The United States sent a star-studded group of NBA stars to Paris to chase a fifth straight gold medal in men’s 5-on-5 basketball at the 2024 Olympic Games. Led by big performances from Kevin Durant and LeBron James, Team USA got off to a strong start, pulling away from Nikola Jokic and Serbia after an early scare Sunday.
But what if Team USA didn’t have the luxury of sending its biggest stars to chase gold? In men’s soccer, for instance, players have to be under 23 years old (with the exception of three overage players). A U23 rule would likely send several young NBA talents to Paris (including current Team USA player Anthony Edwards, who’s just 22). Restrict it further though, and let’s imagine a world where the Games went back to requiring players to still be amateurs … making college basketball the best avenue to source talent from.
