Summer camp for Olympic athletes. That’s what the Olympic Village is like. With athletes roaming around with their identity cars around their necks, trading pins, making friendship bracelets, and waking roommates up with their alarms, what better way to describe it than summer camp? But of the 594 athletes representing the US this year, not all are at the Olympic Village. And Dream Team 2.0, spearheaded by the likes of LeBron James and Kevin Durant, is one of the contingents to have taken accommodation outside, just like their idols once did.

For this Paris edition, fans have not only witnessed the Olympics live but have also gotten constant glimpses of the Olympic Village, thanks to social media. Notably, the unique cardboard beds and portable air conditioners have become a major highlight. But USA Basketball is doing things differently again, as they’ve been doing since 1992. Yes, that was the Dream Team’s domination campaign in Barcelona. Now, some breakthrough information has surfaced regarding the current accommodation in France.

First, it’s not just Team USA’s men’s basketball team reaping this privilege but also the women’s side, including stars like A’ja Wilson and Kelsey Plum. Justin Birnbaum, a Forbes staff writer, joined Forbes Talks and said, “USA Basketball is staying in a hotel in the city center of Paris. They contracted for the entire hotel. I’m told it has about 800 rooms.” The lodging isn’t solely for LeBron James, A’ja Wilson & Co. It’s also for the support staff, NBA personnel, executives, family members, and more.

If there’s any occupancy remaining, USA Basketball helps its fellow sports. “It’s unclear if they’re going to use all 800, but they have the option to kind of give some back or another sport with a similar lifestyle like golf, for example,” added Birnbaum. During the Tokyo Games, American golfers stayed at the basketball team’s hotel. Coming back to this edition, Team USA’s group stage games are in Lille, about 2 hours away. But that’s been taken care of, too!

The management has secured a five-star hotel near the Stade Pierre-Mauroy, and the teams will spend the night before their game there. When asked about the costs involved, Birnbaum revealed that management had shelled out some daunting figures to keep their athletes comfortable. “We estimate that the total cost there is about $15 million. It includes all these different things, like travel, chartering, lodging, transport. When you’re not inside the Olympic Village, you have to arrange your own logistics, whether it’s getting the practices and games, there’s a lot of associated costs.”

While USA Basketball’s processes have become more private and discrete over time, they faced quite a challenge in 2008 when they were in Beijing. Fans found out where they were residing and would line up outside the hotel to catch a glimpse of Kobe daily, who later described it as “a bit embarrassing.” A former Director at the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) told Forbes that Olympic cities chart out their plans six years in advance, even when the previous edition is going on!

While the booking processes and other assignments have played out over the years, USA Basketball has also been invited to discuss the ‘distraction-free environment,’ too. While the Olympic Village roughly amounts to 10% of every basketball team’s bill to stay in Paris, the USA board, which’s generated over $38 million in the last 4 fiscal years, can afford a tinge of luxury. That brings to mind the next question.

Who bears the costs for LeBron James, A’ja Wilson & Co.’s exclusive facilities?

Accommodation of superstar athletes comes with a lot of issues. Firstly, they require a world-class practice facility and tight security to have a successful campaign. Speaking of this, Justin Birnbaum said, “The USOPC helps out in different ways. For one, they have the high-performance training center where Olympic teams train while they’re in Paris, and USA Basketball obviously gets access to that as well.” 

He continued, “There are other areas where they contribute or lend resources, and also, the State Department lends some security help. As does the NBA. So the combination of all these things extrapolated together is how we arrive at our estimate $15 million.” Along with charter flights, local security is required, too.

Whether it’s Team USA’s docked cruised ship accommodations from 2004 and 2016 or putting up stars and their families in 700 luxury rooms, it’s certainly a heavy price for just a multi-week tournament. Well, won’t it all be worth it if Team USA brings home Gold in basketball? However, this isn’t just the case for Team USA basketball but also other superstar athletes.

Notably, 24-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic has opted to stay in his own accommodation with family, snubbing the Olympics village. While there isn’t a clear reason, reports suggest that Djokovic opted out due to privacy concerns. Roger Federer and Serena Williams did the same in 2008. What’s your take on Team USA and its hoopers living separately? Let us know in the comments below.

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