LeBron James Remains Noncommittal To Play For Team USA In Rio de Janerio

Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

The Cleveland Cavaliers are currently the team to beat in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Although the Detroit Pistons put up a fight against the top-seeded Cavaliers in the first round of the postseason, LeBron James and company still wiped the floor with Stan Van Gundy’s squad by pulling off the four-game sweep.

As LeBron prepares for the second round, in which he’ll likely face his former team in Dwyane Wade’s Miami Heat, the superstar forward was posed a question he’s yet to answer definitively. James was asked whether he’ll be playing alongside his fellow NBA superstars for Team USA in the 2016 Summer Olympics.

James, as expected, was noncommittal about suiting up for head coach Mike Krzyzewski one more time in the NBA offseason, via NBC Sports:

James spoke at Cleveland’s shootaround Sunday before a playoff game at Detroit. When asked if he has committed to the Rio Games, he said: “I have not.”

If James does ultimately decide to play, he’ll likely be joined by some of the league’s elite once again. Stephen Curry, Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Durant, and Cavaliers’ teammates Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love may be among the players to make the cut for the upcoming Olympics.

Without James, or Kobe Bryant (retired) and Chris Paul (will not play) for that matter, Team USA may have a challenge ahead against some of the world’s best squads, including Pau Gasol’s Spanish National team.

It’ll be interesting to see how the result of the NBA season impacts LeBron’s decision heading into the offseason. If the Cavaliers make it to the NBA Finals once again, it’ll be the sixth straight appearance for James, and that’s bound to play a factor in the star forward simply needing some time off this summer.