Although MVP Kevin Durant already expressed his desire to play for the 2016 United States Olympic Team, LeBron James is "nowhere near" a decision.
In a report by AP Sports on Yahoo, James was asked after the Cleveland Cavaliers' third practice session on September 29, 2014 about his plans of joining Team USA in Brazil. The superstar replied that he is still undecided whether he wants to win a third gold medal for the country.
James said, "I'm nowhere near there. I haven't even thought about it too much. Obviously I know what's going on and what's happening. I haven't decided.''
Both LeBron and Durant skipped the recent 2014 FIBA World Cup, preferring to rest and recuperate. Over the summer, James had the bigger decision: to stay with the Miami Heat or return to Cleveland. In the meantime, James has two more years to think about joining Team USA.
On January 23, 2014, LeBron was one of the 28 players included in an exclusive pool from which the roster for Team USA 2016 will be chosen. Bleacher Report wrote that LeBron previously replied when asked about the possibility, "I can't commit to it right now."
LeBron has joined the American Olympic team three times in a row, winning a bronze medal in 2004 in Athens, Greece, followed by two straight gold medals in 2008 and 2012 at Beijing and London respectively. The 2012 Team USA finished with an 8-0 record. LeBron started in all eight games and averaged 13.3 points, 5.6 assists, 1.4 steals and 5.6 rebounds per game, shooting 60.3 percent from the field and 75.0 percent from the free throw line. He was the 2012 Athlete of the Year of USA Basketball. The 2008 Team USA also had an undefeated record of 8-0.
In a report by Usab.com, LeBron became the youngest USA male basketball player to join the Olympics since Spencer Haywood in 1968, being only 19 years, seven months and 13 days old then. He also participated in other international tournaments, such as the 2007 FIBA Americas Championship and 2001 USA Basketball Youth Development Festival
Kurt Helin of NBC Sports stated, "If he gets a third gold he would have more than any other USA Basketball player in history-Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and others have two, but not three. For a guy at the point in his career where he is trying to define his legacy, that could be a real motivation."
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