USA Basketball Official Makes Big Prediction on LeBron James’ Olympic Career

LeBron James will not be playing for the USA Men’s Basketball team in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, and it looks like he won’t be winning any additional Olympic medals soon. USA Basketball managing director Jerry Colangelo spoke to ESPN’s Keyshawn, JWill and Zubin on Wednesday and said he doesn’t see James competing in the Olympics anymore.

“You know, Father Time takes its toll,” Colangelo said. “… If you’re a human being, your body is built to go so long depending on what your sport is, and then it’s a downhill situation. LeBron made choices these last couple of Olympics not to participate because he’s got a lot of things going on in his life. So he put in his time, he made a contribution that is appreciated, but I think his time is over.”

James also didn’t play in the 2016 Summer Olympics. He was with the Team USA in the 2004, 2008 and 2012 Olympics and won three medals during that span (two golds and one bronze). James also competed with the team in the FIBA World Championship in 2006 and the FIBA Americas Championship in 2007. He has played in 68 international games.

It makes sense for James not to play this time around considering the injuries he dealt with during the season. After James led the Los Angeles Lakers to an NBA Finals win in October, the NBA began its 2020-21 season a couple of months later. James and the Lakers reached the playoffs but lost to the Phoenix Suns in the first round. Based on the comments James made about the 2020-21 season, rest is the No. 1 priority for him during the offseason.

As for who will be on the USA Basketball roster for the Tokyo Olympics, the roster includes Kevin Durant, Draymond Green and Kevin Love. Love has taken some heat for being on the team since he’s not the same player he was when he was with James on the Cleveland Cavaliers. Some of the other players who made the cut are Damian Lillard, Zach Lavine, Devin Booker, Jrue Holiday, Bradley Beal and Jayson Tatum. The Olympics begin on Friday, July 23.