Fielding the best for Team USA will no longer be enough
The gap between Team USA and FIBA teams has narrowed. Between Los Angeles 2028 and Sydney 2032, the paradigm could shift, and Gold may no longer be a certainty for the United States
LeBron James succinctly and directly analyzes the situation for Team USA after winning his third Olympic Gold medal. “Redeem Team, Dream Team? We’re the Avengers.”
Sure, the United States brought the best of the best to Paris 2024. Yet, without LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant making the difference in crucial moments, securing the 5th consecutive Gold would have been even more challenging. Or it might have slipped through their fingers.
The media’s celebration of the U.S. triumph also highlights that the gap with other international “contenders” has significantly narrowed compared to the past.
Every team now faces the States head-on, without being intimidated by the superstars. Team USA, for its part, has adopted the awareness that on the path to Gold, it’s becoming increasingly unlikely to win easily. How long it will take before a non-Team USA nation wins Gold is impossible to determine with mathematical certainty. However, it seems that every four years, it gets closer, as France and Serbia particularly demonstrated in Paris 2024.
Los Angeles 2028 will represent another important step. The Team USA roster will be different from the Avengers; Canada and France will grow by relying on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Victor Wembanyama, leaders of rosters that in the next four years will likely be composed entirely of NBA role players.
Not to mention that Serbia and Germany, with Nikola Jokic and Dennis Schroder, have solidified their positions among the top four teams in the world. And by the next Olympics, they will have increased the level of talent and reliability in their systems.
It wouldn’t be a shock if between the Los Angeles 2028 and Sydney 2032 Games, a Golden Age of FIBA teams emerges, ending the undisputed dominance of Team USA’s five consecutive Golds. It will depend on many factors, including the development of the new American stars.