Two-time Olympic gold medallist LeBron James is reportedly ready to commit to the 2024 Paris Games with the US following American basketball’s latest let-down at the men’s basketball World Cup.
Two-time gold medallist James didn’t play for the gold medal-winning American sides in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 or in Tokyo in 2021 but, according to a report in The Athletic, he’s already called “multiple stars” to recruit them to join him in the French capital next summer.
Those stars include Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis, Jayson Tatum and Draymond Green with the US expected to field a strong team following a disappointing fourth-place finish at the World Cup.
The World Cup is over. The U.S. didn’t medal. The world proved again that the Americans, even with NBA players, are vulnerable on the international stage.
And now, every bit of USA Basketball’s focus shifts to the Paris Games where the challenge will be even tougher than the World Cup, which again reminded the Americans how much the FIBA game has changed.
“The narrative about USA Basketball and FIBA, and do we need reminders, we’re past that,” U.S. coach Steve Kerr said. “These teams are really good.”
Kerr will be at the Olympics next summer. His staff — Erik Spoelstra, Tyronn Lue and Mark Few — are also committed to the Paris Games.
The mission won’t change: Gold or else. Silver won’t be enough, bronze won’t be enough, a repeat of Manila’s fourth-place finish would be a disaster.
The US have gone to the Olympics in men’s basketball 19 times and has won 19 medals, the last four of them gold. On paper, it looks easy. It is not, not anymore. It probably never will be easy again.
“I don’t think as Americans and basketball players that we think that we can’t lose,” said USA basketball legend Carmelo Anthony, who won three golds and a bronze with the national team.
“I think the fear of losing is what drives us and what keeps us going and wanting to win and feeling so bad after losses.”
Now USA Basketball will find out which players want to compete on the high-risk, high-reward stage.
There will be no shortage of options because the Olympics are more appealing to most US players than the World Cup is. More prestige, more attention, brighter lights, bigger stage.
Nikola Jokic battles with Joel Embiid. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
There is one big wild-card out there as well.
Joel Embiid.
The reigning NBA MVP is, in the international sense, a free agent. He was born in Cameroon, has French citizenship and became a US citizen last year. And he’s never played on a senior national team, so it’s his call who he plays for.
The Americans want him. The French want him. What he decides will go a long way towards determining who wins gold in Paris.
Let the recruiting begin.
© AAP
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