LeBron, Durant, Curry: Crafting the Ultimate Dream Team for Olympic Basketball Glory

LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, and Joel Embiid lead what might be the most celebrated U.S. Olympic men's basketball team since the 1990s, as they aim for a fifth straight gold medal in Paris.

The announcement of the 12-player roster came Wednesday, just 100 days before the Opening Ceremony on July 26. For the first time, the Olympic team includes four NBA MVPs (James, Durant, Curry, and Embiid), along with 11 players who were 2024 NBA All-Stars, and a record-breaking 84 combined All-Star selections.

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"It won't be easy. We respect all the other teams, but this roster is truly iconic," said Grant Hill, USA Basketball's managing director, on the TODAY show.

This team has the most returning Olympians ever for a U.S. men's squad, with every player having been an NBA All-Star at least once before. This is only the second time this has happened, the first being in 1996. The famed 1992 'Dream Team' from the Barcelona Games was the first with NBA players and had three former MVPs — Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and Michael Jordan — who together had a slightly fewer 68 All-Star appearances. At the start of the 1992 Games, Bird, Johnson, and Jordan had a total of 10 NBA championships among them. James, Durant, and Curry also now share a combined total of 10 NBA championships.

James, at 39 years old, along with Curry at 36, and Durant, who is nearly 36, are set to break the record for the oldest U.S. Olympic basketball players, a record previously held by Bird in 1992. This is the oldest U.S. team in history, averaging 30 years and 9 months old at the start of the Games, surpassing the previous record set by the 1996 team.

James is back after winning gold in 2008 and 2012, and bronze in 2004. This summer, he, Diana Taurasi, and Spain's Rudy Fernandez could become the first to have Olympic basketball careers spanning 20 years.

Durant has been the top scorer for the U.S. in the last three Olympics and holds the American men's record for career Olympic points, just 52 points behind Lisa Leslie's overall U.S. record. Curry, participating in his first Olympics, has previously won gold at the FIBA World Cup in 2010 and 2014. The U.S. team will be coached by his Warriors coach, Steve Kerr. Embiid, having the choice of playing for the U.S., France, or Cameroon, will participate in his first major international tournament. Kawhi Leonard, also making his major international debut, was part of the 2012 U.S. select team as a rookie.

"Defense was key in our selection, along with the emotional maturity and ability to integrate different personalities," Hill explained. "Sometimes it's not just about gathering the best players, but finding those who fit best together."

Returning from the Tokyo Olympics are Tatum, Booker, Adebayo, and Holiday. Davis, from the 2012 team, was the youngest Olympic player in U.S. history before turning pro. Following a fourth-place finish at last year's World Cup without any prior Olympic or World Cup veterans, Edwards and Haliburton are making their Olympic debuts, credited with helping the U.S. qualify.

Hill noted the physicality of FIBA play, saying, "You need players whose style translates well internationally. I learned a lot last summer about what it takes to compete for a gold medal."

Germany, Serbia, and Canada, the top three from last year's World Cup, are seen as the main competitors, with France, a previous challenger, also posing a strong threat.

The team features a blend of seasoned international players and NBA stars, all committed to representing the U.S. with the highest standards in what Hill calls "the toughest basketball tournament in history."