LeBron James, Stephen Curry and
Kevin Durant have become synonymous with the sport of basketball,
serving as the gold standard
for this generation of players and drawing in fans from all over
the world.
Aside from 2021 and 2023, every
NBA Finals series since 2011 has featured one of James, Curry or
Durant. The trio have a combined 44 All-Star appearances, and at
the 2024 NBA All-Star Game in Indianapolis, we got to watch them
play together on the same team for the first time ever.
Steph Curry, LeBron James, and Kevin Durant
all on the same team for the first time ever tonight 🔥✊ pic.twitter.com/uUaAKwxaVr– Teacher (@drguru_)
February 18, 2024
Seeing the faces of the NBA
share the court as teammates was a lot of fun and left fans wanting
for more.
Enter Team USA.
The world might witness
these three legends team up once
again in the coming months — this time while donning the red, white and
blue. in hopes of leading Team USA to a fifth consecutive gold
medal at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
While we got a taste of the trio
during NBA All-Star Weekend, fans would love to see them in a
competitive environment. Curry’s otherworldly shooting, James’ IQ
and playmaking, plus Durant’s deadly three-level scoring with
extremely high stakes? That would be something to
behold.
James, Curry and Durant are all
highly intelligent basketball players who complement each other
really well, so it would likely be a seamless transition on Team
USA.
All three have expressed their
interest in playing for the national team and were recently included in the player pool
that Team USA announced.
Although the NBA season is still
ongoing and a lot can still happen between now and July, but
barring injuries or any unforeseen circumstances, the three global
basketball icons will likely lead Team USA’s pursuit for the gold
medal in this year’s Olympic Games. This hunt for the gold will coincide with the
50th anniversary of USA Basketball, making their run even more
special.
Beautiful, isn’t it?
Breaking down our 50th Anniversary logo 👇#Usab50
🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/O4F7odCkWY— USA Basketball (@usabasketball)
January 23, 2024
The American trio will aim to
replicate the success of their predecessors from the original
“Dream Team” in 1992 when NBA superstars Michael Jordan, Magic
Johnson and Larry Bird won the gold medal in Barcelona.
James, 39, has won three Olympic
medals for Team USA (one bronze and two golds) with the last one
coming 12 years ago when he won gold in London. The NBA’s all-time
leading scorer has expressed interest in suiting up for Team USA
once again, and he has been in contact with several other NBA stars
to join him including Curry and Durant. James’ impressive track record for his national
team speaks for itself. After serving Team USA for eight years from
2004 to 2012, he is second all-time in games played (24) for Team
USA.
The 35-year-old Curry has yet to
play for Team USA in the Olympics. Curry already has two FIBA World
Championships in his trophy case, which also includes four NBA
championships and two NBA MVPs, but winning an Olympic gold medal
might be the cherry on top of what has been an illustrious
career. Curry has notably
shown interest in playing for Team USA in the Olympic Games, and he
is very likely to do so this year. With Warriors head coach Steve
Kerr also calling the shots for Team USA, it makes a lot of sense
for Curry to make his Olympic debut in Paris.
Finally, Durant is arguably the
most accomplished Team USA player of all-time. Winning three
Olympic gold medals (2012, 2016 and 2020-21) and a FIBA World
Championship (2010), Team USA’s “Captain America” is gunning for
his record-setting fourth Olympic Gold medal. (He’s currently tied
with fellow USA great Carmelo Anthony, who also has three gold
medals). Durant winning another gold medal would likely solidify
him as the greatest Team USA player of all-time (if he isn’t
already). A two-time NBA
champion and Finals MVP, Durant is one of the most lethal scorers
the game has ever seen.
Aside from James, Curry and
Durant – the NBA’s most recognizable faces – who else will don the
red, white and blue? The
other finalists for the 2024 USA Men’s national team are Bam
Adebayo, Jarrett Allen, Paolo Banchero, Desmond Bane, Scottie
Barnes, Devin Booker, Mikal Bridges, Jaylen Brown, Jalen Brunson,
Jimmy Butler, Alex Caruso, Anthony Davis, Anthony Edwards, Joel
Embiid, De’Aaron Fox, Paul George, Aaron Gordon, Tyrese Haliburton,
James Harden, Josh Hart, Tyler Herro, Jrue Holiday, Chet Holmgren,
Brandon Ingram, Kyrie Irving, Jaren Jackson Jr., Cam Johnson,
Walker Kessler, Kawhi Leonard, Damian Lillard, Donovan Mitchell,
Chris Paul, Bobby Portis, Austin Reaves, Duncan Robinson, Jayson
Tatum, Derrick White and Trae Young.
With James, Curry and Durant
leading the way, Team USA will the favorite in Paris. However,
they’ll face stiff competition from the rest of the world,
particularly world-champion Germany and star-studded squads like
Australia and Team Canada. Generational international talents like
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, Shai
Gilgeous-Alexander and Victor Wembanyama will look to dethrone Team
USA.
This iteration of the Olympics
is shaping up to be the hardest challenge the Americans will ever
face, and hopefully James, Curry and Durant will be at the
forefront of it all. In
likely their last dance in international competition, James, Curry
and Durant will surely want to ride off into the sunset wearing
gold medals around their necks.
