The United States has mostly reigned supreme in its pursuit of Olympic Gold in Basketball. The USA initially only sent college players and amateurs to compete at the Olympic games. But as the world started to catch up, the States let professionals from the NBA also participate [from 1992], and up until last year; it seemed like the world would never close the talent gap. But last year’s 4th place finish at the FIBA World Cup points to such a reality no longer existing, a feeling that USA Team captain LeBron James also uttered in his recent press conference.
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The USAB Men’s team is gearing up for the upcoming Paris Olympics, and the star-studded lineup has gathered at the UNLV campus to get in some pre-tournament work. After day one of their training camp, LeBron James sat down with the media to answer questions about the team, their upcoming Olympic competition, and their quest for Gold. The discussion quickly shifted to the USA’s stacked roster, with the media also questioning James if it were even possible to decide whom to start and bench with so much talent on the team. Finding the question rather amusing, James said,
“Coach Kerr is coming up here after me, you can use that question for him when he gets up here. That’s a great problem to have, we have so many great players, but we all make sacrifices, to be here, and understanding what it means to represent Team USA so none of us are trying to go out there..and carry the team…We want to play for each other…The only goal is to win gold and represent Team USA.”
James was sure to mention that while the team might possess insane amounts of talent, that single-handedly won’t be enough to conquer gold at the upcoming Olympics.
“Yeah there is a lot of talent on this team… a lot of talent. But talent only gets you so far. It’s about how well we can mesh and have that comradery both on the floor and off the floor, which will give us the ability to win gold.”
James has been with the USAB program for almost two decades now and understands better than most pros that the FIBA system rewards teamwork more than individual play. It’s important to note that the majority of Team USA’s defeats over the years have come at the hands of far inferior rosters, with James even being there to witness Bronze and Silver medal finishes at the international level.
So, heading into their tune-up matches later this month, James and the team should be firing on all cylinders, especially from a ball distribution standpoint. And while all 12 players are great at what they do, it will still take some time for the NBA stars to adjust to smaller courts, slower games, and no defensive 3-second violation.
