Rumors: Mavericks star Kyrie Irving has "serious interest" to play in 2024 Olympics

Noah Weber

Charlotte Hornets v Dallas Mavericks / Sam Hodde/GettyImages

The 2024 Olympics in Paris are less than a year away, and the United States Men's Basketball Team will be looking to win their fifth straight Olympic gold medal.

USA Basketball is known for dominance, and after a disappointing fourth-place finish at the 2023 FIBA World Cup, they have to find a way to bounce back.

A better roster would be a great start to having a better chance to dominate their competition (even though the USA easily had the best roster), and it looks like they'll be getting one.

Rumors: Mavericks star Kyrie Irving has "serious interest" to play in 2024 Olympics

Shams Charania and Joe Vardon of The Athletic reported that (subscription required) LeBron James is "ready to commit (to the 2024 Olympics in Paris) for next summer." Some of the players that James has reportedly talked with about playing are Draymond Green, Jayson Tatum, Anthony Davis, Kevin Durant, and Stephen Curry, and they all are "prepared to commit as well."

Additionally, Dallas Mavericks star point guard Kyrie Irving has "serious interest in committing." James and Irving are obviously still good friends, and if they don't get to play together again in the NBA, the Olympics would be the perfect chance for the once-dominant duo to unite again.

This may come as a shock to some, as Irving said that he didn't want to play for USA back in 2016, and wanted to play for Australia. Irving was born in Australia but ended up playing for USA and won the gold medal at the 2016 Olympics.

Last season in 20 games for the Mavs, Irving averaged 27.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 6.0 assists per game. He and Luka Doncic were dominant on offense for Dallas, but their defense was atrocious, causing them to miss the playoffs for the first time since Doncic's rookie year.

A perfect season for Irving would be a deep playoff run with the Mavs and then a Gold Medal for Team USA in the Olympics if he decides to play. His eyes are set on winning a championship, and hopefully, Dallas has a good enough team around him and Doncic to make them serious contenders.

We'll have you covered with all the latest news and rumors surrounding Kyrie Irving and the Dallas Mavericks this summer, so stay tuned.

Noah Weber

Noah Weber is the Site Expert for The Smoking Cuban, covering the Dallas Mavericks as a credentialed media member since the 2022-23 season. With a Bachelor of Science in Sports Media from Oklahoma State University, Noah has worked in sports journalism since 2019. While he's covered the Dallas Cowboys and Oklahoma State Cowboys, he has now established himself as a go-to voice for Mavericks coverage. Noah's expertise includes in-depth game analysis, social media content creation, and offering unique perspectives through his reporting. His work has been featured on major platforms such as ESPN, Bleacher Report, and Overtime. During his time at Oklahoma State, Noah won first place in the Oklahoma Broadcast Education Association Awards for a show he co-produced. Outside of covering the Mavs, Noah enjoys working out, playing basketball and Spikeball, and spending quality time with friends and family.