LeBron James said the first day of training camp for the USA Basketball Men’s Olympic Team ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics was “amazing.”
“I felt like it was important to get out there and play with the other guys this summer. Playing with the U.S. National Team is always a lot of fun,” James said in an interview with NBA reporter Mark Medina on Saturday.
James has represented the United States in the last three Olympic Games and was part of the gold medal-winning teams at the 2008 Beijing and 2012 London Olympics.
James was also part of the bronze medal team that suffered the first Olympic defeat for a U.S. team featuring NBA players in the 2004 Athens Games.
“I know 2004 was a special year, but as things started to open back up, [Jerry Colangelo] and [Mike Krzyzewski] It’s a lot of fun to see everybody bring that precedent back,” James said.
“It started with Jerry and Coach K. We’re just trying to continue that.”
James then praised Team USA’s current coaching staff, which includes Steve Kerr of the Golden State Warriors, Erik Spoelstra of the Miami Heat, Tyronn Lue of the Los Angeles Clippers and Gonzaga’s Mark Few.
Players began arriving in Las Vegas on Thursday and began practicing Saturday as part of a training camp ahead of the U.S. team’s opening friendly against Canada, Tim Reynolds reported for The Associated Press.
James will be on the Olympic team coached by Kerr for the first time since 2012.
Other returning players include Bam Adebayo, Anthony Davis, Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Jrue Holiday and Jayson Tatum, while Stephen Curry, Anthony Edwards, Joel Embiid, Tyrese Haliburton and Kawhi Leonard will be making their Olympic debuts.
Kerr said Saturday that it has yet to be determined which five players will start when the team opens its group stage against Serbia on July 28. (Courtesy of Reynolds) But it seems like a safe bet assuming James is in the starting lineup for the U.S. team as it seeks its fifth straight championship.
