Los Angeles Lakers Lebron James before a game against the Philadelphia 76ers at Xfinity Mobile Arena
Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
LeBron James played a starring role alongside Stephen Curry in Team USA's gold-winning campaign at the 2024 Paris Olympics. James, who will be 43 by the time the 2028 Olympics, had previously stated that he has no intention of participating in the upcoming tournament and will be watching it from his home in Cabo.
However, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, there will be a roster spot for the Philadelphia 76ers star if he ends up changing his mind, per BasketNews.
“If LeBron wants to play, he'll get a roster spot,” Windhorst said.
Further, Tim MacMahon believes that there is a firm chance LeBron ends up making a 180 simply because he has already committed to playing for the 76ers for at least two seasons.
“He just made it very clear he plans to play at least two more years for Philly. He's gonna have his career end with the 2027-28 season, why not go out with the fifth Olympics? He's got a place in LA to stay, doesn't even have to stay in a hotel,” MacMohan stated.
Of course, the 2028 Olympics will be hosted by the US, with Los Angeles expected to host multiple games. However, whether he ends up playing will completely depend upon LeBron himself, who previously stated the following.
“You already know my answer. So don't even ask. I will be watching it from Cabo.”
Meanwhile Curry had refused to rule himself out for the tournament, but stated that he highly doubts he will be physically fit enough. James can be expected to be tempted to commit to one final adventure as Curry’s teammate, especially since he ended up picking Philadelphia over the Golden State Warriors for what is undoubtedly the final move of his career.
However, much will depend on whether the two can remain fit, with James’s agent Rich Paul only recently stating that he may end up playing more than two seasons for the 76ers. At the same time, considering LeBron will be 43, he may end up prioritizing his fitness for the NBA season rather than playing for Team USA.
After all, James already has three Olympic gold medals for Team USA, in addition to the bronze they won in Beijing 2008.