Monday, the reigning Key Player of the Year expressed the team’s shared goal of winning its first NBA championship since the 1972 season. In 2019, the speedy guard was considered for the NBA Cup roster. FIBA ​​world after being called up. I mentioned my desire to focus on preparing for this season.
Trae Young of Atlanta also said Monday that he wanted to play for Team USA but felt snubbed by not making the World Cup team.
“If you don’t think I was disrespected, you just weren’t telling the truth,” Young told reporters at media day. “But I mean, it doesn’t matter. For me, I just want to keep it basic and win. I know that when I win the championship, everything will fall into place.
The NBA season is long enough for the situation to change for any player who expresses interest in participating in the Olympics. There’s no guarantee who will be on the list, but whoever gets a spot should help Team USA win its fifth straight gold medal.
