Charles Barkley made his expectations for the US men’s basketball team clear.
The legendary NBA player wants to see Team USA return from the Paris Olympics with the gold medal in their possession. Barkley was so steadfast in his belief that he suggested the players should find another country to call home if they somehow fall short of his expectations.
“Listen, if they lose, we can’t let them back in the country,” Barkley said during a recent appearance on Philadelphia 76ers star Paul George’s “P Podcast.” “We can’t. I’ll tell them. You can’t come back.”
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February 20, 2022; Cleveland, Ohio: NBA great Charles Barkley is honored for being selected to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team during halftime in 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 U.S. men’s national basketball team during the 1992 Summer Games in Barcelona. The 1992 team was better known as the “Dream Team.” Barkley and Team USA also won gold on American soil during the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta.
Many fans and others have attempted to draw comparisons between the 2024 edition of the U.S. men’s basketball team and the storied roster from 1992. Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Patrick Ewing, and other all-time basketball greats played on the “Dream Team.”
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This year’s team is led by four-time NBA champion LeBron James and also features 2014 NBA MVP Kevin Durant, Los Angeles Lakers’ forward Anthony Davis, and rising NBA star Anthony Edwards, among others.
Basketball: 1996 Summer Olympics: USA Charles Barkley victorious with medals after winning Men’s Gold Medal Game against Yugoslavia at the Georgia Dome. Atlanta, GA. 8/3/1996 (Manny Millan/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)
On Tuesday, Team USA took another step in the right direction by defeating Brazil in the quarterfinals. The team returns to the court on Aug. 8 for a game against Serbia.
After winning the bronze medal at the Athens Olympics, the men’s basketball team took care of business in the next four games, which were held in Beijing, London, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo.
Leo Meindl of Team Brazil and LeBron James of Team United States in action during the Men’s Quarterfinal match between Team Brazil and Team United States on day eleven of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at the Bercy Arena on August 6, 2024, in Paris, France. (Tom Weller/VOIGT/GettyImages)
The Americans will have to overcome a strong field of competitors this summer if they want to bring home the gold. Barkley acknowledged the challenges the team faces, but he still does not believe the US team should finish the Summer Games in any place but first.
Kevin Durant of the United States reacts during the Men’s Basketball Quarterfinal match between Brazil and the United States of America on day eleven of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Bercy Arena on August 6, 2024, in Paris, France. (Daniel Kopatsch/Getty Images)
“Have the international teams gotten better, 100%,” Barkley said. “They still not better than the United States. You take away Joker (Nikola Jokic) and Giannis (Antetokounmpo) and Luka (Doncic). All three guys are great, great players. Shai (Gilgeous-Alexander) is great also, but we still got the next 10 best players in every game.”
Barkley also praised Team USA’s depth.
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“Ain’t nobody bringing anybody off the bench better than Jayson Tatum,” Barkley said. Tatum earned All-NBA First Team honors this past season and helped the Boston Celtics win the NBA title in June.
“Ain’t nobody bringing anybody off the bench better than Kevin Durant,” he continued. “The international teams have gotten better, but there’s never an excuse for the United States not to win the gold medal. We got the best team, we’ve got the best players by far.”
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