It’s not a secret that Team USA is always heavily favored to win it all when it comes to a FIBA tournament or the Olympics. The United States team features nothing but NBA superstars and has a big edge over almost every country.
That’s why it wasn’t such a big deal to see that, once again, LeBron James wasn’t going to take part in the team, as he’ll use the offseason to fully recover his body.
And, according to USA Basketball managing director Jerry Colangelo, it’s a big possibility that he will never suit up for the national team again:
“You know, Father Time takes its toll. … If you’re a human being, your body is built to go so long depending on what your sport is, and then it’s a downhill situation. LeBron made choices these last couple of Olympics not to participate because he’s got a lot of things going on in his life. So he put in his time, he made a contribution that is appreciated, but I think his time is over,” Colangelo said, as quoted by ESPN.
“I think his time is over.”@usabasketball’s Managing Director Jerry Colangelo says that we’ve likely seen the end of Olympic LeBron.
(📍@MyStraightTalk) pic.twitter.com/6Hn5xGS4Mv
— UNSPORTSMANLIKE Radio (@UnSportsESPN) June 30, 2021
James has definitely had plenty of success with Team USA. He was a part of the Redeem Team and has won two gold medals in the Olympics, one bronze, one bronze in the FIBA World Cup, and the gold in the FIBA Americas Championship.
Clearly, LeBron’s priority going forward will be focusing on getting back to full strength after enduring a tough season and a short offseason last year.
He’s still under contract with the Los Angeles Lakers and will look to win his fifth NBA Championship before retiring, so it’s normal to see him moving on from Team USA at 36 years old and after 18 years of playing, maybe it is time to finish his career on the national team.
