Falling bitterly in extra time against the Canadian team in the 2023 FIBA World Cup bronze medal match, the US team improved its performance but still left the world’s second largest basketball playground empty-handed.
In two consecutive World Cups, the Chinese football team could not climb to the medal podium, creating a contrasting image with four consecutive gold medals in the Olympic arena.
Just like in 2019 when the US team only finished 7th overall, fans have turned their attention to next year’s squad.
This is where they will most likely see a strong team with many big stars to “take revenge” and according to information that has just appeared, there is a very high possibility that next year’s US squad will have great quality. .
Although there are still 10 months until the Olympics take place in Paris (France), reputable journalist Shams Charania has reported that the current top NBA star, LeBron James, is seriously considering returning to the national team to attend the Olympics. festival .
Not stopping there, the Los Angeles Lakers superstar also wants to create a “revenge squad” with other All-Star and All-NBA players such as Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis, Jayson Tatum and Draymond Green.
The prestigious website The Athletic reported that the trio of LeBron, Stephen Curry and Durant had initial discussions about playing for the American basketball team.
They see this as both an opportunity to regain dignity for the US with a fifth consecutive Olympic gold medal, and also a “last dance” before saying goodbye to the national team to focus on their NBA career. .
LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant will turn 39, 36 and 35 years old, respectively, when the Olympics take place in Paris next July.
For LeBron James personally, the last time he played for the national team was 11 years ago.
At that time, the “king” competed in the 2012 London Olympics alongside the late legend Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Durant…, bringing home the gold medal with an undefeated record throughout the tournament.
Kevin Durant then led the US team in the next two Olympics, bringing home two more gold medals at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 (held in 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic).
Stephen Curry in particular will likely have great motivation to play for the team. Having won the FIBA World Cup twice with the US team in 2010 and 2014, “chef” Curry has never attended the Olympics.
An Olympic medal is probably a rare major achievement that the Golden State Warriors star lacks in his career.
There is still plenty of time for the NBA stars and the US team’s leadership to consider and build a suitable squad aiming for the Olympic gold medal.
As usual, they will finalize the list at the beginning of the Olympic year. After that, the entire team officially reunited in June, right after the NBA season ended.
