Superstars MIA
During the Athens 2004 Olympics, Team USA experienced disappointment as they secured a bronze medal. This outcome sparked debates about the nation's historic dominance in basketball. In response, for the subsequent Olympics, Team USA formed a squad famously known as the "Redeem Team," drawing parallels to the iconic Dream Team of 1992.
Both squads displayed immense power, securing gold for Team USA on both occasions and earning a place among the greatest teams in the history of the world. However, this past summer, Team USA faced a surprising setback in FIBA, failing to clinch even the bronze medal. While FIBA does not carry the same significance as the Olympics, it nonetheless marked an unexpectedly embarrassing moment for the team.
A man named Noah Lyles, a professional track and field runner further publicized this whole process, making it all the worse when Team USA lost.
“I watch the NBA finals and they have ‘world champion’ on their head. World champion of what? The United States?”
This sparked additional discussions about whether the NBA truly features the world's best players, given its North American focus. Is it truly right to call yourself the ‘world champion’ when competing in a league which runs in North America?
The NBA draft includes players from all around the world, promoting inclusion.
In the past 3 seasons, Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, and Giannis Antetokounmpo have placed within the top 3 for MVP discussions. None are from North America.
There is an increasing number of players which are coming from Europe every year.
Therefore, Noah Lyle’s statement can be interpreted as unfair because the NBA is comprised of the top players from around the world, rather than just the United States. This also led to an eruption from NBA players such as Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, and Damian Lillard who were in disagreement with Lyles:
Though the FIBA 2023 Team USA roster was promising, it is clear that the USA didn’t send their best. In fact, there were only 4 players that were previous NBA All-Stars on the team:
Brandon Ingram
Anthony Edwards
Tyrese Haliburton
Jaren Jackson Jr.
This defeat appeared to have wounded America's pride, steering us down a path similar to the Redeem Team in 2008.
“To rule the olympics, Team USA needs to call in The Avengers ”
At the start of this years NBA season, LeBron James decided to confirm his status in next years Olympics. This essentially ‘assembled the avengers’, as players like Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, Devin Booker, Jaylen Brown, and numerous others expressed their desire to represent America.
It will be interesting to observe how this unfolds, but containing a team featuring players of this caliber will likely be an impossible challenge to other teams. When USA basketball sets its sights on dominance, they are essentially unbeatable. However, there is a pattern of them occasionally getting complacent and falling into a cycle of ease, rather than maintaining a relentless approach throughout.
Historically, the Dream Team and Redeem Team are likely some of the best rosters ever assembled. Could this upcoming Olympics roster be added to this, and what do you think they should be be called? Leave a comment below!
