FILE – United States forward LeBron James runs with the ball during the London 2012 Olympics men’s basketball gold medal game between the United States and Spain at the North Greenwich Arena in London on the 12th August 2012. AFP PHOTO / EMMANUEL DUNAND
NBA superstars LeBron James and Stephen Curry are among the high-profile players interested in competing for the United States in next year’s Paris Olympics, according to multiple reports Monday.
James, a two-time Olympic champion and four-time NBA champion, has recruited other NBA stars for a U.S. team that is aiming for a fifth straight gold medal next year in France, according to The Athletic.
Curry, a four-time NBA champion guard with the Golden State Warriors, has expressed a desire to play on the Olympic team guided by Warriors coach Steve Kerr, ESPN reported.
The news comes a day after a U.S. team made up of around 20 NBA stars left the Fiba World Cup empty-handed after losses to eventual champions Germany in the semifinals and Canada in the the bronze medal match.
James, a 38-year-old forward, led the United States to Olympic gold in 2008 in Beijing and 2012 in London, but has not played since.
He knows the sting of defeat on the world stage, however, having been a reserve on the 2004 U.S. team that settled for bronze at the Athens Olympics and on a 2006 team that won bronze at the Fiba World Cup.
The American Stephen Curry during the Fiba 204 World Cup final against Turkey in Istanbul on September 12, 2010. AFP PHOTO / FRANCK FIFE
James is not only interested in playing for Olympic gold in Paris, but he has also called former NBA Most Valuable Players Curry and Kevin Durant in hopes of enticing them to play in 2024.
Two-time NBA champion Durant, a Phoenix Suns forward who turns 35 later this month, contributed to the United States’ Olympic gold medal efforts in London as well as in 2016 in Rio and in 2021 in Tokyo.
Curry never played for the U.S. Olympic team, but helped the American clubs win the 2010 and 2014 World Cup crowns — their only such titles since 1994.
According to The Athletic, James has also recruited for the 2024 U.S. Olympic team, including Los Angeles Lakers teammate Anthony Davis, Golden State’s Draymond Green and Boston’s Jayson Tatum.
Phoenix’s Devin Booker, a three-time NBA All-Star, and Golden State’s Chris Paul, 38, a gold medalist in 2008 and 2012, are also among those interested in the Paris Olympics, according to ESPN.
Your subscription could not be saved. Try Again.
Your subscription was successful.
Read next
To subscribe to APPLICANT MORE to access The Philippine Daily Inquirer and over 70 other titles, share up to 5 gadgets, listen to news, download as early as 4 a.m. and share articles on social media. Call 896 6000.
For comments, complaints or inquiries, Contact us.
