Team USA men’s basketball team has one of the most stacked rosters in international play history. That is why they are heavy favorites to take home gold in the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris. USA was not happy with their 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup finish of fourth, and many superstar players vowed to take part in the Olympics after that finish.
USA men’s basketball has been going through a three-day Olympic training camp with the USA Basketball Select Team from July 6-8. The select team consists of some current players in the NBA as well as one player who is an incoming freshman at Duke (more on him later).
The Athletic conducted a straw poll asking Team Select members and coaches about who the best player on Team USA and Team Select were during the training camp. The two winners are more than two decades apart in age.
Straw Poll Reveals Best Player(s) in USA Basketball Training Camp
Lebron James Voted Best For Team USA
LeBron James will turn 40 years old on December 30. The 2024-25 NBA season will be his 22nd in the league. Safe to say, James has put a lot of basketball miles on his body. Even on a team with 12 potential future Hall of Famers, the 39-year-old James was named the best player on Team USA. Out of the 15 votes cast, James received five of them.
The majority of Team USA received at least one vote. While there are 12 members of the team, Kevin Durant didn’t take part in the training camp with a strained calf. Jayson Tatum arrived late as he was signing his new max extension with the Boston Celtics.
So of the 10 players that took part, eight of them were voted the best at least once. Getting two votes were Stephen Curry, Anthony Edwards, and Jrue Holiday. Those who received one vote were Bam Adebayo, Anthony Davis, Joel Embiid, and Kawhi Leonard. The only two players who did not receive a vote were Devin Booker and Tyrese Haliburton.
Cooper Flagg Named Best Player From Team Select
Cooper Flagg is one of the most-hyped college freshmen in recent memory. He won numerous national high school player of the year honors as a senior at Montverde Academy in Florida. Flagg will be playing for the Duke Blue Devils next season and will likely be a one-and-done. He is expected by many to be the first overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. Oh yeah, the six-foot-nine Flagg won’t turn 18 years old until December 21.
Flagg is the youngest member of the select team. He also was voted the best in training camp from the select team. The 17-year-old won the poll handily receiving nine of the 12 votes placed. Brandon Miller of the Charlotte Hornets received two votes, and Brandin Podziemski of the Golden State Warriors received one. Also featured on the select team were Jalen Duren (Detroit Pistons), Langston Galloway (free agent), Nigel Hayes-Davis (Turkey), Trayce Jackson-Davis (Warriors), Jaime Jaquez Jr. (Miami Heat), Trey Murphy III (New Orleans Pelicans), Micah Potter (Utah Jazz), Payton Pritchard (Celtics), Jabari Smith Jr. (Houston Rockets), Jalen Suggs (Orlando Magic), and Amen Thompson (Houston Rockets).
