This past summer was one for the ages. The 2024 Paris Olympics were at the center of the sports world, and Team USA’s men’s basketball team stole the show.
The best collection of players from the United States came together to capture their fifth consecutive gold medal and prove their dominance to the rest of the world. Team USA was a collection of superstar talents that blended together and became one.
The team consisted of 12 players, so spots were limited. Some players didn’t make it for one reason or another, and we learned that NBA champion and prominent role player Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon received the short end of the stick.
During a press conference for Nuggets media day, Gordon shared how he was expecting a call from Team USA and, when he didn’t get it, he was rooting for Serbia in the 2024 Olympics and his MVP teammate Nikola Jokic after feeling snubbed by Team USA.
Photo by Isaiah Vazquez/Clarkson Creative/Getty Images
“I was asked about playing for Team USA, and then the call never came around,” Gordon said.
“So there was a little bit of salt there in the first place, you know? And then just to see Jokic take them to the wire like that. It’s like, ‘This is dope!’ This dude on my team is gonna just wash these cats.” Gordon said. “But all that being said, ‘Merica!”
Gordon also tweeted that after the Nuggets beat the Warriors, Team USA and Warriors head coach Steve Kerr asked if he wanted to play on Team USA.
After we beat the warriors in the bay Steve Kerr asked if I wanted to play on the USA team… idk bro. It’s a bit rhetorical but hey we got gold
— Aaron Gordon (@Double0AG) September 26, 2024
In the game he is referring to, Gordon had a great game, dropping 30 points on Golden State.
The 29-year-old continued by adding that he has his sights set on the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
“If you think I’m not working every damn day to play in 2028 and represent…I got goals! Don’t care if you wanna see me fail.”
It’s unclear how Team USA will be shaped by then, but Gordon will be 32 years old by the time the 2028 games roll around. Nonetheless, whether he makes it or not, the former No. 4 overall pick from Arizona has panned out a solid career for himself.
He’s a vital piece for a championship-level team. In his career, Gordon has averaged 13.4 points per game, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.7 assists while shooting 48.1 percent from three and 32.3 percent from three. Gordon may not be the five-star recruit he once was, but he is a player every championship team needs on their roster.
Gordon will shoot for the stars and look to represent his country in 2028.
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