"Who told him to be on the team"- LeBron James jokes about not wanting to see Anthony Davis as Lakers stars reunite for Paris OlympicsÂ
LeBron James and Anthony Davis will team up this summer for Team USA at the 2024 Paris Olympics. However, James wasn't thrilled to see AD again after spending his fourth season with the star center this past year. The four-time NBA MVP joked about not having a good time with Davis and lack of interest to see him again in the offseason.
"I wanna have a good summer, and there's no way I can have a good summer with this guy here, man!" James said while meeting Davis.
James and Davis linked up with the rest of the Team USA members before training camp in Las Vegas. Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, Joel Embiid, Kawhi Leonard and many others were in the frame as the Americans began their preparations for the Olympics.
It's the second time James and Davis will play together for the national team. They teamed up in the 2012 London Olympics and won the gold. Davis was yet to make it to the NBA. He was the sole college prospect on the team stacked with superstar talent featuring the late Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, and Carmelo Anthony, among others.
LeBron James returns for Team USA duties for the first time since the London games, while Anthony Davis returns to the national team after last appearing in the 2014 FIBA World Cup.
Team USA faces starting lineup conundrum but LeBron James expected to keep his spot
Team USA has a roster filled with superstar talent all across the board. All 12 players are starting-caliber stars, making it difficult for Steve Kerr and his coaching staff to pick five names out of this lot. LeBron James is expected to be one of the starters alongside Steph Curry.
According to The Athletic, the Americans plan to deploy James as the primary facilitator, with Curry playing off him. It's a dream pairing because their skillsets fit, with James as a pass-first player and Curry as a movement scorer. That also opens up the floor for Kevin Durant, Jayson Tatum, Anthony Davis and Joel Embiid to aggressively focus on scoring.
James, meanwhile, can carve out opposing defenses with his high IQ as a floor general and playmaker. Team USA could pair the veteran trio of James, Curry and Durant with some younger players on the team to maintain the right balance.
Either way, there's not much that could go wrong with their choices, considering the talent at their disposal, so the starting lineup conundrum is a good headache to have.