LeBron James likely done playing for Team USA: 'Father Time takes its toll'
LeBron James’ days of playing for Team USA are almost certainly behind him.
While that news shouldn’t be shocking — James is 36 years old and just wrapped up his 18th season in the NBA — USA Basketball managing director Jerry Colangelo said on ESPN on Wednesday that he doesn’t see the Los Angeles Lakers star playing in the Olympics anymore.
"You know, Father Time takes its toll," Colangelo said on ESPN.
"If you're a human being, your body is built to go so long depending on what your sport is, and then it's a downhill situation.”
LeBron James led Team USA to 2 gold medals
Though James’ absence from the team that will compete next month in the Tokyo Olympics may be disappointing to some, he has already led Team USA to a pair of Olympic gold medals in his career.
James first competed in the Games in 2004 in Athens, when Team USA won a bronze medal behind Italy and Argentina. He averaged 5.4 points and 1.6 assists per game on the team that was headlined by Allen Iverson, Tim Duncan and more.
He returned four years later to the Beijing Olympics and averaged 15.5 points while leading the Americans to a perfect 8-0 gold medal run alongside Dwyane Wade and Kobe Bryant. He did the same thing at the 2012 Olympics in London, marking their second-straight Gold medal.
James sat out of the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and again opted not to try and compete in Tokyo this year during the rescheduled Games — where Team USA will try to win its fourth straight gold.
By the time the next Olympics come around — France will host the Games in 2024 — James will be 39.
“LeBron made choices these last couple of Olympics not to participate because he's got a lot of things going on in his life,” Colangelo said on ESPN. “So he put in his time, he made a contribution that is appreciated, but I think his time is over."
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