It has been a long time coming but it finally happened. LeBron James and Stephen Curry are going to be teammates for Team USA. The Golden State Warriors superstar is going to represent the Stars and Stripes for the first time in the Olympics. Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Lakers legend is a veteran when it comes to showing up for his country. These two might have varying levels of experience but they are bonded with one goal, to win a gold medal. Even Steve Kerr could not fathom how great these two have been.
Before the assembly of the 2024 Paris Olympics Team USA squad, LeBron James and Stephen Curry had only ever joined forces on All-Star Weekend teams. So, when the roster was announced, it was a welcome surprise to most of the avid spectators of the sport that these two would be on the same squad. They are a perfect complement to each other. The Lakers great is a generational ballhandler with insane passing s𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁s. Meanwhile, the Warriors legend knows his way around off-ball movement and knocking down shots from outside.
Steve Kerr shared this very same sentiment. The Team USA head honcho even expected the two to have greater chemistry once the 2024 Paris Olympics start, via Arash Markazi of The Sporting Tribune.
“Today was the first day out of the first three that we’ve played together in the scrimmage. It’s fun to see them together, their games complement each other perfectly. I think they are really enjoying it. Just watching them, I know they like playing together. They’ve been such incredible competitors over the years. It’s nice for them to finally compete on the same side,” Steve Kerr said.
If there is anyone who knows how much these two would do good together, it would be the Warriors and Team USA head honcho. Kerr has seen how LeBron James and Stephen Curry battled it out in the middle of the 2010s up to the present moment.
How is Team USA looking before the 2024 Paris Olympics?
Feb 18, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Western Conference guard Stephen Curry (30) of the Golden State Warriors talks with forward Kevin Durant (35) of the Phoenix Suns and forward LeBron James (23) of the Los Angeles Lakers before the 73rd NBA All-Star game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports © Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
There are some early bumps in the road when it comes to this team’s preparation. The injury bug hit them quite early. Stephen Curry had a bleeding hand after some contact during their scrimmages. Kevin Durant was also sidelined with a calf injury for a large chunk of the Team USA practices. Kawhi Leonard’s injury management continues to be up in the air amid all of these too. So, Coach Kerr and the rest of the staff need to refine how they’ll manage the rotation with guys like Jrue Holiday, Jayson Tatum, Anthony Edwards, and Tyrese Haliburton all still fatigued from their deep postseason runs.
But, the talent is still there regardless of how many issues this Paris Olympics squad faces. Overall, it will just be up to how they rotate the ball and execute the agreed-upon schemes that determine the success of this squad. Their squad will face Serbia, South Sudan, and Puerto Rico. All games have Team USA winning by a sizeable margin. Hopefully, they pull through and avenge their FIBA World Cup loss in 2023.
