January 23, Reuters The first step in putting together the squad that will compete for the gold medal in the men’s basketball competition at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris was released by USA Basketball on Tuesday, with LeBron James and Stephen Curry leading the pack of 41 players.
A 12-person squad will be chosen from a pool consisting of 28 athletes who have competed for the United States in the Olympics and/or FIBA Basketball World Cup, and who have together won 23 gold medals at these events.
The United States placed fourth in the previous year’s Basketball World Cup and won an Olympic gold medal for the fourth time in 2020 in Tokyo.
Grant Hill, managing director of Team USA, stated in a news release, “I am thrilled that many of the game’s superstars have expressed interest in representing our country at the 2024 Olympic Summer Games.”
“This challenging process will unfold over the next several months as we eagerly anticipate the start of national team activity.”
While Curry, the NBA’s all-time leader in three-pointers, has never represented the country at an Olympics, four-time NBA champion James has not competed for Team USA since winning a gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics.
Other players on the list include Joel Embiid, who set a club record with 70 points on Monday for the Philadelphia 76ers, Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis, Jimmy Butler, Paul George, and Kyrie Irving.
Steve Kerr, the head coach of the NBA’s Golden State Warriors, will be in charge of the national team.
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