Team USA Basketball’s roster for the 2024 Olympics is a who’s who of NBA mega-talent.
Eleven of the 12 players on the Steve Kerr-led Paris Olympic team have been revealed, with Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James and Golden State Warriors sharpshooter Steph Curry headlining the supernatural list.
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Anthony Davis, Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Jayson Tatum, Jrue Holiday, Joel Embiid, Tyrese Haliburton, Anthony Edwards and Bam Adebayo make up the rest of the team, but one crucial spot remains.
Teams are allowed to take 12 players to the Olympics and, according to The Athletic, LA Clippers superstar Kawhi Leonard is the leading candidate for the final spot.
However, the likes of Paul George, Paolo Banchero, Mikal Bridges and Jalen Brunson are also under consideration.
Leonard, a two-time Finals MVP, is one of the best two-way players in the NBA when healthy.
But the 32-year-old has been plagued by injuries in recent years and missed the final eight games of the regular season with inflammation in his right knee.
The Clippers will face the Dallas Mavericks in a first-round playoff series that begins April 21, and it’s unclear if Leonard will be healthy to participate in that opener.
Head coach Ty Lue has remained tight-lipped, but ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski recently shed some light on Leonard’s issue.
Woj said: “In the past, there has always been some mystery surrounding Kawhi Leonard’s injuries, which sometimes turn out to be worse than initially portrayed.
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“I’m told that’s not the case here. It’s right knee inflammation on the same knee he had meniscus surgery on in recent years, he had ACL surgery, and then this season he played 68 games – that’s the most he’s played since the 2016-17 season.”
Team USA heads to Paris as the most dominant team in Olympic history, having won 16 of 19 gold medals.
The star-studded squad are seeking a fifth consecutive Olympic gold medal, having last failed to win the top prize in 2004, when they won bronze.
This extremely talented team will be the clear favorites heading into Paris, but they will face tough competition from the rest of the world.
Team Canada could feature Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jamal Murray, RJ Barrett, Andrew Wiggins and Dillon Brooks, while France will be led by 7-foot phenom Victor Wembanyama and familiar NBA faces like Rudy Gobert and Nic Batum.
Elsewhere, reigning NBA champion and two-time MVP Nikola Jokic will lead the Serbia team.
However, no one comes close to Team USA in terms of talent.
The loaded NBA team will be in a group alongside Serbia, South Sudan and Olympic qualifying tournament winner Puerto Rico.
Team USA will play two matches in London in preparation for the 2024 Olympics.
James, Curry and Co are set to face South Sudan at The O2 on July 20 and in Germany on July 22.
