The 2024 Olympics are less than a year away and Team USA needs NBA stars like LeBron James and Stephen Curry to represent the country once again. Team USA fell short of winning the gold medal in the 2023 FIBA World Cup, so now they will be eyeing the Olympics gold. America finished fourth in the FIBA tournament, and several sports analysts are now criticizing the team’s credibility.
Smith calls on players
Now, prominent sports personality Stephen A. Smith has pointed out Team USA’s shortcomings and stated that LeBron James wants to compete in the 2024 Olympics to make up for the FIBA woes. He said, “Get Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, Lebron James . Klay Thompson and Kyrie Irving and we will get back the dream team. We gotta bust people and show them it’s a different day. We are still who you thought we were”.
FIBA saw a increasing competitiveness of International basketball
Team USA’s recent performance at the FIBA World Cup has highlighted the increasing competitiveness of international basketball. The Americans were hoping to win the gold but were defeated by Germany in the semi-finals. USA’s disappointment continued as they failed to capture the bronze medal as well after losing 127–118 in overtime against neighbors Canada on September 10.
USA entered the tournament as favorites
America entered the tournament with big expectations, especially after great performances in their five-game exhibition series prior to the World Cup, where they had wins over strong teams like defending Champions Spain , Germany , Slovenia , Greece and Puerto Rico. However, the team struggled against opponents who were playing with impressive teamwork.
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For example, Germany shot an impressive 58% from the field in their 113–111 victory over the USA, including an astonishing 68% from two-point range. This earned them a berth in the FIBA World Cup Finals for the first time. In the match for the bronze medal, Canada scored 127 points, the most points given by a USA team in a World Cup game. This result also marked the first time that Canada finished ahead of the USA in a World Cup tournament.
