2024 Team USA men’s basketball walked away with the gold medal, but it was much closer than anticipated.
Their loaded 12-man roster highlighted by LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Stephen Curry was expected to cruise through the Olympics with ease. Instead, they nearly lost an exhibition match against South Sudan, 101-100.
This narrow escape lowered the expectations of many, including former Philadelphia 76ers big man Dwight Howard. The three-time Defensive Player of the Year shared on Gils Arena that he’s choosing the 2008 ‘Redeem Team’ over this year’s roster.
“That’s a good one, I’m going with our team. We got a prime Kobe, young LeBron, the bald head D-Wade. I got ’08. We were young, talking about Bron at 23, I’m 22, Melo at 24, Chris Bosh at 24! Oh my,” Howard said. “This prime, this is their years, Wade was 26 and Boozer was going crazy.”
There’s a multitude of ways to debate which team was superior, but it’s important to note there’s likely some bias with Howard playing on the ’08 squad. The debate of the sheer number of All-Stars is a wash, as 11 of the 12 players on each lineup earned at least one selection in their career. Tayshaun Prince (2008) and Derrick White (2024) are the only non-All-Stars in the matter. It’s worth mentioning the 2024 lineup nearly took the edge before Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard left.
It’s nearly impossible to choose which group had more firepower, but as Howard noted, age could play a factor. The leaders of this year’s group are all well into their 30s while the ’08 team was led by youth.
Regardless of personal preference, both Team USA rosters accomplished their goal by winning gold.
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Source link : https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nba/philadelphia-76ers/news/ex-76ers-center-takes-bold-stance-2024-team-usa/95ebc6a8a1530ff5b60cf423
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Publish date : 2024-09-01 13:00:00
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