3 Generational NBA Draft Prospects Headline USA’s Run to Gold

Highlights

• Team USA basketball is aiming for redemption at the 2024 Paris Olympics after losing in the FIBA Americup in 2022.
• LeBron James, one of the most heralded NBA Draft prospects of all time, is leading the United States.
• Rising stars like Cooper Flagg and Victor Wembanyama bring new talent and challenges to Team USA.

Over time, the NBA has become virtually a year-round sport. Between the NBA Draft , free agency and summer league, fans have only a short period of time without NBA content to consume.

Followers who are also tuned into the WNBA essentially never have to go without professional basketball anymore.

Every two years, though, there’s an added treat for American fans in the summer when the league’s top players align their talents for a common goal: USA Basketball.

In 2022, Team USA fell short against Argentina in the FIBA Americup semifinals before toppling Canada for third place.

This year, the United States is out for revenge.

Just like 2008’s famous “Redeem Team,” USA Basketball has reassembled some of the NBA’s greatest superstars in an attempt to avenge the country’s shortcomings two years prior.

With players like Stephen Curry , Kevin Durant and Joel Embiid leading the charge, the US will undoubtedly be a massive favorite at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games .

However, a potential Gold Medal run by Team USA will feature three of the greatest NBA Draft prospects ever, two of whom are on its side and a third who stands tall (literally) in its way.

3 LeBron James

The King was the first overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft

In 2022, LeBron James and most of the NBA’s most accomplished veteran stars sat out of the FIBA festivities to give their battered bodies a rest and give the young risers in the league a chance to establish themselves at the international level.

Unfortunately, the USA fell short due to the roster’s lack of experience and a true alpha to lead the charge.

James was part of the 2006 FIBA squad that lost to Greece and played a feature role in the 2008 Olympic team that “redeemed” the country, so he’ll bring invaluable perspective to this year’s iteration of USA basketball.

Playing a role in FIBA 2006 and the 2024 Olympics 18 years later—and 21 years after he was first drafted—is truly a testament to James’ longevity and unique greatness.

He won’t just be tagging along as a sage mentor, either.

To this day, James might still be the most hyped NBA prospect of all time with multiple high school games broadcast nationally.

Coming in a class that featured Dwyane Wade , Carmelo Anthony and several other top-tier talents, there was never a doubt that he’d go number one. Between his one-of-one athleticism, all-around versatility and advanced basketball IQ, there was a reason that he earned the moniker of “the Chosen One.”

Despite all the lofty expectations cast upon him, James has still managed to exceed every single one, and he’s still not done.

He may have lost a step physically, but at 39 years old, he’s still one of the league’s top 10 to 15 players and could very well end up the MVP for this year’s Olympic team.

Even surrounded by all-time greats, it’d be foolish to rule out LeBron as the potential best player on the roster.

2 Cooper Flagg

The 17-year-old got his own taste of USA Basketball

Cooper Flagg might not be on the official 2024 Olympics team, but he did get a chance to wear red, white and blue this summer for the select team.

Flagg, along with a handful of promising young NBA players like Jabari Smith Jr., Jalen Duren and Jaime Jaquez Jr., was given the honor of helping the Olympic squad prepare for the games in practice and scrimmages.

According to APNews, Flagg is the first college player to get an Olympics Select Team nod since Doug McDermott and Marcus Smart received invitations to a mini-camp in 2013.

Like James, Flagg had been on the NBA’s radar well before he chose to play for Duke University. He became the primary focus of draft coverage basically right after the San Antonio Spurs won the first pick of the 2023 draft, essentially leapfrogging over all the prospects in the 2024 class.

Before even playing a single college game, Flagg has already cemented his status as a blue-chip prospect with a lot of similar qualities to James: elite size, rare fluidity for his build, a well-rounded, versatile skill set and the ability to swing games on both ends of the court.

Had he been a year older, he could have been on the actual Olympic team as Anthony Davis was after his lone season with the Kentucky Wildcats.

Nevertheless, Flagg’s debut at the Olympics is practically inevitable. And considering the way he’s already shined against Team USA, he’ll be more than ready once it’s his turn to represent his country.

1 Victor Wembanyama

The 2023 Rookie of the Year could be in Team USA’s way

Part of the reason that Team USA had to bring in several ringers is because the rest of the world is starting to close the gap on America in terms of basketball talent.

Arguably, the top five players in the NBA right now were born outside the US: Nikola Jokic (Serbia), Embiid (Cameroon), Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece), Luka Dončić (Slovenia) and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Canada).

There’s a decent chance that French phenom Victor Wembanyama could bust his way into the top five of the league as early as next season.

Before he does that, though, he’ll have a chance to usher the NBA into a new era by upsetting the United States in the Olympics.

Like James and Flagg, Wembanyama was burdened with massive expectations ahead of his draft.

At 7-foot-4 with high-level guard skills and a savant-level feel for the game, he was called the best prospect since possibly LeBron himself. He began his rookie year a little slow but quickly picked up steam and showed the world why he was so highly anticipated.

Wembanyama was significantly better by season’s end than he was entering the league as a rookie, and he may be exponentially better now than he was at the end of his first campaign.

Team USA’s third-place finish at FIBA 2022 may have motivated some of the game’s biggest stars to return for the 2024 Olympics. Wembanyama’s presence alongside Rudy Gobert , Nicolas Batum and the other fearsome Frenchmen make that team an NBA Avengers-level threat.

Thankfully, the Avengers have answered, but will it be enough against Wembanyama?