Kyrie Irving Has ‘Serious Interest’ in Joining LeBron James for 2024 Olympics
The national media has been trying to will Dallas Mavericks star guard Kyrie Irving into playing alongside his former NBA champion teammate and current Los Angeles Lakers star forward LeBron James for the better part of a year now. Well, that might end up happening after all … just on the international stage instead of in L.A.
In a report by Shams Charania of The Athletic, James, along with several other star players, including Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry, Phoenix Suns’ Kevin Durant, Lakers’ Anthony Davis, Celtics’ Jayson Tatum, and Warriors’ Draymond Green are committed to playing in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Along with them, Charania noted that a separate group including Phoenix’s Devin Booker, Portland Trail Blazers’ Damian Lillard, Sacramento Kings’ De'Aaron Fox, and Dallas’ Irving have "serious interest in committing" as well.
This comes after a lackluster finish to the FIBA World Cup for Team USA, who lost to Germany in the semifinals of the tournament in Manila, Philippines, and then went onto lose in the bronze medal game versus Canada.
USA Today
If Irving agrees to play, it will be the first time that he has suited up in the stars and stripes since 2016 in the Rio Summer Olympics, where the guard averaged 11.4 points per game on the gold medal-winning squad. His best game of that tournament was a 19-point outing against Australia in the group phase.
Irving's commitment to the team would most likely place him in a much lesser role on the team than he has assumed in the past, with Curry serving as the likely pick for starting point guard. He would also have Lillard and Fox to compete with for minutes off the bench in the scenario where all three players agreed to play.
Irving's commitment to Team USA could set up an potential matchup between Dallas' two star guards, with Luka Doncic set to play for his native Slovenia … if they’re able to qualify for the Olympics, that is. Mavericks fans are expected to be more than eager to see the two face off if the opportunity presents itself.
