Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Deron Williams, Kevin Durant Photo Credit: ibtimes.com
After the gold medal performance by the United States Men’s basketball team at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, it has to be said that most folks expect them to repeat in London 2012. The USA is definitely looking at a bunch of new faces on the team this year as many of the stars that played in 2008 like Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, and star center Dwight Howard are hurt. However, this team is still full of professional phenoms and we’re still in the hunt for gold.
The finalized men’s roster for the 2012 Olympic team is as follows:
Guard:
- Kobe Bryant, a 14-time NBA All-Star, Kobe Bryant makes his second Olympic appearance in London.
- Chris Paul, after leading the U.S. in assists despite not starting a game at the 2008 Beijing Games, he makes his second Olympic appearance in London.
- James Harden makes his Olympic debut in London in what will also be his first appearance for the U.S. national team.
- Russell Westbrook
- Deron Williams
Forward:
- Carmelo Anthony makes his third Olympic appearance in London after helping the U.S. to a gold medal in 2008.
- Kevin Durant, the most-prolific scorer in the world, makes his Olympic debut in London.
- Blake Griffin makes his Olympic debut in London in what will also be his first appearance for the U.S. national team.
- LeBron James makes his third Olympic appearance in London after helping the U.S. to a gold medal in 2008.
- Kevin Love, after earning his Team USA debut at the 2010 World Championships, he makes his Olympic debut in London.
- Andre Iguodala makes his Olympic debut in London after first appearing for the national team at the 2010 World Championships.
Center:
- Tyson Chandler makes his Olympic debut in London after stints with the national team in 2007 and 2010.
The famous coach who has coached team USA to success in the past Mike Krzyzewski will again, be in the head coaching position with assistant coach Jim Boeheim.
Besides being teammates, most of these athletes are great friends off the court; also, the thrill of playing with such high talent tends to help the transition in gelling from opponents to partners. The pressure involved in representing the United States in the Olympic games is insane. Especially since 1986, when the International Olympic Committee voted to allow professional athletes to compete. They changed the Olympic charter declaring the games open for “all the world’s great male and female athletes to participate.” The NBA certainly employs the most elite basketball players in the world; bringing home a silver medal would be considered a major failure to many. The US team walked away with bronze at the 2004 games in Athens, so not winning gold is definitely a possibility.
What do you think? Team USA Men’s Basketball looks pretty strong, but will Brazil, France, Spain, Argentina or another team still their thunder? Chime in, in the comment selection below.
