The Paris Olympics brought back the excitement surrounding Team USA’s senior men’s basketball team. Superstars like Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James, Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant, and Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry seemed to lose interest in the USA Basketball program and the team suffered because of it.
In the 2019 and 2023 FIBA World Cups, Team USA failed to medal after winning their fifth FIBA World Cup title in 2015. The Olympic team has fared far better, winning gold in every tournament since 2008. Yet, the star power in 2016 and 2020 paled in comparison to previous years.
Lakers’ LeBron James Names Team USA’s Next Starting Five?
With the trio of James, Durant, and Curry on the back nine of their careers, the NBA isn’t the only one trying to find out who’ll be the face of the next generation. USA Basketball will need to make the same discovery, especially as several are of the NBA’s best players are of foreign origin. What’s more, they have a lot of national pride.
Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic won’t shuffle off from Serbia. Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic won’t defect from Slovenia. Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo isn’t giving up on Greece. San Antonio Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama is proud to play for France…