In the aftermath of the 2024 Olympic Games, star point guard Kyrie Irving is laying the groundwork for his participation in the next tournament. While his chances to make Team USA are relatively slim, Irving said he’s open to a spot on Team Australia.
“I would love to entertain playing for Team Australia, man,” said Irving via The Athletic’s Sam Amick. “I don’t think it’s a strong, strong possibility at this point, depending on what the Olympic Committee does. But as a competitor, I was born in Australia. For me, it’s not a hard transition to make, but I don’t want to fall into the same, I would say, probably like — I’m trying to be very intentional with my words here. I don’t want to fall into the trap of being let down or disappointed when I know that there are other opportunities out there for me.”
In the Olympics, players typically represent their home country, but that can be complicated for well-traveled athletes. In the case of Kyrie Irving, he’s always played for Team USA on the international stage but that could change after not making the cut this past summer.
Irving considers himself American and he’s lived in the nation for most of his life. But Irving was actually born in Melbourne, Australia in 1992. He stayed there for two years after his birth until his parents, Drederick and Elizabeth Ann Larson Irving, moved back to the States in 1994.
Kyrie has been on the superstar track ever since and has established himself as one of the best guards in the game. In the 2023-24 campaign, he averaged 25.6 points, 5.2 assists, and 5.0 rebounds per game on 49.7% shooting for the Mavericks. Going into this season, his resume includes an NBA championship, 8 All-Star appearances, and 3 All-NBA selections.
Between his credentials and his experience helping the USA to first-place victories in the 2016 Olympics and the 2014 FIBA World Cup, Irving would have made a fine addition to the 2024 Olympic roster in Paris. He could have thrived playing with his former teammates LeBron James and Kevin Durant and his amazing shot-making would have made the offense even more potent than it already was.
For whatever reason, Irving still didn’t get picked and he was devastated after finding out he wouldn’t be making the cut. So as the tournament played out, Kyrie was stuck at home watching from behind the screen as they captured another gold medal for the USA.
Even at 32, Irving doesn’t believe that it was his last chance to win the gold. Whether it’s for Team USA or Australia, Kyrie wants to compete on the world stage once again and if he’s healthy it could make a real difference in the results.
This year, with standouts like Josh Giddey, Patty Mills, and Dyson Daniels, Australia has a solid showing in Paris and finished 6th in the tournament at 1-3. Of course, it wasn’t nearly enough to be competitive against the international juggernauts.
But with Kyrie Irving in the mix, Australia would stand a much better chance to place in the top three. Even at 36 years old, Kyrie Irving is likely to be an expert scorer and his ball-handling specialty will make all of his games must-see TV. Either way, Irving still has more to give and he’s determined to suit up again in some capacity for the Olympics before it’s all said and done.
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