Monday, April 29, 2024

USA Olympic basketball roster: LeBron James, Kevin Durant headline 2024 U.S. men’s team for Paris, per report | Sporting News

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The United States men’s basketball team is searching for its fifth consecutive gold medal at the Olympics as it heads to Paris for the 2024 games.

The program isn’t taking this lightly either, as it’s bringing in the creme de la creme to play in the red, white and blue.  LeBron James and Kevin Durant headline the roster as they both make a record fourth Olympics appearance — the most in history.

While the past two USA Olympic rosters weren’t weak by any means — they won gold both times — they don’t compare to the talent that the 2024 squad has. James makes his return for the first time in 12 years alongside Durant and a handful of future Hall of Fame talent.

MORE: Oldest players in USA Basketball history

Who else is on USA’s 2024 Paris Olympics roster? Here’s the list and more on the 12 players to make the final cut.

USA Olympics men’s basketball roster

James and Durant are the headliners for the 2024 USA Olympics roster, per The Athletic’s Shams Charania. Here’s how the rest of the roster shapes up.

Name Team
Bam Adebayo Miami Heat
Devin Booker Phoenix Suns
Stephen Curry Golden State Warriors
Anthony Davis Los Angeles Lakers
Kevin Durant Phoenix Suns
Joel Embiid Philadelphia 76ers
Anthony Edwards Minnesota Timberwolves
Tyrese Haliburton Indiana Pacers
Jrue Holiday Boston Celtics
LeBron James Los Angeles Lakers
Jayson Tatum Boston Celtics
TBD TBD

The final spot of the men’s roster is still to be determined, but Charania reported that Kawhi Leonard is the leading candidate. Paolo Banchero, Mikal Bridges, Jalen Brunson and Paul George are also in the mix.

Who coaches the U.S. men’s basketball team?

This will be the first Olympics under new head coach Steve Kerr. Gregg Popovich retired from the position after Team USA won the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

Even without Popovich, the coaching staff remains extremely talented. Mark Few, Tyronn Lue and Erik Spoelstra round out the assistant coaches, and Grant Hill is the team’s managing director.

Name Role Team
Steve Kerr Head coach Golden State Warriors
Mark Few Assistant coach Gonzaga
Tyronn Lue Assistant coach Los Angeles Clippers
Erik Spoelstra Assistant coach Miami Heat
Grant Hill Managing director

Team USA basketball Olympics history

The United States have largely dominated international play in its history.

Some of the world’s best players are from the U.S. Even some internationally-born players, like Joel Embiid, have earned U.S. citizenship and opted to play for the American team.

Basketball has grown exponentially over the past few years as some of the NBA’s finest talent is from outside the country. It makes for a more competitive field during international competitions such as the Olympics.

Year Site Result
1936 Berlin Gold
1948 London Gold
1952 Oslo Gold
1956 Melbourne Gold
1960 Rome Gold
1964 Tokyo Gold
1968 Mexico City Gold
1972 Munich Silver
1976 Montreal Gold
1980 Moscow Qualified but DNP
1984 Los Angeles Gold
1988 Seoul Bronze
1992 Barcelona Gold
1996 Atlanta Gold
2000 Sydney Gold
2004 Athens Bronze
2008 Beijing Gold
2012 London Gold
2016 Rio de Janeiro Gold
2020 (2021) Tokyo Gold

Team USA basketball 2024 Olympics schedule

There’s still qualifying tournaments to determine the remaining teams for the 2024 Olympics. They’ll take place from July 2-7, according to FIBA.

Date Game Time (ET) TV channel
July 28 USA vs. Serbia 11:15 a.m. NBC
July 31 USA vs. South Sudan 3 p.m. NBC
Aug. 3 USA vs. TBD 11:15 a.m. NBC

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