Charles Barkley made his expectations for the U.S. men’s basketball team clear.
The NBA legend wants to see the U.S. team come home with a gold medal from the Paris Olympics, and Barkley is firm in his beliefs, suggesting that if the players don’t live up to his expectations, they should find another country to call home.
“Look, if they lose, we can’t let them go home,” Barkley said recently of Philadelphia 76ers star Paul George.P podcast.“You can’t. I’ll tell you. You can’t come back.”
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CLEVELAND, Ohio – February 20, 2022: NBA great Charles Barkley was honored to be selected to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team during halftime of the 2022 NBA All-Star Game at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. (Kyle Terada – USA Today Sports)
Barkley is a two-time Olympic gold medalist. He was a member of the United States Men’s Basketball National Team at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. The 1992 team was better known as the “Dream Team.” Barkley and the U.S. team also won a gold medal for the United States at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta.
Many fans and others have attempted to draw comparisons between the 2024 version of the United States men’s basketball team and the legendary 1992 roster. Some of the greatest players in basketball history played on the “Dream Team,” including Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and Patrick Ewing.
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This year’s team is led by four-time NBA champion LeBron James and also includes 2014 NBA MVP Kevin Durant, Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis and up-and-coming NBA star Anthony Edwards.
Basketball: 1996 Summer Olympics: USA’s Charles Barkley wins a medal in a win over Yugoslavia in the men’s gold medal game at the Georgia Dome. Atlanta, Georgia. August 3, 1996 (Manny Millan/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)
The U.S. team took another step in the right direction on Tuesday by beating Brazil in the quarterfinals and will play Serbia on Aug. 8.
After winning the bronze medal at the Athens Olympics, the men’s basketball team performed well in the next four games played in Beijing, London, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo.
Leo Meindl of Team Brazil and LeBron James of Team USA play during the men’s quarterfinal match between Team Brazil and Team USA on the 11th day of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Bercy Arena on August 6, 2024 in Paris, France. (Tom Weller/VOIGT/Getty Images)
If the U.S. wants to bring home the gold medal, they’ll have to beat some tough competition this summer, and Barkley acknowledged the challenges the team faces, but he still doesn’t think the U.S. team should finish the Summer Olympics in anything but first place.
Kevin Durant of the United States reacts during the men’s basketball quarterfinal match between Brazil and the United States on day 11 of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Bercy Arena on August 6, 2024 in Paris, France. (Daniel Kopacz/Getty Images)
“Is the national team 100 percent stronger?” Barkley said. “We’re still not better than the U.S.A., and apart from Joker (Nikola Jokic), Giannis (Antetokounmpo) and Luka (Doncic), they’re three great, great players. Shai (Gilgeous-Alexander) is great, but we still have the next 10 best players every game.”
Barkley also praised the depth of the U.S. team.
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“Nobody’s better at bringing guys off the bench than Jayson Tatum,” said Barkley, who was an All-NBA First Team selection last season and helped the Boston Celtics win the NBA title in June.
“Nobody can bring in more players off the bench than Kevin Durant,” he continued. “The international teams have gotten stronger, but there’s no excuse for the U.S. not to win the gold medal. We are the best team and we have the best players, by far.”
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