Lebron James
(Photo : Reuters)

Los Angeles Lakers star Lebron James is considering a return to the Olympics. James is a two-time gold medalist and a three-time Olympian. The USA Basketball has announced on Monday a list of 44 players who will be playing in the Tokyo Games this summer and Lebron James is one of them. James played for the USA Basketball team in 2004, 2008, and 2012 and helped the team win gold during his last two appearances.

The pool includes players who have won a total of 31 gold medals in either the Olympic or World Cup representing the USA. The pool also includes players who played four years ago in Rio de Janeiro and captured the Olympic gold.

Jerry Colangelo, USA Basketball managing director, told reporters, "I've always maintained that equity is important. And you earn equity by participating. So we think they've earned the right to be named to the overall roster for USA Basketball. It's pretty elite. It's a tremendous pot and the good news is they've all said they want to play."

Lebron James has played 68 games as part of the USA Basketball team and he has said several times that he is considering playing again in the Olympics. As you may recall, James did not play in the Olympic games in Rio de Janeiro four years ago for a variety of reasons. One of the reasons why Lebron James wants to play in the Summer Olympics in Tokyo is the chance to play under one of the the most respected coaches in the NBA, Gregg Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs. 

James didn't necessarily confirm playing for the team during an interview in December last year when he said: "It's a possibility." Meanwhile, there will be no try-outs. The 44 players will be cut down to 12 players by early June and they will be selected by a committee and will be based on player availability and health. The training camp will start in July just two weeks after the end of the NBA season.

Colangelo and Coach Popovich together with USA Basketball officials have met with players in a variety of ways. There were some players they met personally and talked about the matter, some with their agents, some with their organization, and sometimes a combination of all. They also said that were some players who personally contacted them and showed interest in playing with the team.

Colangelo said: "I feel very good about the response." Moreover 15 out of 16 players will be playing in the NBA All-Star Game on Sunday. Twelve of those players represented the team in the Basketball World Cup in China where the team finished 7th place after three dozen players who were originally on the list decided to drop out along the way.

The following are nine players who participated in the 2016 Summer Olympics:

  • Harrison Barnes, Sacramento Kings
  • Jimmy Butler, Miami Heat
  • DeMar DeRozan, San Antonio Spurs
  • Kevin Durant, Brooklyn Nets
  • Paul George, Los Angeles Clippers
  • Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors
  • Kyrie Irving, Brooklyn Nets
  • Kyle Lowry, Toronto Raptors
  • Klay Thompson, Golden State Warriors 

The following are players from the 2012 Olympic Gold Medalist team:

  • Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers
  • Kevin Durant, Brooklyn Nets
  • James Harden, Houston Rockets
  • Lebron James, Los Angeles Lakers
  • Kevin Love, Cleveland Cavaliers
  • Chris Paul, Oklahoma City Thunders
  • Russell Westbrook, Houston Rockets

Also part of the list is Dwight Howard from the Los Angeles Lakers who earned a gold medal in 2008. Other players are included in the lists who played in the World Cup, but not on any Olympic gold medalist team to this point:

  • Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
  • Andre Drummond, Cleveland Cavaliers
  • Mason Plumlee, Denver Nuggets

Colangelo said: "The reason we have this big roster is a lot of things happen, a lot of variables. And what's to say what's going to happen from an injury standpoint between now and June? We don't know. So we have the rest of the season to monitor, to watch. But when we select our 12, they will be 12 who are in with all fours."