LeBron James of Team LeBron looks on during the NBA All-Star Game against Team Giannis at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah, February 19, 2023. /CFP
The disappointing performance of USA, who finished fourth in the FIBA Basketball World Cup that ended in Manila, the Philippines, on September 10, led to some good news for USA Basketball, the country's governing body of the sport: LeBron James is interested in playing for the team in the Paris Olympic Games in 2024.
According to The Athletic, James spoke to Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis, Jayson Tatum and Draymond Green, and all of them are willing to join the national team. Meanwhile, Devin Booker, Damian Lillard, De'Aaron Fox and Kyrie Irving intended to play for USA in Paris as well.
It's unclear how many of the above super and rising stars will appear on USA's roster in the end – there are too many guards and too many ball handlers – but they can surely make a true dominant team that is much more trustworthy than the squad in the World Cup this year.
L-R: Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony of USA celebrate with their gold medals after defeating Spain 118-107 in the men's basketball final in the Olympic Games in Beijing, August 24, 2008. /CFP
Why is James doing this? The last time he made an appearance for USA was at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. He turns 39 by the end of this year. The Olympics begin on July 26, 2024. If James and the Los Angeles Lakers make a deep run in the NBA playoffs, playing for the national team will take a big chunk of his time away from resting and recovering during the offseason.
Of course, as one of the greatest basketball players of all time, James must have felt frustrated to watch his team lose in the World Cup – so did Kobe Bryant before he joined USA in 2007. More importantly, playing in the Olympics again and bringing home another gold medal can add more weight to his position in both basketball and NBA history.
USA have so far faced three crises in the modern basketball era. The first one was the loss to the former Soviet Union in the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. Then came the "Dream Team" that dominated every opponent in the 1992 Olympic Games. That team wouldn't have been so star-studded without the recruiting efforts of Magic Johnson, who convinced Michael Jordan and Larry Bird to join.
Like Johnson, James is one of the most influential players in today's NBA and, thus, can make a good recruiter for the national team.
LeBron James of USA dunks in the men's basketball final against Spain in the Olympic Games in London, August 12, 2012. /CFP
The second crisis USA faced was the straight losses in the World Cups (known as the World Championships back then) in 2002, 2006 and the Olympics in 2004. Then there was the "Redemption Team" that won the gold medal in Beijing in 2008. James was with the team, but their leader and model was Bryant, with his professionalism, urge for victory and toughness.
James shares those characteristics as well, which you can tell by how many honors he has won as well as the fact that he is still on the All-NBA teams at 38.
Having failed to reach even the final for two consecutive editions of the World Cup, USA are confronted with their third crisis. The NBA Most Valuable Player Award went to Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greek), Nikola Jokic (Serbian) and Joel Embiid (French and American) for the past five seasons. It seems like the right time for James to play savior for USA Basketball.
If James wins the gold medal with USA in Paris in 2024, that will be his third Olympic gold, one more than Jordan, by the way.