Lakers News: Why Insider Believes LA Stars Should Avoid Olympic Return
There has been much talk of late about who will represent Team USA at the Paris Olympics next summer. After Team USA was defeated in the bronze medal game of the FIBA Basketball World Cup on Sunday, Los Angeles Lakers All-Star LeBron James sparked debate by showing interest in returning to play for the United States.
James, apparently is recruiting other high-profile NBA players to join him, in order to help get Team USA back on top. It would be the last run for James, due to his age and possible retirement.
This has brought about the idea that his co-star with LA, Anthony Davis, also has an interest in playing. Seeing the two Lakers on the court together for Team USA would be awesome for any fan to see.
However, one expert doesn’t believe that they should be committing to Team USA at all. Robert Marvi of USA Today believes that the Lakers stars should only be focusing on his day job, and not the Olympics.
“However, the responsibilities James and Davis have for the Lakers should come first. Therefore neither should end up actually committing to represent the Stars and Stripes in Paris next summer.”
While Marvi does make a good point about them prioritizing playing for the Lakers, this is a chance to represent their home country. There is a situation where they can do both at the same time, just like they have in the past.
Marvi continues with the point that it would leave little rest time between when the games ended and when the new season begins.
“Committing to Team USA would mean spending much of next summer preparing for and playing in the Olympics, which will end around mid-August. That would leave James with less than two months to rest and prepare for the 2024-25 NBA season.”
James may not even be with the Lakers past this season. He has made that clear with his recent retirement comments. Plus, he is eligible to become a free agent at the end of this upcoming NBA season.
Personally, I have no issue if James and Davis want to suit up for Team USA. They owe it to themselves to play for their country if they choose to do so, and the Lakers organization would likely be completely okay with it.
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