A couple of years ago, reports surfaced LeBron James was done representing USA Basketball after capturing a gold medal in the 2008 and 2012 Olympics and a bronze in 2004. His absence from the 2014 FIBA World Championships was expected and — at the time, at least — he wasn’t going to be around for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Except, perhaps James is ready to return to the fold for the Red, White and Blue? With a tip of the cap to Lang Whitaker at NBA.com, USA Basketball executive director Jerry Colangelo isn’t so sure James is done as he told Sirius’ NBA XM radio yesterday:
“Well, I think LeBron wants to be part of it. You know, when you talk about LeBron, Dwyane Wade, Amar’e Stoudemire and Carmelo [Anthony], they were the four young players who were, what, 19 years old, 20 at the best, who were added to the roster when some people dropped out at the last minute. They weren’t quite ready for prime time, if you think back. They just weren’t, and it’s a little bit of a disservice in some ways, but the NBA was looking to promote young, up and coming stars, and I get that. That’s one of the reasons why I was asked to take over the program. I said, ‘Look, I’ll do it, but it has to be complete autonomy, no more committees, no more politics. I’ll pick the coaches, I’ll pick the players if I’m going to be responsible.’ That’s the only way you can really turn the program and make it successful. So, we deal with it as it comes.”
That’s pretty open-ended. Colangelo doesn’t really regale us with any facts; it’s just, like, his opinion, man.
While it’s true a lot of players will be in Vegas this summer — including an injured Carmelo Anthony and others — James went to the Finals again this past June, the fifth year in a row he played most of the regular season and an entire playoff schedule.
Colangelo made it clear anyone looking to play next summer in Brazil should be in Vegas for minicamp in August, we’re willing to bet he’d extend James an invite even if LeBron failed to show. While it’s nice of Colangelo to hypothesize, note the use of of the verb “think” in his statement, it’s anybody’s guess whether LeBron is really looking to make a return and what that would even look like.
(H/T NBA.com)
