LeBron, Stephen Curry & Kevin Durant 'Prepared to Commit' to Olympics; Magic's Paolo Banchero Off Roster?

Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero may not be on the Olympics roster if Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James plans to play with an older American squad.

Jeremy Brener | Sep 11, 2023

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Orlando Magic

ORLANDO - Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero is expected to return to the United States soon after representing the country at the FIBA World Cup in the Philippines.

The U.S. team took fourth place in the tournament with a roster headlined by Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards and featuring Banchero. However, the Americans failed to medal for the second consecutive tournament ... the first time that's ever happened in history.

The Americans' unhappiness with the results has prompted the likes of players such as LeBron James, who will be 39 years old next summer, to participate in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

According to The Athletic's Shams Charania, LeBron is "ready to commit" to Team USA for next summer and is expected to field an American roster with future Hall of Famers.

"James has spoken to Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis, Jayson Tatum and Draymond Green, and they are all prepared to commit as well," Charania writes. "Separately, Phoenix’s Devin Booker, Portland’s Damian Lillard, Sacramento’s De’Aaron Fox and Dallas’ Kyrie Irving also have serious interest in committing, league sources said."

With a heap of talent planning to play next summer, it could push some of the FIBA World Cup team off the roster, including Banchero.

Banchero, 20, averaged 9.3 points and 3.4 rebounds per game during his FIBA World Cup run. He did not play in the United States' third place game against Canada due to illness.

There's still a lot of time between now and the Olympics, but if LeBron is trying to recruit some of his best buddies who are in their prime, Banchero may be on the outside looking in.

Published Sep 11, 2023

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.