Coming off of a season in which he played 71 games, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James has a busy summer as he prepares to represent Team USA at the Paris Olympics for one final time. At 39-years-old, James now has an opportunity to add another gold medal to his lengthy basketball resume.
When it came to putting together a competitive roster for Team USA in the Olympics, there were plenty of NBA stars worthy of making the cut but only 12 spots up for grabs.
After not medaling in the FIBA World Cup last summer, Team USA has put together one of its most talented rosters of all-time with James leading the way.
All 12 players have a good shot at being in the Hall of Fame one day for their accomplishments in the NBA where they are used to being opponents.
They are on the same team now though looking to bring home the gold. This could be a change of pace, yet it presents an exciting opportunity for most stars. One in particular is rising star Tyrese Haliburton, who cannot wait to play with James throughout this experience, via Yahoo Sports:
“Well, I mean, top to bottom, it’s hard to make that choice. Just because of everybody on our team, I would say, a little more than half of the guys if they retired today, they would be Hall of Famers. So, that’s the privilege that I have to be on the court with these guys. But, throw a lob, it’s definitely LeBron, no question. Just because I grew up in the 2000s and LeBron being my favorite player growing up and so now to share the court with him and be in the locker room with and pick his brain, all of those things has been awesome already through one day. So, I just look forward to keep doing that on a consistent basis throughout this time here. So it’s definitely, definitely LeBron.”
There is not a lot of time left in James’ career as he turns 40-years-old in December and who knows how many years he has left in the tank. But with this presumably being his last Olympic appearance, Haliburton and other young stars will surely take advantage of playing alongside the Lakers star before it is too late.
Stephen Curry: having LeBron James as Team USA teammate is ‘surreal’
Another storyline heading into Team USA training camp in Las Vegas was Stephen Curry and LeBron James becoming teammates for the first time after several years of iconic battles in the NBA Finals. Admittedly, Curry shared that being able to have James as a teammate is a ‘surreal’ feeling to him, and that feeling is surely mutual.
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