Go for glory or go home. The Olympics are around the corner and former Gold medalist Kevin Garnett, known for his candid commentary, had one suggestion for Team USA’s approach. The excitement surrounding Team USA’s 2024 Olympic campaign is undeniable as basketball giants LeBron James and Stephen Curry join forces with other NBA superstars. As this unprecedented collaboration is set to ignite fans’ imaginations, KG has pointed to a critical missing element in the team’s preparation.

The 15x All-Star shared NBA History’s video on X, in which he goes 1-on-1 against the whole USA men’s team back in 2000. The video is captioned, “USA Basketball need to get some ones in… right,” with a 100 emoji. In the video, we can see Steve Smith (4), Vince Carter (9), Shareef Abdur-Rahim (15), and Jason Kidd (5) all go against him and suffer humiliation, describing how dominant the Big Ticket was back in his prime.

Isaiah Thomas, a 2x NBA All-Star, shared the same video published by NBA history. However, he used the video to criticize the current basketball culture, captioning it, “Man we need this in today’s hoop culture!!!” He also praised Garnett’s ability in 1-on-1s, stating, “I really believe the camera makes guys not want to go as hard so they don’t get embarrassed.”

In recent years, Team USA has faced significant challenges on the international stage. The 2023 FIBA World Cup was particularly disappointing, with a shocking loss to Lithuania marking the beginning of their struggles. As a result, the team left without a medal at the World Championships for the 2nd consecutive time. However, they did win the Olympic Gold in 2021 in Tokyo, thanks largely to Kevin Durant. Even that win didn’t come without its struggles.

So Garnett’s tweet might suggest that having more players who can beat their opponents in 1-on-1 situations will help the team. Nonetheless, this USA roster is filled with superstars with multiple individual accolades to their names. Moreover, as fans are eagerly anticipating the collaboration of LeBron James and Steph Curry for the 2024 Olympics, the long wait for Garnett will be over.

In an old Ticket and The Truth podcast, Kevin Garnett shared his wish to see them play together during James’ probable free agency days. “I got KD on one line, I got CP on one line. I got Steph on one line and we catching up. This is the first time I think that all the old superstars can actually be on one team and go out with a hurrah,” he said.

Looking ahead, Garnett’s words echo a sentiment shared by many: while the star-studded lineup promises excitement, tactical precision will be key to restoring Team USA’s former glory on the Olympic stage.

Can Lebron and Curry Repeat Kevin Garnett’s Olympic Glory?

Reflecting on the 2000 Summer Olympics, Garnett was the key man for the USA. With his stellar performances, he averaged 10.8 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game, and was crucial to the United States’ gold medal win, setting a high standard for the upcoming squad.

With heightened anticipation, the 2024 USA Men’s National Team, also known as the new “Dream Team”, has its eyes set on nothing but the Olympic gold. Grant Hill, USA Basketball’s managing director, affirmed their ambitious objective: “The goal is to win the gold.” Under the leadership of head coach Steve Kerr, the team prepares rigorously for their campaign. While the fans have doubts whether we’ll ever see James, Durant, and Curry on the same team in the NBA (All-Star Game aside), they will finally play together for the first time this summer.

As they embark on this journey, with training camps starting from the 1st week of July in Las Vegas and international friendlies scheduled for July 15 and 17 in Abu Dhabi, questions loom whether this assembly of stars will see another opportunity to unite for Olympic glory.

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, has to say about the infamous Shaq-Kobe feud, Caitlin Clark’s Olympic snub, and more, watch this video.