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Kobe Bryant wants to play in the 2016 Olympics. Should he?
The idea of Kobe Bryant, who could retire this spring, joining the Team USA Men’s Basketball team this summer in the Rio Olympics is a charming one.
Bryant, who acted as a go-to force in 2008 and a leadership-type in 2012 on his way to gold, seemingly wouldn’t be there to lead the team in scoring, but to be a part of a team concept one more time and take in the farewell tour that he so richly deserves.
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Just look at his quote from Monday, in Miami, when asked about it. From the Associated Press:
''It would mean the world to me to be around those guys,'' Bryant said in an interview with The Associated Press. ''I think to be able to have a chance to continue the relationship that I already have with most of those guys, talking and just kind of being around each other and understanding that this is it, it's just us being together, that would be fun.''
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''I would like to play,'' Bryant said. ''I think it'd be awesome. A beautiful experience. I'm a global kid. I grew up in Italy, I know a lot of athletes from different parts of the world, from different sports. It'd be great to play in that environment.''
Again, what’s the takeaway here? Bryant isn’t looking to dominate the ball (we think). He just wants to be part of a cheery and competitive locker room again. Not just for the gold medal win – that’s more or less assured in spite of ever-improving international play – but to be part of a team bus that he actually doesn’t dread boarding. Something that doesn’t resemble what he’s working in now, with the lottery-styled Los Angeles Lakers, and something that frankly hasn’t been in place since the defending champion Lakers imploded back in 2011.
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He still sees the stars as his equals and the young participants in this version of Team USA as his contemporaries. That’s likely inaccurate, but when you toss that culture around with the oft-criticized but lifer leadership of coach Mike Krzyzewski and president Jerry Colangelo, this is clearly a culture that Bryant is comfortable in.
Legacy picks have happened before. Larry Bird famously made the 1992 team ahead of several other younger players, and there’s no doubt that Bryant’s presence would enrich the experience of his younger teammates.
What you do have to wonder about is the one younger would-be teammate that would be watching from home, as Bryant plays on. It’s not fun to think about, but Kobe Bryant is currently shooting 32 percent for a 1-5 team, and he might be the worst defensive player in the NBA. At least the worst veteran.
Would it be kosher to deny one player’s best shot at making the team – for whatever reason – for a legacy placement? The more you think about it, the tougher it is. Dominique Wilkins, clearly better than Larry Bird in 1991-92, doesn’t have a gold medal. There may have been better choices in 1996 than a 33-year old Charles Barkley and a limping Scottie Pippen. Anything can happen to any last-minute cut, in favor of Bryant, between now and the 2020 Olympics.
Kobe’s also the guy that declined joining the team in 2000 (when the squad won but struggled, relative to its previous glory) and in 2004 (prior to his legal complications), when it came in third place. It’s not like he has the longest history of embracing the Team USA logo.
He is offering to be part of it this time around, after understandably saying that he’d pass on playing in Rio after winning gold in his two previous stints. So how do we make this work, without leaving As Yet Unnamed Younger Star back home?
There’s no reason why Kobe can’t become part of Coach K’s staff, and have nearly the same experience while hanging around the 20-something stars and having one last go in a locker room that has earned his presence. There are already two NBA head coaches that are younger than Kobe will be when the Olympics set up, and another in Derek Fisher that was Kobe’s rookie teammate.
Seeing him in a tucked-in polo shirt might be kind of jarring, but it might be the best compromise, considering the team doesn’t have a finite amount of spots, and Bryant has already dismissed his contributions as a player this season.
We do know one thing: No player – be they Kobe in his prime, Kobe missing two-thirds of his shots, or any random American NBA player – should be shamed out of at least wanting to play basketball for Team USA.
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is an editor for Ball Don't Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at KDonhoops@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @KDonhoops
