Team USA could be in trouble in the 2028 Olympics

When Team USA took 4th place at the FIBA World Cup last year, they knew what they had to do before the Olympics. 

The Olympic basketball team called in the Avengers, putting together a team whose name recognition would rival that of the Dream Team and who have collectively earned more than $2.4 billion in salary, highlighted by all-time greats LeBron James and Stephen Curry. 

And they still barely won the gold medal. 

It took a monumental comeback against Serbia in the semi-final game and a tough win over France for the US to eke out a gold in a sport we invented and have dominated for decades.

Things are changing in the landscape of basketball and by the time 2028 rolls around, Team USA may be in trouble. 

The rest of the world has caught up 

The days of the US cakewalking through teams in the Olympics are over, as the talent in the rest of the world has caught up. 

The last six NBA MVP awards were won by players born outside of the United States and that isn’t likely to change anytime soon, as Luka Doncic hasn’t even won one, which seems like an inevitability. 

The US has players like Anthony Edwards and Jayson Tatum who will be in the MVP hunt soon, but the international field has plenty of talent of its own. 

Victor Wembanyama is the best young player in a generation and could be All-NBA and Defensive Player of the Year in his second season. There were six players from France taken in this year’s draft. 

By 2028, more than half of the league could be born outside of the US if trends continue, so the US is no longer the only country consistently producing amazing basketball talent. 

Who is going to lead Team USA in 2028? 

The obvious choices are Edwards, Tatum, Devin Booker and Tyrese Haliburton, who were all on the team this year in smaller roles. 

But Team USA is very likely to be without LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Joel Embiid (he’ll be 34, so maybe) and Jrue Holiday, arguably the five most important players from this year’s gold medal run. 

The US will have talent, such as Cade Cunningham from the Detroit Pistons, to tap into, but those guys are not going to have the swagger and intimidation factors on their side like LeBron and Steph do. 

No one in the world is going to be afraid of the US in 2028, so they need to revamp their team with guys that make sense as a unit, can gel as a roster and who can carry on the tradition of US dominance in the Olympics that may soon need a boost.