On the heels of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, more NBA stars are giving an early commitment to join Team USA next summer. The latest All-Stars to put their names in the running are Houston Rockets guards James Harden and Russell Westbrook.
According to Tim Reynolds, NBA writer with The Associated Press, both guards expressed their excitement to play for Team USA after Houston’s 134-129 preseason loss to the Toronto Raptors early Tuesday morning in Japan.
Harden and Westbrook, who first expressed interest at September’s Media Day, are joining a long list of players who have already expressed interest in playing for the United States next summer. Besides the Rockets’ 30-year-old guards, the list also includes Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Anthony Davis, and Damian Lillard.
Both Harden and Davis initially planned to play for Team USA in 2019 before withdrawing before the summer training camp, which left the 2019 FIBA World Cup squad with a clear lack of starpower.
As a result, the USA Basketball program is coming off its most disappointing showcase since 2007. During the World Cup, Team USA managed just a seventh-place finish after suffering back-to-back losses to France (89-79) and Serbia (94-89).
If both Harden and Westbrook stay true to their word and ultimately make next year’s team, 2020 will not be the first time the Rockets duo played for their country. As members of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Harden and Westbrook helped Team USA win gold during the 2012 Summer Olympics in London — alongside NBA legends such as Kevin Durant, LeBron James, and Kobe Bryant.
Both of the Rockets’ stars will be 34 years old in the summer of 2024, which might make them reluctant at that age to put their bodies through that type of workload during an NBA offseason.
Thus, 2020 could be their last realistic opportunity. And assuming health, it appears the two Houston stars could potentially embark upon the journey together.
