The USA is taking many of the biggest names in basketball — LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant — to Paris for the Olympics, what has been viewed as a last go around for the 35-and-older stars.
LeBron James confirmed this is his final Olympic Games, speaking on NBC’s Today Show.
“No, I won’t be there,” LeBron told the Today show’s Craig Melvin, even though he lives in Los Angeles, the 2028 Olympic host city. “I’m getting the hell out of that city when the Olympics come to Los Angeles [laugh]. All right, I’ll live there all year. I will not be in Los Angeles in ’28. I’m getting out of there.”
LeBron is age 39 now, Curry will be 40 by the time of the 2028 Olympics and echoed the same idea during Team USA training camp in Las Vegas.
“It’s probably realistically my last opportunity to even have a chance to play so it all kind of aligned the right way. So I hope it continues to align to a gold medal,” Curry said.
This stacked USA roster — maybe the best 12-man roster the USA has sent to the Olympics since the Dream Team in 1992 — is the heavy gold medal favorite. Part of that is the USA’s star power in this group, which also includes center Joel Embiid, Anthony Davis and just-crowned NBA champion Jayson Tatum.
However, coach Steve Kerr said part of his message is to warn against complacency.
“It’s remarkable to see the talent in front of me as I’m addressing the team. But a big part of the message is, this is not 1992,” Kerr said, addressing how the rest of the world has started to catch up to the USA in talent.
LeBron and the USA roster didn’t need that reminder, knowing that many of the toughest international players they face in the NBA — Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Victor Wembanyama — will be in Paris for the Olympics, too.
“Yes, a lot of talent. A lot a lot of talent on this team and you know talent only gets you so far,” LeBron said during training camp. “It’s how can we mesh and come together and have that camaraderie on the floor and off the floor which will give us the ability to win gold.”
However, this USA group has the added motivation of knowing it is their last Olympics.
