USA Basketball is preparing for the 2024 Summer Olympics. On Tuesday, it released a 41-man player pool made up of prospective final roster players, which would be revealed later. Team USA is fired up following a poor performance at the 2023 FIBA World Cup, so the competition could be fiercer than it has been in a long time.
LeBron James and Stephen Curry were among the big-name players who did not compete in the previous Olympics, but both were on the list and have shown an interest in suiting up. Other famous players that did not play in Tokyo, Japan, but may do so in 2024 include Anthony Davis, James Harden, Jimmy Butler, Kyrie Irving, Chris Paul, Paul George, and Kawhi Leonard.
Then there are newcomers. Joel Embiid, for example, said in October that he would rather play in America than Cameroon or France. The Philadelphia 76ers’ standout and reigning MVP might assist Team USA address its obvious deficiency in the post, as many of the league’s finest centers are now foreign players. Several rising stars could join him for their maiden Olympic debut in USA Basketball.
Tyrese Haliburton, Trae Young, Anthony Edwards, De’Aaron Fox, Jaylen Brown, and Brandon Ingram are just a handful of the top players with the potential to dethrone some of the seasoned veterans. They have all made at least one All-Star appearance, although Team USA is more selective.
Whether USA Basketball can recover from ending without a medal at the FIBA World Cup remains to be seen, but the 2024 player pool appears to be stacked with quality and capable of returning to dominance.