'LeBron has been the best player by far' — Nick Wright on Team USA's early Olympic success | THE HERD
Nick Wright joined ‘The Herd’ to discuss the early successes Team USA basketball has had during the 2024 Olympics and credits LeBron James for being the catalyst.
Charles Barkley made his expectations for the U.S. men's basketball team clear.
The legendary former NBA player wants to see Team USA return from the Paris Olympics with the gold medal in their possession. Barkley was so steadfast in his belief that he suggested the players should find another country to call home if they somehow fall short of his expectations.
"Listen, if they lose, we can’t let them back in the country," Barkley said during a recent appearance on Philadelphia 76ers star Paul George's "P Podcast." "We can’t. I’ll tell them, ‘You can’t come back.’"
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NBA great Charles Barkley is honored for being selected to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team during halftime in the 2022 NBA All-Star Game at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland on Feb. 20, 2022. (Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports)
Barkley is a two-time Olympic gold medalist. He was a member of the U.S. men's national basketball team during the 1992 Summer Games in Barcelona, better known as the "Dream Team." Barkley and Team USA also won gold on American soil during the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta.
Many have attempted to draw comparisons between the 2024 edition of the U.S. men's basketball team and the storied roster from 1992. Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Patrick Ewing and other all-time NBA greats played on the "Dream Team."
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This year's team is led by four-time NBA champion LeBron James and also features 2014 NBA MVP Kevin Durant, Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis and rising NBA star Anthony Edwards, among others.
Charles Barkley poses during the Summer Olympics at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta on Aug. 3, 1996. (Manny Millan/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)
On Tuesday, Team USA took another step in the right direction by defeating Brazil in the quarterfinals. The squad is set to return to the court on Thursday for a game against Serbia.
After winning the bronze medal at the Athens Olympics, the men's basketball team took care of business at the next four Games, which were held in Beijing, London, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo.
Leo Meindl of Team Brazil defends against LeBron James of Team United States during the men's quarterfinal match of the Summer Olympic Games at the Bercy Arena in Paris on Tuesday. (Tom Weller/VOIGT/Getty Images)
The Americans will have to overcome a strong field of competitors this summer if they want to bring home the gold. Barkley acknowledged the challenges the team faces, but he still does not believe the U.S. team should finish the Summer Games in any place but first.
Kevin Durant of the United States reacts during the men's basketball quarterfinal match between Brazil and the United States at the Summer Olympic Games at the Bercy Arena in Paris on Tuesday. (Daniel Kopatsch/Getty Images)
"Have the international teams gotten better, 100%," Barkley said. "They're still not better than the United States. You take away ‘Joker’ [Nikola Jokic] and Giannis [Antetokounmpo] and Luka [Doncic] — all three guys are great, great players. Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander] is great also, but we still got the next 10 best players in every game."
Barkley also praised Team USA's depth.
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"Ain’t nobody bringing anybody off the bench better than Jayson Tatum," Barkley said. Tatum earned All-NBA First Team honors this past season and helped the Boston Celtics win the NBA championship in June.
"Ain’t nobody bringing anybody off the bench better than Kevin Durant," he continued. "The international teams have gotten better, but there’s never an excuse for the United States not to win the gold medal. We got the best team, we’ve got the best players by far."
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