The U.S. Olympic men’s basketball team won its fifth consecutive gold medal in Paris. For all the discussion about how the rest of the world has closed the gap on the birthplace of the sport, the Americans have lost once in an Olympics since 2004 — to France in Tokyo, a defeat they avenged.
The semifinals and championship game of these Olympics were no cakewalk. Come 2028, Serbia’s Nikola Jokić will still be at the tail end of his prime, assuming he does not retire to pursue horse racing full time, and Victor Wembanyama will be a 24-year-old on the precipice of Lord Knows What for the Frenchmen.
Gone (presumably) from Team USA’s roster will be LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant, among other aging veterans, making room for the rolling waves of talent that have followed them into the NBA. Whether anyone reaches the heights of any of them is in serious question. What fun it was to see three of the greatest players in NBA history create for each other on a meaningful stage once more.
At the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, there will be a new generation of veterans, a new generation of alphas to challenge them and a new generation of fresh blood behind them. USA Basketball’s transition to its next era will open the door to other countries on the international stage, but this is the 12-man roster to deliver a sixth straight gold medal four years from now (like, in my current opinion, man) …
BALL-HANDLERS
Haliburton began his USA Basketball journey on the 2019 FIBA U19 World Cup roster, eventually working his way up to the Select Team in 2021 and the national team in 2023. After winning his first Olympic gold medal this past weekend, the Pacers phenom perfectly summed up his experience in Paris on X:
While Haliburton rarely played for this edition of Team USA, he will be in the prime of his career — and presumably the best-passing guard alive — in 2028. He already led the league in assists per game (10.9) this past season, when he carried the Indiana Pacers to the Eastern Conference finals ahead of schedule.
Brunson was left off this year’s Olympic team after participating in Team USA’s fourth-place finish at the 2023 FIBA World Cup. Curry handled most minutes at point guard. Celtics’ Jrue Holiday and Derrick White also shared defensive responsibilities at the position. The squeeze of a 12-man roster left little room.
But Brunson was the only point guard besides Luka Dončić to receive MVP votes last season, finishing fifth — between Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jayson Tatum. He is Team USA’s heir apparent at the position, restoring glory to the Madison Square Garden marquee. There is concern about a 6-foot-2 high-usage player’s ability to stay so productive into his early 30s, but as is, he gets the nod over Sacramento’s De’Aaron Fox, Memphis’ Ja Morant, Philadelphia’s Tyrese Maxey and Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell.
Upon winning a gold medal, Team USA head coach Steve Kerr reminded us in Paris, “Devin Booker is an incredible basketball player. Nobody asked about him. He was our unsung MVP. I just wanted to say that.”
Booker has been a member of the last two Olympic gold medal-winning teams, and his contributions to this latest run — starting at shooting guard, picking up full-court defensively and shooting 56.5% from 3 — will not be forgotten in 2028. He willingly accepted a role, and not all players of his caliber are willing to do that. His game is easily adaptable among superstars, and he will have four more years of seasoning.
This will be the most controversial selection in this mix. Will Suggs be one of the 12 best American players alive in 2028? No. On talent alone, any of Fox, Morant, Mitchell and Maxey would be more attractive choices.
On fit, though? Suggs may be the best option. Holiday will be 38 years old in 2028. White and Alex Caruso will be both be 34. This year’s All-Defensive team produced one other guard: Suggs. The presence of Haliburton, Brunson and Booker demands a ball stopper against the world’s best, and Suggs is that.
Other candidates: Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons; De’Aaron Fox, Sacramento Kings; Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia 76ers; Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers; Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies.
WINGS
Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
Tatum’s playing time became a controversial subject this summer, at least among pundits and his parents. But he might be the best American player alive in 2028. He might be the best American alive right now. He is currently the best player on the reigning NBA champions. Three players have made All-NBA first team the last three seasons: Dončić, Antetokounmpo and Tatum. Kerr could have found him more playing time.
But let us not be silly. Tatum should be at the peak of his powers. He was playing behind James and Durant, two of the 15 greatest players in history, who had seniority on him. They will leave a massive void at the game’s most important position. We may never again see anyone who controls a game like James or scores so purely as Durant, but Tatum could be Team USA’s best option at both four years from now.
Tatum’s greatest rival for Best American Alive in 2028 could be Edwards, who is already threatening to seize those reins at age 23. He has been billed as the second coming of Michael Jordan, and Edwards will be about the same age as Jordan was on the Dream Team when he dons the red, white and blue in LA.
Edwards has everything you want in a basketball player — the skill, the athleticism, the power. He just needs to harness it. And he is so close to doing it. A year. Maybe two. These Olympics will not be his best and still he averaged a team-high 28.4 points per 36 minutes on 70% true shooting. Four years from now, Edwards, if he harnesses it, may not just be the Best American Alive; he could be the Best Player Alive.
Like his Boston bandmate, Brown’s experience with Team USA this summer was not befitting a champion. The Finals MVP called out USA Basketball and Nike for the team’s selection process, just as they replaced Kawhi Leonard with White. It was an awkward bit of business that Brown said he will answer to one day.
But again let us not be silly. Brown will be in the prime of his career, one in the handful of best American wings in the business, when those of that ilk are called to LA. To pass him him over once more would be the slap in the face he thought it was this year. There will not be many players in the years to come who will stare down Dončić and emerge the victor, but we have seen Brown do it. That is worth something.
I reserve the right to cede this roster spot to Durant if he wants to play in 2028. Teams need an old head.
If that is not the case, Banchero should be the best of a bunch of talented forwards four years from now. The 6-foot-10, 250-pound forward muscled his way to an All-Star Game debut at age 21. It is too much to expect anyone ever to reach James’ peak or longevity, but with improved playmaking and shooting in the next four years, Banchero can become a close facsimile of the brutish legend, at least in terms of skill set.
Cooper Flagg, Duke University
Every Olympic team needs young blood, too. Shaquille O’Neal was the Dream Team’s injection of youth. Flagg could be the 2028 edition. He is 6-9, capable of everything, and his defensive prowess is ahead of an offensive repertoire that has him hyped as a generational prospect. He will be the No. 1 overall pick in 2025, when someone will surely project his superstardom as America’s answer to Victor Wembanyama.
And he is on his way. Flagg was the first collegian to play for USA Basketball’s Select Team since 2013, impressing the national team in their preparation for Paris. “He looked like a hell of a player,” said Durant. “Somebody that’s going to only get better with more experience. 17 years old, coming in here, playing like he’s a vet almost. No emotion. Just going out there and doing his job. That’s a good sign.”
Honorable mention: Scottie Barnes, Toronto Raptors; Mikal Bridges, New York Knicks; Herb Jones, New Orleans Pelicans; Jaden McDaniels, Minnesota Timberwolves; Brandon Miller, Charlotte Hornets; Jalen Williams, Oklahoma City Thunder; Zion Williamson, New Orleans Pelicans.
BIGS
Once the fresh-faced 19-year-old on the 2012 U.S. Olympic team, Davis will be 35 in 2028. His health is the obvious question. Quietly, though, Davis has played 127 of his last 136 games in the NBA and looked as dominant as ever in this year’s Olympics, making the rim his own on both ends of the floor. Assuming Embiid will be less dependably healthy in his mid-30s, Davis should still be America’s best answer for bulk at the center position, where Nikola Jokić will be eyeing his and Serbia’s best chance at Olympic gold.
Besides, the 2028 Olympics will be held in Los Angeles, and this team needs a Laker. James could be it, even at 43 years old, presumably performing at an All-NBA level in perpetuity. More likely he will be watching from the sidelines with some wine in his hand. If Davis is still donning purple and gold, he may well be the NBA’s biggest attraction in LA — and our best hope for a center — four years from now.
For all the accolades France’s Rudy Gobert has accumulated over the course of his career, Adebayo may be the best defensive player of his generation. He is more skilled and versatile. And for all the size the 6-9 Adebayo may cede to Wembanyama and others, he makes up for with strength and smarts. Heat Culture, if you will, and Miami’s Erik Spoelstra may well be Team USA’s head coach the next time around.
Offensively, Adebayo rarely shoots, though that could change. No matter. Playing among more dynamic scorers, he carved out a role as a hub on both sides of the ball, strengthening the fiber of five-man units, even as a second big. Why stop him from a third straight gold medal when he will still be in his prime?
The availability of Embiid will determine whether a center spot opens up in 2028. It was a process to recruit and suit up a 7-foot, 280-pound 30-year-old this time around. It is a process for Philadelphia every year trying to get Embiid ready for May, much less August. Winning the gold medal this year might have checked off a box Embiid prefers to leave fulfilled four years from now. Why push it at age 34?
And Holmgren is America’s best young big. He nearly swiped Rookie of the Year from Wembanyama this past season, and the two are embroiled in a budding rivalry. Both are in need of strengthening, and it will be fascinating to see how far each comes by 2028. Wembanyama could be a paradigm-shifting force by then, capable of making France a favorite, and Holmgren might be our best counter to his slender rival.
Other candidates: Donovan Clingan, Portland Trail Blazers; Jaren Jackson Jr., Memphis Grizzlies; Walker Kessler, Utah Jazz; Dereck Lively II, Dallas Mavericks; Evan Mobley, Cleveland Cavaliers.
