Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images
Dallas Mavericks superstar guard Kyrie Irving divulged Thursday that he was disappointed to have not gotten the opportunity to play for Team USA at the 2024 Paris Olympics over the summer.
Speaking to Sam Amick of The Athletic, Irving confirmed that he wanted to play in the 2024 Summer Games and felt it was odd that tryouts weren’t held unlike in past Olympic cycles:
“I won’t say it was hurtful not to be able to try out, but it just was weird that we weren’t able to try out and get together as a group, because the USA team is not just 12 guys or 15 guys. … I was playing on Team USA when I was 17, 18. I won three gold medals. I won when I was 18, when I was 22, and I won one when I was 24. So there is a pride thing there, and I have history. There was such a great competitive pool that you can test yourself against because it’s the best in the world. It’s not every day you get a chance to go against [players of that caliber].”
Irving, who won an Olympic gold medal for Team USA in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, added that he communicated his interest to U.S. men’s national team managing director Grant Hill during the 2023-24 NBA season, but nothing came of it:
“I had communication with Grant throughout the season, but I think it was more or less a surprise that I wanted to play. I think it was just a surprise that I wanted to play and [that] I was engaged. I speak on this from a healthy standpoint, like let me make sure that’s clear too. It wasn’t jealousy. It was like, ‘Oh, OK, this means that there’s an extra motivation, just naturally, where, OK, I guess 2028 [is the plan]?’ And maybe it’s not for Team USA. I’m just really proud of the [Team USA] guys, at the end of the day.”
Kyrie will be 36 by the time the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles roll around, which suggests he may be facing an uphill climb in terms of getting back into the Team USA mix.
The elder statesman on the 2024 team such as LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant will likely be out of the fold by then, but Irving will also have to compete with plenty of younger, budding stars.
With that in mind, Irving noted that he is open to representing Australia at the 2028 Olympics if Team USA isn’t a realistic option.
“I would love to entertain playing for Team Australia, man. I don’t think it’s a strong, strong possibility at this point, depending on what the Olympic Committee does. But as a competitor, I was born in Australia. For me, it’s not a hard transition to make, but I don’t want to fall into the same, I would say, probably like—I’m trying to be very intentional with my words here. I don’t want to fall into the trap of being let down or disappointed when I know that there are other opportunities out there for me.”
Irving was born in Melbourne, Australia, where his father played professional basketball, and he holds dual citizenship between Australia and the United States.
However, Kyrie has only ever represented the United States internationally, so USA Basketball and FIBA would have to give him clearance to switch to Australia.
Even at 36, Irving would likely give Australia a massive boost given that he has the makings of being a future Hall of Famer with eight All-Star selections and an NBA championship to his credit.
Irving is still playing at an elite level, as he averaged 25.6 points, 5.2 assists, 5.0 rebounds, 3.0 three-pointers made and 1.3 steals per game last season for a Mavs team that reached the NBA Finals and fell to the Boston Celtics.
Whether it be for the United States or Australia, Irving noted that he is “definitely planning” to compete at the 2028 Summer Olympics as long as he is healthy.
Read the full article here
