While two American legends said they are either out, or likely out, for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics on Tuesday, USA Basketball named its roster of players that will begin the journey of defending the country’s gold medal from the Paris Games.
In the morning on the newest episode of the “Mind the Game” podcast, LeBron James said he would not play for the Americans at the 2028 Olympics. Stephen Curry, who joined James on the podcast, said he “highly doubts” he would play in the L.A. Games.
“I will be watching it from Cabo,” James said to Curry and to Steve Nash, James’ co-host on the podcast, with half-filled wine glasses on the table.
This bit of news, while noteworthy given their status as the two leading scorers for Team USA in 2024 and as two of the greatest players of all time, is not surprising. James would be 44 at the time of the Olympics, and may have already retired by the time the next summer games arrive. Curry will be 38 in March and could also be out of basketball by 2028.
On Tuesday afternoon, USA Basketball unveiled the 12 players who will represent the country in the first two games of the World Cup qualifying tournament on Nov. 28 and Dec. 1. The simplest path to reach the Olympics is through the FIBA World Cup, held in Qatar in 2027, which is why the Americans’ gold medal defense essentially starts now.
The roster, usually composed of G League players and Americans playing overseas for World Cup qualifiers, includes MarJon Beauchamp, Kessler Edwards, and Torrey Craig – all with recent and substantial NBA experience. Stephen Silas, former coach for the Houston Rockets, will coach the American team.
Craig, 34, is an eight-year NBA veteran who played for the Bulls and Celtics last season. Beauchamp, 25, was the 24th pick of the 2022 NBA Draft by the Milwaukee Bucks. He played for the Bucks, Los Angeles Clippers and New York Knicks last season and was waived by both Portland and Philadelphia in October. Kessler, 25, is a four-year pro who played for Dallas last season and was waived by Denver in October.
The other players for the U.S. to begin qualifying are Pedro Bradshaw, Garrison Brooks, Kyle Guy, Nate Hinton, Brandon Knight, Jaden Shackelford, Javonte Smart, Jeremiah Tilmon and Ryan Woolridge.
Hinton, who played 38 games in the NBA over three seasons, most recently with Houston in 2023-24, is the only player on the American roster with previous World Cup qualifying experience – joining the team for a two-game set to qualify for the 2023 World Cup in the Philippines.
The Americans play in Nicaragua to open qualifying on Nov. 28, and the two countries play again in College Park near Atlanta on Dec. 1. The qualifying period consists of two-game windows every few months from now until 2027.
As for James and Curry, James won three Olympic gold medals for the U.S., with the first two coming with the 2008 Redeem Team and then again in 2012. Curry’s only Olympic medal came in Paris.