The USA men’s basketball team roster has been announced ahead of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, where 12 NBA stars are hoping to take home the gold.
LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Stephen Curry, and Joel Embiid are just some of the big stars who were selected to compete this summer, all of whom will be coached by Golden State Warriors coach, Steve Kerr. The team ranges in experience regarding Olympic play, from Kevin Durant, who is looking for his fourth gold medal, to Stephen Curry, who will be competing on the world stage for the first time in his career.
“We knew,” Grant Hill, the manager of Team USA, said to ESPN. “We didn’t necessarily plan it that way, but we knew this was the team that we wanted and we also know that there’ll be a lot of interest and a lot of people who will want to be along for this incredible journey we’re about to be on.”
In recent years, it has been rare to see such a dominant lineup for Team USA. With many big trades happening in the NBA, some players who are picked up by a new team during the free agency like to spend the offseason adjusting to their new environment; others may just be concerned about getting injured while playing in a different league.
This concern became especially prominent after Paul George suffered a gruesome injury in a scrimmage preparing the 2016 Olympics that forced him to sit out for the entirety of the 2014-2015 NBA season. From that injury onward, big names have significantly shied away from competing in the summer games.
Yet, despite this, NBA stars are suiting up to play in Paris this year. This decision could be because it is considerably easier to win Olympic gold than it is the World Cup trophy, or because some players who typically play for other countries have decided to sit out of this year’s Olympic Games. Either way, Team USA has certainly created a strong roster.
The team has everything from shifty shooting guards (Devin Booker, Jrue Holiday) to tough post players (Anthony Davis, Bam Adebyo), which will give them opportunities to score from almost anywhere on the court. Though Hill knew that defense was an area that the team needed to train the most, considering how Team USA fell short against Germany in the 2023 FIBA World Cup semifinals. With centers such as Adebyo and Embiid, the strengthened defense should be able to shut down opponents.
“The game is much more physical than the NBA game,” Hill told ESPN. “And so being aware of that, having guys whose games would translate on that level on the defensive side and offensive side was important. So yes, this is not a knock on any team that we’ve had in the past, but I’m really excited about the defensive potential of this group as we work together and prepare ourselves for Paris.”
The 2024 Paris Olympics are set to kick off July 26 and last until Aug. 11. Team USA is expected to face off against Serbia and South Sudan, as well as the winner of the Olympics Qualifying Tournament from Puerto Rico. Assuming the rounds go as predicted, the team is hoping to secure their fifth straight gold medal.
“No one cares who’s the leading scorer, who has the most minutes,” Hill told TODAY. “The goal is to win a gold. They know that. They want that and they’re fired up.”
