LeBron James and Steph Curry recently turned heads when they both shared that they probably won’t be playing for Team USA in the 2028 Olympics. Both were essential players on last year’s gold medal-winning squad, with Curry hitting one of the biggest shots in USA basketball history. But by ‘28, Steph will be 40, and LeBron will be 43, meaning they will most likely watch the next tournament from home.
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LeBron has played in four different Olympic Games, dating back to 2004 in Athens. He’s won three gold medals and a bronze, and was the 2024 MVP in Paris. But on his most recent episode of the Mind the Game podcast, he shared that he won’t be playing in the ‘28 games in Los Angeles.
“You already know my answer,” LeBron said while laughing. “I’m going to be watching this one. Yes, man, I’m done.”
It was somewhat of a surprising revelation. But given that this could be LeBron’s final season in the NBA altogether, it makes sense. After all, there are still three years until the Olympics.
That’s when LeBron’s guest on the episode, Curry, shared that it’s unlikely he will play as well.
“I never say never, but I highly doubt it,” Curry revealed.
Who knows how good Steph will be when he’s 40, or if he’ll still be in the NBA. His game has aged beautifully, and many fans could see him playing for a few more seasons. According to him, though, 2024 was his first and only Olympics he’ll ever play in.
It’s disappointing news. Last year, Curry iced the gold medal game with a moonball three-pointer over Victor Wembenyama. It was the highlight of the tournament.
When Kendrick Perkins heard of this, he said that he would still take Steph at 40 if he wanted to play and the team needed him.
“I’ll tell you what, I’ll take him at 40, because damn well we’re going to need him,” Perkins said on NBA Today. “I don’t know how confident I am without Bron, without KD. I need one of them.”
To be fair, in regards to Kevin Durant, the ‘Sim Peaper’ never explicitly claimed he wouldn’t be on the 2028 team. “Yeah, if I’m still me,” said Durant on his potential participation.
It was a great point made by Perk however. With Kevin Durant, Curry, and LeBron all coming to the ends of their careers, the future for USA basketball looks murky. Especially given how great the rest of the world has become at the sport over the years. Now, teams like France, Canada, Serbia, and Germany are all threats to win the gold medal going forward.
Shaquille O’Neal Paints Grim Picture for USA Basketball Future
A year ago, coming off the gold medal win, Shaquille O’Neal went on a media tour talking about the future of international basketball. During one of his interviews, he mentioned that 2024 might be the last year that Team USA wins the gold medal for a while.
“This is probably the last Olympics that the US is going to win cause next Olympics there’s gonna be no LeBron, no KD, and no Steph. So anybody could take it,” Shaq claimed via Creativo.
It was a grim outlook that Shaq painted on the future of USA Olympic basketball. The country has dominated the sport for years, but superstars have popularized it to a point where other countries have caught up. Of the last 10 NBA MVP winners, 7 have been international players. A stretch that highlights how good the rest of the world has become.
All in all, they’re good things to keep in mind about the future of Team USA. Without LeBron, Curry, and possibly KD, the window will be wide open for other countries to take the gold medal. It’ll be interesting to see how the US responds and if they field a balanced enough roster to compete with the likes of the rest of the world.
