LeBron James missed out on winning a gold medal at the Rio Olympics. But the NBA superstar might be considering a return to Team USA in the next Olympics to play for who he considers the “greatest coach of all time in Gregg Popovich.
From Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today:
In an interview with ESPN’s Rachel Nichols, James left the door open for a return to the U.S. basketball team for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and in a subsequent interview with USA TODAY Sports, James said, “It would be pretty amazing to be able to actually play for the greatest NBA coach of all time.” […]
“First of all, Coach K and Gregg Popovich are two my favorites of all time,” James said. “To be able to play for Coach K in the [2008 and 2012] Olympics and [2006 FIBA] World Championships and to be able to go against Coach Pop in the NBA, it would be a treat. Obviously, my body has to continue to be in the form that it is today four years from now.”
James won two gold medals while playing for Mike Krzyzewski, who ended his Team USA coaching stint on a high note by winning the gold medal in Rio. Popovich, the five-time NBA champion coach of the San Antonio Spurs, takes over for the legendary Coach K.
By the time the next Olympics come around, James will be 35 years old and coming off his 18th season in the NBA. Like he says, his body has to continue to be in form that it is today for him to be able to play in the games four years from now. It would be a treat to see him return to Team USA, but we’ll see what kind of shape he’s in by then.
