After Team USA failed to win a medal in this year’s FIBA World Cup, the cavalry is apparently on its way to rescue USA Basketball.
LeBron James and a group of other NBA stars and superstars were reportedly ready to commit to playing in next year’s Summer Olympics the day after Team USA lost the bronze medal game to Canada.
That group includes James’ teammate Anthony Davis, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, and Jayson Tatum.
Now, another name can be added to the list, per ESPN via NBACentral: Chris Paul.
Chris Paul is interested in playing for Team USA next summer, per ESPN pic.twitter.com/JcCeOEEWsx
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) September 12, 2023
Like all the aforementioned stars and superstars, Paul has played for Team USA in the past, as he teamed up with James and Kobe Bryant to help the squad win gold medals in the 2008 and 2012 Olympics.
Paul isn’t just one of the better point guards in basketball history, but he has also long been lauded for his strong leadership skills.
The problem is that at this point in his career, he is clearly in decline, and it is possible he won’t be able to help the Americans much next summer in Paris.
He has career averages of 17.9 points and 9.5 assists a game, but last season, he only mustered 13.9 points a contest while shooting just 44.0 percent from the field.
In the 2023 NBA playoffs, Paul was even worse with averages of 12.4 points per game on 41.8 percent overall shooting and 32.1 percent from 3-point range.
He was traded to the Golden State Warriors earlier this summer where he will back up Curry, which could help him save some juice for later in the season and the playoffs.
Even if Paul doesn’t play much or play well in the Olympics, he could still contribute simply with his leadership and knowledge of the game.
NEXT: Richard Sherman Comments On LeBron James Returning To Team USA
