Overview
- LeBron James said he will not play for Team USA at the Los Angeles Games, declaring, “I will be watching it” on the Mind the Game podcast with co-host Steve Nash.
- Stephen Curry said he “highly” doubts he will participate in 2028, noting he would only consider it if he could still meaningfully impact the team.
- James would be 43 in 2028 and Curry would be 40, timelines both referenced in explaining their stances.
- Both pointed to the difficulty of topping the Paris run, with James saying, “We can’t top what we just did,” after Curry’s 24-point, all-3-pointer performance in the 2024 gold-medal game.
- ESPN reported James has returned to Lakers practice as he works back from a sciatica issue, offering immediate context to his decision.