Team USA basketball heads into their tournament opener at the FIBA World Cup as the clear-cut favorite to win it all. Their roster consists of no shortage of NBA talent, headlined by Anthony Edwards and Jalen Brunson.

However, in the eyes of Hall of Famer Charles Barkley, who is never shy to voice his opinion, it would be a good thing for the Americans to fail and not win the gold as he said on Bill Simmons' podcast. Yes, you read that correctly.

Via USA Today:

“They act like if we don't win the gold medal it's going to be the worst thing to ever happen to civilization. I actually disagree with that. I think it'd be great. Because I think it'd really help with popularity in one of these little third-world countries if they won the gold medal. Can you imagine if France won the gold medal? How popular would basketball become in France?”

What a take from Chuck. By the way, France isn't a third-world country. Nevertheless, the FIBA World Cup is a chance for Team USA to prove they are the best in the world again after a seventh-place finish in 2019. Yes, the likes of LeBron James and Steph Curry aren't playing this time around, but this roster is more than capable of taking home gold.

That being said, there are some other teams in the competition who can pose a threat. Canada, led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, is legit and just blew out France on Friday. Australia is also a force, while Serbia and Spain can hoop, too.

The States face New Zealand in their first game on Saturday.