(Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Team USA coming away empty-handed in the FIBA World Cup has led to a lot of different reactions, with most criticizing superstar players in the NBA for not representing their country in the same way they were criticized before the Redeem Team in 2008.
The Americans lost three times in the FIBA World Cup, leading to a fourth-place finish in the tournament, with Canada, Serbia (without Nikola Jokic), and Germany finishing ahead of them.
Shortly after Team USA got the boot in the FIBA World Cup, Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James let it be known that he wants to be on the team next year in the 2024 Olympics, which will also undoubtedly lead to other NBA superstars around the league following his lead.
However, Marc J. Spears of ESPN was highly critical of Team USA for a severe lack of defense and the fact it takes these kinds of losses for James to come out and say he’s joining the team because the United States doesn’t respect these international tournaments when they should, via ClutchPoints.
“This team gave up 113 points to Germany. That’s just absolutely embarrassing. This is probably the worst defensive team in USA history… the team was put together poorly.”
Marc J. Spears sounded OFF on Team USA’s result in the FIBA World Cup pic.twitter.com/B5AjtikhJ4
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) September 11, 2023
Spears has a point because the rest of the world has seemingly caught up to the United States in terms of basketball talent, with the evidence being that the majority of the top players in the league now are international stars.
With Joel Embiid, Luka Doncic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Jokic being arguably four of the five best players in the league today, it’s pretty telling that the talent gap has closed with the Americans struggling to catch up.
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