There was the Dream Team (Jordan, Magic, Bird at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics) and the Redeem Team (Kobe, LeBron, D-Wade in Beijing 2008 and London 2012 with Kevin Durant).
That core helped USA dominate the world again, but not at the FIBA World Cups in 2019 and 2023. USA sent a team to Manila that, by their lofty standards, was a C-Team or even a D-Team. They finished fourth after losing to Lithuania, Germany and Canada in the bronze medal game.
After the loss, LeBron, Steph Curry and others announced they would join Anthony Edwards and Tyrese Haliburton to restore USA’s place in world basketball. The Supreme Team was born.
“They earned the right to play,” said former NBA star Grant HIll, Managing Director of USA men’s basketball, referring to their longterm commitment to summer camps and FIBA tournaments.
The Supreme Team, like other USA teams, can beat you with superior depth and talent. It’s an all-star team, three lines deep. Their second unit is better than anybody’s first unit. They can ride whoever gets hot: Curry, Ant, Tyrese, Devin Booker, Jason Tatum or Durant (who missed the Canada game with a calf injury). No team can match that stockpile of firepower.
Their bigs totally dominated Canada on the glass in a tune-up game in Las Vegas. USA won 86-72 to avenge their loss in the FIBA World Cup bronze medal game in Manila last summer.
“We got out-rebounded in the World Cup last summer,” said Hill. “Point-of-attack defence was a top priority. Jrue Holiday was a top priority. As for Anthony Davis, his defence is really the anchor.”
Holiday will soon be joined by his Celtics’ all-NBA defender Derrick White, who replaces Kawhi Leonard (recovering from injury).
Even without White, the Supreme Team bullied Canada around the glass and the rim. Canada jumped out 11 to 1 as USA missed their first 6 shots. But USA gained a 22 to 9 rebound advantage to give them a 30-26 lead in the second quarter. USA had 6 blocks to zero for Canada at half time, which USA led 41-33. Canada was 3 of 15 and USA was 2 of 12 from beyond the arc. USA had 11 turnovers to 6 for Canada at the half.
It often resembled a summer league pick-up game. USA committed 17 turnovers, but had 11 steals and 9 blocks. In one possession, Jrue Holliday locked down Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jamal Murray (who only had 2 in the first half). Joel Embiid, meanwhile, slammed into Dillon Brooks, (who also got an early elbow from his nemesis James). Embiid later elbowed Dwight Powell in the face and fouled out early in the 3rd quarter.
Anthony Davis was outstanding, with 10 points, 11 boards and 4 blocks. “Bam (Adebayo), AD playing together dominate the paint,” said coach Steve Kerr. “Our guards are playing together.”
James spoke in a huddle after the game. “We can get better,” he said on TV, standing with his longtime rival Steph Curry. “We’re just two guys who love to play the game of basketball. He was able to connect with me on the lob. We play the game we love in the right way.”
“We can control our effort and our physicality,” added Curry, who had 12 points. “We’ll be fine against anybody. We just want to win gold.”
They’ll be clear favorites in Lille and Paris. But this Supreme Team is not without potential conflict. Embiid is a loose cannon who can sink a team with a bad game. French fans might turn on him for choosing USA over France or Cameroon. NBA Finals MVP Jaylen Brown, who played with USA at the 2019 World Cup, was not selected, and he blamed Nike for that. Hill didn’t clarify why he left out Brown, which would have given USA a chance to play Boston’s top 4 defenders together to shut down any team in the world.
This Supreme Team is also older than its challengers at the Paris Olympics, and vulnerable to injuries or fatigue after long NBA seasons. They might lose to Serbia with Nikola Jokic, Greece with Giannis Antetokounmpo, France with Victor Wembanyama, World Cup champions Germany or a Team Canada with SGA, Murray and RJ Barrett. But the Supreme Team might also turn out to be the greatest team ever assembled.
words and images copyright Christopher Johnson Globalite Media all rights reserved
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