Skip to content

LeBron James says he wants to play in 2016 Rio Olympics

Aug 20, 2012, 7:59 AM EDT

London Olympics Basketball Men AP

Right after capturing gold in London, LeBron James suggested this could be it for him and the Olympics. He didn’t know if he would keep going.

But after thinking about it for a week, he sounds like he’s in.

LeBron was back in Akron doing charity events last weekend and spoke with the Associated Press:

James told the Associated Press he would like to play in a fourth Olympics. He has not yet informed USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo of his intentions, but the 27-year-old said he’d like to step inside the five rings one more time.

“We haven’t had that conversation,” James said. “But if I’m healthy, I did the math and I’ll be 31, and if I have the opportunity to be out there, I will do it. I love it. I love being a part of it and representing my country. I don’t know what may happen in four years, but it would be great to be back out there again. Definitely.”

Predicting what the world will be like for any of us in four years is impossible, despite what the presidential candidates tell us. A lot of things can change for James. Kevin Durant may be your biggest star then. You would think guys like Dwight Howard and Derrick Rose — who missed out on the Olympics this time around due to injuries — will want back in, but again it’s hard to say. Will Anthony Davis be ready for a bigger role by 2016? What about Kyrie Irving, DeMarcus Cousins and other guys on the bubble this time around?

But if LeBron wants to play in four years, he’ll have a spot on the team. That’s a guarantee.

Latest Posts
  1. Report: Dwight Howard told Lakers GM he was frustrated with D’Antoni

    May 21, 2013, 2:02 AM EDT

    Dwight Howard AP

    From the start, there was one thing most likely to keep Mike D’Antoni from returning as Lakers coach — free agent Dwight Howard. It may not have been that direct — and it may not change who is the Lakers coach next season — but apparently Howard let Lakers management know exactly how he feels…

  2. Vogel tries to end drummed-up controversy with LeBron

    May 21, 2013, 1:19 AM EDT

    New York Knicks v Indiana Pacers - Game Three Getty Images

    We need a game in this series so we can talk about basketball and not this ridiculous game of telephone. As we explained before, LeBron James took umbrage at something a reporter told him Pacers’ coach Frank Vogel said — except Vogel never said it. What Vogel said was, “They’re the next team that’s in…

  3. Durant, Thunder players tweet out support for Oklahoma City

    May 20, 2013, 11:15 PM EDT

    Tornado Outbreak Slams Through Oklahoma Getty Images

    If you’re like me, you have been transfixed by the tragic events that have unfolded around Oklahoma City on Monday, where a monster tornado has left death and devastation in its wake. The pictures out of schools in that city are heart wrenching. The thoughts of all of us here at PBT are with the…

  4. GM on Warriors turnaround: “Sense of desperation has passed”

    May 20, 2013, 9:30 PM EDT

    San Antonio Spurs v Golden State Warriors - Game Six Getty Images

    Just three seasons ago, the Golden State Warriors were a 26-win team with Monta Ellis and Corey Maggette as their two leading scorers — this was a team in need of a radical overhaul. Enter new ownership willing to invest in winning, new players to go with then rookie Stephen Curry, a new coach in…

  5. Brothers allege entourage of Damian Lillard beat them for taking his picture

    May 20, 2013, 6:55 PM EDT

    APTOPIX Rookie of Year Basketball AP

    Let’s start out here by saying take this all with a grain of salt. People’s descriptions of fights after a bar closes often do not match reality. But a pair of brothers in Oregon told television station KGW that they snapped a picture of Blazers point guard Damian Lillard walking to his car outside a…

  6. Report: Nets ‘honing in on Lionel Hollins’

    May 20, 2013, 5:56 PM EDT

    Memphis Grizzlies v San Antonio Spurs - Game One Getty Images

    Would the Nets wait to hire a coach until Memphis is eliminated from the playoffs just so they can make a run at Lionel Hollins, whose contract expires after the season? If Scott Skiles is a top alternative, patience could make sense. What’s there to lose? Gery Woelfel of the Journal Times: Some NBA officials…

  7. Report: Scott Skiles makes Nets’ short list

    May 20, 2013, 5:32 PM EDT

    Scott Skiles

    The Nets were surely dejected when Phil Jackson turned them down, so it seems they want at least one coaching candidate who’s extremely unlikely to reject them. Gery Woelfel of the Journal Times (hat tip: Matt Moore of Eye on Basketball): the Nets also have put Scott Skiles on their short list. Skiles was fired…

  8. Report: Nets plan to use cap exception to sign Bojan Bogdanovic

    May 20, 2013, 5:23 PM EDT

    BASKETBALL-EURL-ISR-MACCABI TEL AVIV-FENERBAHCE ULKER Getty Images

    The Nets are pretty hamstrung with their roster this summer. Billy King did put together an interesting team to open the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, a team led by Deron Williams and Brook Lopez that was the fourth seed in the East. But he capped out the team to do it — they have $86…

  9. Shabazz Muhammad: I’m the best player in the NBA Draft

    May 20, 2013, 4:07 PM EDT

    Minnesota v UCLA Getty Images

    In the last three years and five of the last six, the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft has been a player who declared after only one year of college basketball (Blake Griffin being the exception). At one point, Shabazz Muhammad was rated as the the No. 1 incoming freshman, so it’s reasonable he…

  10. Iman Shumpert may be playing in Vegas Summer League

    May 20, 2013, 3:59 PM EDT

    Orlando Magic v New York Knicks Getty Images

    The NBA Summer League is about rookies and guys trying to make NBA rosters — basically it’s guys 10-15 on the NBA bench and a bunch of players who will be in Europe next season battling it out to impress scouts. But each year a handful of name players (often top drafted rookies) are there…

  11. Amar’e Stoudemire still thinks Knicks’ front court trio can work

    May 20, 2013, 3:44 PM EDT

    Mike Woodson, Amare Stoudemire

    Amar’e Stoudemire just dealt with one of the more frustrating seasons of his career. A variety of injuries limited him to only 29 appearances and 23.5 minutes per game when he was healthy enough to suit up. And while he made a return to the Knicks’ lineup in the 2nd round against the Pacers, he…

  12. PBT Draft preview: Steven Adams is climbing draft boards

    May 20, 2013, 2:43 PM EDT

    Pittsburgh v Wichita State Getty Images

    For the next five weeks PBT will be profiling likely first-round draft picks in the upcoming NBA Draft. Today we talk about Pitt’s star center. In today’s NBA player development matters a lot — draft a guy and for a few years bring him along slowly, develop his skills and mold him into a player…

  13. Report: Blazers considering trading up for Victor Oladipo

    May 20, 2013, 1:28 PM EDT

    Temple v Indiana Getty Images

    Fans of every lottery team have a simple solution for how to operate in a historically weak draft: Trade down. Of course, if you think this is a weak draft, other teams probably do too, and they’re not going to be so keen on trading up. But there might be one team interested in trading…

  14. Report: Dwight Howard not going to Clippers… did we need a report for that?

    May 20, 2013, 1:25 PM EDT

    Los Angeles Lakers v Denver Nuggets Getty Images

    It’s Dwight Howard silly rumor season. Everyone knows the Lakers are still the front-runners in this race but the latest reports have the Rockets and Mavericks at least in a good stalking position to make a move once this race moves into the home stretch. Other teams may try to get into the mix as…

  15. Bobcats looking to trade down?

    May 20, 2013, 12:44 PM EDT

    Richard Cho

    The Bobcats would receive the Trail Blazer’s first-round draft pick this year – a remnant of the Gerald Wallace trade – in the .001 percent chance Portland lands the No. 13 pick in tomorrow’s draft lottery. But Charlotte is doing a lot of work based on just that .001 percent chance. Rick Bonnell of charlotteobserver.com:…

  16. Report: Raptors to move Colangelo to business side, get new GM

    May 20, 2013, 12:28 PM EDT

    Raptors general manager Colangelo takes questions during the team's media day before the upcoming NBA basketball season in Toronto Reuters

    Bryan Colangelo is still going to be with the Toronto Raptors. But he is going to be on the other side of the building (at least metaphorically). By today the Raptors had to come to a decision on picking up Colangelo’s option as the franchise’s general manager and decision maker. And he is out in…

  17. Alonzo Mourning says Scottie Pippen says LeBron would “kick Jordan’s ass”

    May 20, 2013, 11:52 AM EDT

    Charlotte Bobcats v Miami Heat Getty Images

    The video above was a reminder to Alonzo Mourning that there is no privacy anymore. Not anywhere. (And if you think Jordan’s legacy would be the same in today’s world of cell phone video and 24-hour news/blog cycle as it was in his era… you should ask Steve Kerr about that rock show on the…

  18. Coaching search rumor roundup: Everyone talks to Kelvin Sampson

    May 20, 2013, 11:03 AM EDT

    New Orleans Hornets v Houston Rockets Getty Images

    There are a lot of coaching interview rumors right now — basically the same handful of guys interviewing for every open job while those fan bases dream of Phil Jackson and Stan Van Gundy. What follows is a wrap up of the weekend news from the coaching searches going on. • The Suns are going…

  19. Doctors to take a look at Carmelo Anthony’s left shoulder

    May 20, 2013, 10:33 AM EDT

    Carmelo Anthony AP

    If you watched Carmelo Anthony at all as he tried to carry the Knicks through the playoffs (often too single-handedly, but that’s another issue for another day), you could tell that his left shoulder was really bothering him. So it’s not a shock that a team doctor is about to have a look at it,…

  20. Spurs shut down Zach Randolph in Western Conference Finals’ first major strategic move

    May 20, 2013, 9:22 AM EDT

    Memphis Grizzlies v San Antonio Spurs - Game One Getty Images

    Zach Randolph recovered the opening tipoff in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals, and he didn’t touch the ball again until the possession following the Grizzlies’ first timeout. Moments after cameras caught Randolph and Tim Duncan sharing a laugh coming out of that timeout, Randolph ran a seemingly designed pick-and-pop with Mike Conley, caught…

Top 10 NBA Player Searches
  1. D. Wade (3819)
  2. G. Hill (3589)
  3. D. Rose (3096)
  4. C. Anthony (2789)
  5. L. James (2363)
  1. S. Curry (2317)
  2. D. Granger (2316)
  3. N. Robinson (2286)
  4. J. Smith (2217)
  5. T. Parker (2199)