Competition for the 12 spots on Team USA will be fierce leading up to the 2024 Olympics.
As NBA teams across the league gathered for media day on Monday, public commitments to the United States’ participation in the 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 seemed to be 100 percent.
The 38-year-old’s reported “strong” interest in playing for Team USA comes shortly after the U.S. team uncharacteristically finished 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 has expressed a desire to play, and other mentioned stars did the same at 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 on Monday One of the key players in the U.S. indicated to be available next summer.
Team USA does not 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 said to be recruiting mainly players with Olympic experience.
Durant has competed in the past three Olympics and was the MVP of the 2020 gold medal team. Green has competed in the past two Olympics. Davis won a gold medal with Team USA in 2012, and Tatum also won a gold medal in 2020. Curry is the lone exception, but he’s no stranger to international competition. He won the 2010 and 2014 World Cup titles with the United States team.
The 35-year-old told reporters on Monday he discussed the opportunity to help the U.S. reassert its dominance on the world stage.
“That’s one thing I haven’t done,” he added. “I definitely want to be on the team.”
“I want to play. That’s one thing I haven’t done yet. … I definitely want to be there, I definitely want to be on 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 the Suns’ media day.
Chicago Bulls’ DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine say they’ll play if asked. Brown, Cleveland Cavaliers’ Donovan Mitchell, Milwaukee Bucks’ Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez, New York Knicks star Julius Randle, Denver Nuggets’ Aaron Gordon, Toronto Raptors’ Fred VanVleet, Booker and Beal all share the same sentiment. Kyrie Irving said the same thing at the Dallas Mavericks’ media day last week.
Asked on Monday about the effort to add two Olympic gold medals, he noted that the wealth of talent will make James’ job easier.
“I don’t think it’s going to be a huge physical toll, just from the players we have in mind to fill out this roster,” he said. “I don’t have to do a lot. 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 insights into the potential Olympic pool, the team’s protocols also gave us more details about Joel Embiid than ever before. The Philadelphia 76ers MVP remains unsure whether 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’m from and I’ve 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 and that will be an easy decision,” he said. “But it’s still up in the air (because Cameroon still needs to qualify for the 12-team Paris tournament next July). And I really want to go to the Olympics.”
France has given him an October 10 deadline, which may leave him with only two options.
Other stars choose to focus on future seasons
Like Booker and Irving, Sacramento Kings’ De’Aaron Fox and Milwaukee newcomer Damian Lillard reportedly expressed early interest in the Olympics 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 during media day that 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 FIBA World Cup roster after being called up. I mentioned my desire to focus on preparing for that season.
Atlanta’s Trae Young also said Monday that he wants to play for Team USA but feels he was snubbed by not making the World Cup squad.
“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 the main thing on the main thing and win. I know 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 competing in the Olympics. There’s no guarantee who will be on the roster, but whoever gets a spot is expected to help Team USA win its fifth straight gold medal.