There's a generation of hoops fans out there who fell in love with the game of basketball thanks to Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan. When this trio of transcendent, once in a generation stars teamed up together to play for the Dream Team during the 1992 Summer Olympics — along with eight other future Basketball Hall of Famers — there was a feeling that a collection of star power this spectacular was something that basketball fans would never have the opportunity to see again. 32 years later, it appears as if we've finally learned that this myth just isn't true, thanks to LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant.
Since 1992, Team USA has routinely built star-studded teams, sent them to the Olympics, and walked away with gold medals — and one Bronze — draped around their necks, but never before has a team been led into international competition with as much experience and prestige as the 2024 team that just held off France to win their fifth consecutive Olympic gold medal. Just as was the case in 1992 with Bird, Magic and MJ, this version of Team USA was led by a trio of legends who also belong to the NBA's pantheon.
One of those legends, LeBron James, has been particularly forthcoming about what the experience of playing for Team USA for the 4th time has been like, especially as the elder statesman of the team. LeBron James was instrumental in getting the ball rolling in forming The Avengers a full summer ago, and he's since taken a great amount of pride in not only being able to compete for gold one more time, but also for getting the opportunity to do so alongside two of his primary rivals… Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant.
Armed with a strong appreciation for the history of the game of basketball and blessed with one of the brightest basketball minds we've ever seen, it makes sense that under these unique circumstances, LeBron James would be so eager to rave about his contemporaries.
“KD's one of the all-time greats. It’s not even a question. I mean, you just look at his silhouette, look at his skill. He’s one of the best basketball players we’ve ever seen play the game of basketball,” LeBron said following Team USA's gold medal coronation on Saturday, per Sam Amick of The Athletic. And as for Stephen Curry?
“You just simply marvel,” James said. “It's amazing.
LeBron James delivers a perfect Team USA send-off
For another generation of hoops fans — fans of my generation — it's likely that this group that just won gold in Paris will mean just as much to us as the Dream Team has meant to anyone 15-to-25 years older than us. That's not to say that the 2024 team had a greater off the court impact (they didn't) or would beat the Dream Team in a hypothetical game (they would)… it's just to say that watching LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant compete together in a high pressure, high stakes game while fighting off Father Time is as close to basketball euphoria as we could get.
How we'll top that in 2028, I have no idea. But with LeBron, KD and Steph all likely having made their final Team USA appearances, it will be up to a new crop of young American stars to hold off the rest of the world when Los Angeles hosts the Summer Games in four years.
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