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Shaquille O'Neal has seemingly supported the call for Team USA to send their best players to the 2024 Paris Olympics. The Americans finished fourth in the recently concluded 2023 FIBA World Cup, losing to Germany in the semifinals and to Canada in the third-place game.
Team USA was the favorites to win the FIBA World Cup but suffered three losses in the tournament. They lost to Lithuania in the second round of the group stage, Germany in the semis and Canada on Sunday.
O'Neal made the impression that he wants players like LeBron James and Steph Curry to wear the Red, White and Blue colors at next year's Paris Olympics. The LA Lakers legend shared the following graphic in his Instagram story:
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Team USA did not assemble the best team possible for the 2023 FIBA World Cup. It has always been customary for the Americans to send younger players for the tournament, which has resulted in disappointment in the last two FIBA World Cups.
They finished seventh in 2019 after losing to France in the quarterfinals. They were much better this year, ending the tournament in fourth place, but it was still a disappointing performance.
Apart from not being used to the physicality under FIBA rules of the game, the Americans were outplayed in their three losses. They might be the most talented team in the tournament, but the other teams played amazing team basketball. They cannot compete with just talent alone anymore due to the growth of the game around the world.
As for Shaquille O'Neal, he has an Olympic gold medal and a FIBA World Cup title in his resume. He was part of the team that won gold in the 1994 FIBA World Cup in Toronto and the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
Will Team USA assemble its best team for 2024 Paris Olympics?
The lingering question for Team USA in the 2024 Paris Olympics: is will they put together the best possible roster to compete for the gold medal? That means players like LeBron James, Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Jayson Tatum, Kawhi Leonard and Damian Lillard should be on the team.
James has already hinted about the possibility of returning to the national team while Curry told ESPN before the FIBA World Cup that Steve Kerr has begun recruiting him for next year.
The Golden State Warriors superstar has never played in the Olympics, and an Olympic gold medal is the only thing missing in his resume.
The Americans can also recruit Joel Embiid to join the team. Embiid is eligible to play for the United States and France, so both nations will put a lot of effort in convincing the reigning MVP to play for them.
Regardless of what the United States do at the 2024 Paris Olympics, the rest of the world has caught up with them. There's a reason why three of the best players in the world — Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Luka Doncic — are not Americans.
