The United States men’s basketball team are Olympic gold medalists once again. Despite getting major scares from Serbia in the semifinals and France in the final, the U.S. was able to win its fifth consecutive gold medal in the event. It was a group built around the three greatest players of their era, as LeBron James and Kevin Durant were joined by Olympic debutant Steph Curry to bring the Americans to glory.
Now, all eyes are on 2028, when the Olympics will take place on U.S. soil in Los Angeles. Despite that, getting a sixth gold in a row won’t be easy for the hosts, as countries like France and Canada will be built around All-NBA caliber players at that point. With that in mind, we wanted to look at which guys will have an argument for a roster spot once we get to 2028, and we decided to break things down into three categories: Definitely, In The Mix, and Wild Cards.
A lot can happen between now and then — for example, I think even the biggest Derrick White fan on the planet probably couldn’t have imagined that he would have a role on the Olympic team if we did this exercise in 2021. Having said that, as we look at the state of play before likely head coach Erik Spoelstra has to put together a roster, here are the players who stand out.
Point Guard
Definitely: Tyrese Haliburton
Haliburton didn’t have an especially productive Olympics, as he was the team’s 12th man in a role that he, to his credit, really embraced. But he had a big role on the World Cup team in 2023, was with the program this summer, and should be on the roster as long as he is healthy in four years, when he will be 28 and right in the prime of his career.
In the mix: Jalen Brunson, Tyrese Maxey, Ja Morant, Derrick White
Brunson, a member of the World Cup squad, not making the team was rather controversial, but if he continues to be the face of the Knicks, he’ll have a very good shot of making it in 2028. Maxey is on his way to superstardom and can bring an injection of pace and shooting off the bench that is a nightmare to deal with. Despite a really difficult last two years, Morant is one of the NBA’s most explosive and dynamic guards who is capable of taking over a game, and international guards would have an awful time trying to stay in front of him. White will be 34, but he has experience in the U.S. setup and is an unbelievable glue guy who will embrace any role he’s given, which is crucial when putting together a star-studded roster.
Wild cards: Cade Cunningham, Steph Curry, Scoot Henderson, Jalen Suggs, Trae Young
Cunningham has impressed as a member of the Select Team in the past, and while the first three years of his career have been rough amid the seemingly constant turmoil in Detroit, he’d look really good as a jumbo playmaker surrounded by All-Stars. Curry is on here mostly out of respect for what he did in Paris, although he will be 40 and got the gold medal he’s coveted this time around, so riding off into the sunset for the national team after this summer makes sense. Henderson is a talented youngster, and while he’s coming off of a rough rookie year, we’ll see where he’s at as a player in 2028. Suggs would be a terrific fit in a White/Jrue Holiday-type role if they want that, while Young certainly is good enough to make it, but has a … let’s call it tense history with the USA Basketball program.
Shooting Guard
Definitely: Devin Booker, Anthony Edwards
You can write both of these names in pen right now. Booker was spectacular as the guy who did all the little things in Paris, and as long as he wants to be there, he should be one of the faces of the team in 2028 — I’d go as far as to say that the praise he earned this time around, mixed with the fact he is a two-time gold medalist, makes him a potential captain in 2028. And it’s very clear that the USA Basketball program absolutely adores Edwards, who had his ups-and-downs in Paris but keeps getting better and might be the most dynamic perimeter scorer in the world once the L.A. Olympics roll around. Plus, come on, it’s Anthony Edwards, and things tend to be more fun when he’s around.
In the mix: Mikal Bridges, Jaylen Brown, Donovan Mitchell
Bridges’ ability to defend on the perimeter, hit shots, and provide a little creation in a smaller role would be a really good fit for a fifth starter or a crucial guy on a bench unit, plus he has experience in the USA Basketball system due to his time on the World Cup team. Brown got into a high-profile spat with the program after he was left off the team in the aftermath of Kawhi Leonard’s departure before the Olympics started. If everyone can get on the same page, he’ll be on the roster, and should be bumped up to the definitely section on this list. Mitchell has been a USA Basketball participant in the past as the second-leading scorer on the 2019 World Cup team, and while they just might not need a guy with his skill set when he’s 31 years old in 2028, if he’s still producing in a big way, he’ll be a contender.
Wild cards: Desmond Bane
Bane will be 30 in 2028 and may need to be on the World Cup team to break into the USA Basketball world, but his dogged on-ball defense and shooting are exactly what you want out of a bench wing in FIBA play. He’d have an uphill battle to break into this roster, but if he makes it, I can absolutely see him being a guy who plays more than you might think.
Small Forward
Definitely: Jayson Tatum
Yes, Tatum had a pretty bad Olympics, both because of how he struggled to get into a rhythm when he played and his multiple DNP-CDs against Serbia. Having said that, he is a two-time Olympic gold medalist and was the second leading scorer on the 2020 team. I do not think he is suddenly going to get considerably worse at basketball between now and 2028, when he will be 30 years old and still in the prime of his career. He’ll be there, and in all likelihood, he’ll have a very important role on the gold medal favorites.
In the mix: Kevin Durant
Here’s the thing: If Kevin Durant wants to be on the team in 2028, Kevin Durant will be on the team in 2028. He’ll be just shy of his 40th birthday, and he might not be anything more than the final guy on the roster who only plays in very specific situations, but also, KD will be able to rise and fire over people until the day he dies. I will believe he’s not on the team only if the first game happens in L.A. and he’s not there in uniform. And if that’s the case, hopefully he can fill the ex-player superfan role that Carmelo Anthony had this time around.
Wild cards: Scottie Barnes, AJ Dybantsa, Jaime Jaquez, Cameron Johnson, Herbert Jones, Brandon Miller, Trey Murphy, Amen Thompson, Jalen Williams
This is the ultimate grab bag position, as Spoelstra can go in a number of different directions based on how young guys develop and what the rest of the roster looks like. Need someone a little more comfortable initiating the offense? Someone like Barnes or Thompson could go. Need a 3-and-D wing? Johnson, Jones, Murphy, and Williams can take care of things. Want a Heat player familiar with how the presumed next coach does things? Bring Jaquez, who has played for Mexico’s youth teams in the past, but was on the Select Team this time around. Or maybe by the time 2028 rolls around, at least one of Dybantsa or Miller has established themselves as an All-NBA caliber wing, and they’re locks to make it onto the roster.
Power Forward
Definitely: No One
Probably the least stable spot on the 2028 roster right now, as they don’t have a no-doubt guy who would fill this role. Having said that, if they decide to, say, slide Tatum up here and start someone from that grab bag of 3s, that would make a ton of sense. Plus they do have some options that just need to earn a spot, like…
In the mix: Paolo Banchero, Cam Boozer, Cooper Flagg
Banchero chose the United States over Italy for his national team career, and Joe Vardon of The Athletic reported that he had a real shot of making it in 2024. If he was that close this time around, you can make a very strong case he should be in the definitely category for this one. Still, we’ll put him down here, just because he’s such a young player and we’ll see how he continues to develop (I, for one, am very excited about what the future holds for him). And speaking of young players: Boozer and Flagg are perhaps the two most promising youngsters in the American basketball landscape right now. They would, however, be really early in their respective NBA careers — Flagg (who impressed with the Select Team in the lead-up to the Olympics) is slated to enter the league in 2025, while Boozer is coming in 2026 alongside Dybantsa.
Wild cards: Jalen Johnson, Jabari Smith Jr., Zion Williamson
Johnson and Smith are a pair of guys whose development we’re watching over the next few years, because the best versions of each guy are players you could really use at the international level — the former is a jumbo wing who can score and rebound, while the latter is long and can really shoot. As for Williamson, he’s only down here because he cannot stay healthy and his inability to shoot would be a big problem in the international game. But his athleticism and physicality would be a problem for opposing teams, and he’ll only be 28.
Center
Definitely: Bam Adebayo
The man affectionately known by the rest of Team USA as Bamonte is going in 2028, if only because there is no chance that Spoelstra is going to leave him off the team if he does get the head coaching gig. It helps that he’s been a good soldier for the national team over the years as a member of the 2020 and 2024 gold medal teams, while his defensive versatility, playmaking, and ability to play alongside other bigs makes him a very good addition to the roster.
In the mix: Anthony Davis, Joel Embiid, Chet Holmgren, Jaren Jackson Jr., Evan Mobley
Davis and Embiid are in the same spot — the former will be 35, the latter will be 34, and if they want to go for gold again and they can deal with the demands of playing in an international tournament during the NBA offseason, they’ll be in the mix. Holmgren and Mobley are two of the best up-and-coming big men in the league, and I won’t say I expect at least one of them to make it, but I feel pretty good that Holmgren’s ability to positively impact winning on both ends of the floor would be ultra valuable, as would Mobley’s defensive tenacity. Jackson struggled when he was on the World Cup team, but he’ll have plenty more experience under his belt by the time 2028 rolls around and will presumably still be one of the league’s best mixes of shooting and rim protection.
Wild cards: Donovan Clingan, Walker Kessler, Dereck Lively III
Could Clingan, who the Blazers took seventh overall this year, get a look as a potential Victor Wembanyama stopper? What about Kessler, who went through a major sophomore slump in Utah but is still an imposing presence down low and got a roster spot at the World Cup? Lively is coming off of a terrific rookie year with the Mavericks as a rim running, shot blocking big, perhaps he could be an option. You don’t want to completely build your roster around the fact that one team has Wembanyama, but having a big man in the wings who can battle with him wouldn’t be the worst idea in the world.
