LeBron James and Stephen Curry were on top of the basketball world after helping Team USA win its fifth-consecutive gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. James captured his third gold medal and an MVP honor, while Curry finally earned his first Olympic medal after leading the United States to win over France in the gold-medal match. It was the first time we saw the pair of legends compete side-by-side in something other than an All-Star Game, and it delivered on every level.
It was a peak moment in both careers, but if anyone held out hope to see them again at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, both players squashed that dream. During an appearance on James’ “Mind the Game” podcast with Steve Nash, both future Hall of Famers essentially shot down the possibility of playing in the 2028 Olympics.
James flat out closed the door, saying “You already know my answer, I’ll be watching it.” Curry’s response wasn’t as quite definitive, but it doesn’t sound as though we should be holding our breaths in hopes that he’ll don the Team USA jersey again.
“God willing, I still have the choice and physical option where I could impact the team,” Curry said. “Never say never, but I highly doubt it. Highly doubt it.”
So you’re saying there’s a chance? In all seriousness, by the time the L.A. Olympics roll around, Curry will be 40. While Curry very well could still be operating at an All-Star level by then, he may also decide to retire or scale back. As both players mentioned in the interview, how can you top beating France in front of their home crowd where you made four 3s in the span of two minutes to secure gold for the United States? That’s a very difficult bar to surpass, so it makes sense why Curry would want to go out on a high note. James will probably be retired by then, given he’s at least given a rough timeline of when he’ll hang up his shoes.
Without James and Curry in the 2028 Olympics, the United States may be the most vulnerable its ever been to losing its death grip on the gold medal in men’s basketball.
Who will fill the void?
The 2024 Olympic roster gave us a decent idea of the next wave to lead Team USA. Anthony Edwards and Tyrese Haliburton were the youngest members of the team, and should have significantly bigger roles when the 2028 Games happen. So will guys like Jayson Tatum and Bam Adebayo, who both saw limited action at the Paris Olympics. Devin Booker proved in two Olympic appearances to be the ideal plug-and-play player, so let’s assume he’ll return. And if healthy — which is a huge gamble to make — Joel Embiid and Anthony Davis would certainly get the call again.
If one assumes that James, Curry, Kevin Durant, Derrick White and Jrue Holiday are off the team, then here’s a short list of guys who could be considered for those open spots:
Talent won’t be a concern. But finding guys who can just flip a switch and take over a game like James and Curry can is a far more difficult task. Yes, international basketball is much more team oriented compared to the NBA, and when you have a 12-man roster filled with the best American talent you don’t want one player exploding for 35 points while everyone else is just standing around. That’s not the best use of a roster this talented. But we also saw Curry turn into a superhero in that gold medal match against France to carry the United States across the finish line. You won’t always need someone to do that, but it certainly helps when you’ve got guys like Curry, James and Durant on the roster who can walk down and get you an automatic bucket.
Who will be that for Team USA in 2028? The top-4 best players in the NBA right now are not American. Canada will have the reigning MVP Shai-Gilgeous Alexander. Serbia has three-time MVP Nikola Jokić, Greece has two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and Slovenia has Luka Dončić. Of those four players, SGA and Jokić have squads around them that could credibly challenge the United States.
And then there’s France, led by Victor Wembanyama, who was out to an MVP-caliber start this season before a calf strain. France just put up a great fight against Team USA in the gold medal match at the Paris Olympics, and will only get better as Wembanyama improves.
In the past, Team USA had the top players in the NBA. That won’t be the case in 2028. The United States will still field an incredibly strong team, that will be littered with MVP candidates and All-Stars but it will inherently be weaker than ones of the past that featured James, Durant and — in 2024 — Curry. The days of the best talent always coming from the United States are over, and that might come to a head at the 2028 L.A. Olympics.
