Lebron James is reportedly joining Team USA at the 2024 Paris Olympics, according to multiple sources.
When it comes to basketball, there’s no doubt that Team USA is hands down the best one the world has seen so far, as it has won a total of 16 gold medals during its 19 Olympic appearances.
And, last time at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, they even had the entire world at their feet when they claimed their fourth consecutive win at the Men’s Olympic Basketball Tournament—a feat they hadn’t accomplished since the 1960s.
But after losing against Germany and coming off a dismal fourth-place finish at FIBA’s World Cup on Sunday, people are starting to lower their expectations from the most decorated basketball team of all time.
However, this all changed when NBA Central asked Lebron James in a tweet, “Could we see a last dance with LeBron in the Olympics?” To which Lebron replied with the 👀 emoji, hinting that he was considering the possibility.
Questions rising towards LeBron’s next steps
Could we see a last dance with LeBron in the Olympics? 👀 pic.twitter.com/RaFH78SO6X
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) September 8, 2023
Two days later, on Sep 11, NBA Central officially announced the breaking news on their X account: BREAKING: LeBron James plans to commit to Team U.S.A. next summer along with Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis, Jayson Tatum and Draymond Green, per
@ShamsCharania
“Separately, Phoenix’s Devin Booker, Portland’s Damian Lillard, Sacramento’s De’Aaron Fox and Dallas’ Kyrie Irving also have serious interest in committing, league sources said.”
BREAKING: LeBron James plans to commit to Team U.S.A. next summer along with Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis, Jayson Tatum and Draymond Green, per @ShamsCharania
“Separately, Phoenix’s Devin Booker, Portland’s Damian Lillard, Sacramento’s De’Aaron Fox and Dallas’… pic.twitter.com/FJ3fHVZuVY
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) September 11, 2023
The Olympic postgame chatter was probably triggered by Team USA’s 113-111 loss to Germany in Friday’s FIBA World Cup semi-finals, missing out on the chance to win the World Cup for the second year in a row. Without LeBron, Team USA has stayed at the top of the basketball world rankings at the last two Olympics, but there’s no question that they’d be a better and more dangerous team with the “King” on board.
LeBron James, who has competed in three Olympics and won two gold medals, is so interested in one more Olympic Games that he’s ready to make a commitment next summer. He also reached out to a few NBA players and invited them to come to Paris with him and Team USA, according to NBA Central.
If all goes according to plan, then we could be looking at another dream team.
As it stands, the 1992 Dream Team remains the benchmark for USA basketball and is unlikely to ever be surpassed.
It was during this era that the Americans outscored their opponents by an average margin of 44 points and captured the hearts of many spectators with the presence of three of the most decorated basketball players in the history of the sport: Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird.
Other notable players on the 1992 dream team included NBA All-Star Charles Barkley, point guards Patrick Ewing and Karl Malone, as well as former NBA All-Stars Scottie Pippen and David Robinson, and Clyde Drexler, John Stockton, and Christian Laettner, among others.
With the latest news of NBA stars joining in the team USA, this has sparked an enthusiastic response among basketball fans, who are eager to witness the NBA players compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
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