basketball
Report: James talks to US stars about participating in the Olympics
According to a report, LeBron James and other NBA superstars want to attend the Olympic Games in Paris. photo
© Javier Rojas/Prensa Internacional via ZUMA/dpa
The last World Cup was disappointing for the US team. A report is now fueling speculation that some old stars could return to the Olympics next year.
At the Olympic Games next year, a US basketball team with many stars could take over LeBron James standing on the floor. Regardless of the disappointing fourth place for the US team at the World Cup in Asia, corresponding planning had been going on for some time, reported the portal “The Athletic”.
The 38-year-old James has already spoken to other stars such as Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis, Jayson Tatum and Draymond Green. Everyone had signaled their willingness, it said, citing several sources from the NBA professional league. There were already rumors like this during the World Cup.
Two-time Olympic champion James, who last played for the Americans in London 2012, and soon-to-be 35-year-old three-time gold winner Kevin Durant would see the 2024 Games as their “last dance.” These would be the first games for Curry, then 36 years old. James, Durant and Curry talked to each other about participating in the Olympics. Tatum, Green and Damian Lillard, who is also said to have signaled his willingness to take part, were, like Durant, part of the 2021 Olympic champion team in Tokyo.
At the last World Cup in Asia, coach Steve Kerr’s US team surprisingly failed in the semi-finals in Manila against eventual world champions Germany, 111:113. Kerr had younger players available there, but like four years before, in the end there was not enough to win a medal.