The rise of young superstars makes it unnecessary for the next Olympics

On June 16, the pace of the 2025 Paris Olympics is approaching, and the construction of the American men's basketball team has become the focus of attention of basketball fans around the world. Unlike in the past, in this discussion, the names of the three legendary stars, LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry, were rarely absent - not because they were not great enough, but because the new generation of young superstars have made the renewal of the American men's basketball team a natural choice with convincing performance.

**The curtain call and inheritance of the golden generation**

In the past fifteen years, the "Big Three" composed of James, Durant and Curry can be regarded as the most terrifying offensive combination in the international basketball world. They joined forces to win three Olympic gold medals for the US team (2012, 2016, 2020), among which Durant even recorded in history as the Olympic historical scoring champion (435 points). However, time is the fairest referee. When 39-year-old James still plays a key role in the Lakers, 36-year-old Durant chases the championship with the Suns, and 37-year-old Curry leads the Warriors to the fifth championship, US men's basketball general manager Grant Hill has already set his sights on younger blood. "We need to build sustainable competitiveness," Hill admitted in an interview with ESPN in 2024, "These young people prove that they can carry the banner. "

**The collective outbreak of the new generation**

The 2023 Men's Basketball World Cup defeat (losed to Germany in the semi-finals) has become a catalyst for the transformation of American basketball. The lineup led by Anthony Edwards and Jason Tatum at that time showed a surprising potential. Especially Edwards, 22, scored 36 points against the German team, and his breakthrough dunk was rated as the best shot of the event by the FIBA. "He is the face of the future team America," NBA legend Reggie Miller commented. The 25-year-old Tatum has long proved his big heart to the Celtics, and the honor of the 2024 Finals MVP makes him the best choice for the new generation of leaders.

What is even more exciting is the "dimensionality reduction strike" phenomenon in the international arena: 24-year-old Luca Doncic scored 45 points in a single game in the Olympic undraft, and 21-year-old Victor Vinbanyama contributed a terrifying data average of 23+10 per game to the French team. Although these international stars will not represent the United States, their existence forces young American players to accelerate their growth. According to the 2024-25 NBA data, players under the age of 25 won three of the top five in the scoring list (Edwards, Zion Williamson, Ja Morant), and this collective explosion provided an unprecedented depth for the American men's basketball team.

**The inevitable choice for technological evolution**

The requirements for athletic ability of modern basketball have reached unprecedented heights. Taking the 2024 Finals as an example, in the seven battles between the Celtics and the Mavericks, both sides completed a total of 287 dunks, setting a record in the NBA. By comparison, James' dunk count dropped to a career low of 42 times this season, and Curry was limited by his age and had reduced running distance without the ball. In contrast, the new generation: Morant's vertical bounce reaches 46 inches (about 117 cm), Edwards' 100-meter speed is comparable to that of special forces, and Vampan Yama's 8-foot wingspan can cover the entire penalty area - these talents are redefining the standards of international competitions.

The assistant coach of the US men's basketball team Steve Cole has a deep understanding of this: "In the current Olympic stadium, you need five players who can switch unlimited defenses. Think about it, let the 38-year-old KD chase the Canadian team Shea Gilgers-Alexander (25 years old)? This is too cruel. "The data confirms his point of view: At the 2023 World Cup, when the US team faced its opponent's pick-and-roll, its defensive efficiency was only 9th, while the Spanish team, which is mainly young players, ranks first.

**Basketball Consumption Report**

Nike released the "Basketball Consumption Report" in 2025 shows that Gen Z fans are more willing to pay for stars under the age of 25. Edwards' signature shoes sold more than 800,000 pairs in the first month, setting a record in the post-Jordan era; Morant's number of views on TikTok topics was three times that of Curry; even Paul Bancello, who was just selected as an All-Star, sold his jerseys surpassed the No. 1 predecessors in the same team. This business logic directly affects the formation of the national team - the Olympic men's basketball team's single-game advertising fee has soared to US$45 million, and the broadcaster clearly demands "more fresh faces".

However, the legends are not completely absent. According to The Athletic, James may go to Paris with the team as a "player mentor", while Durant expressed his interest in being a shooting coach. "They are like the Magicians and Bird in 1992," basketball commentator Stephen A. Smith analyzed, "Passing the torch to young people is a great inheritance in itself. "

**The Ultimate Test of Paris**

Among the 35-man primary list of the U.S. men's basketball team announced in December 2024, players born after 2000 accounted for more than 60% for the first time. It is expected that the final 12-man roster will be built around Edwards, Tatum, Morant, and Trae Young, supplemented by new generation insiders such as Evan Mobley and Chet Holmgren. The average age of this lineup is only 24.3 years old, but it has a total of 9 best teams and 4 scoring titles.

FIBA's latest championship odds show that the United States still leads with 1.8 losses, but the threats from France (1 compensation of 3.5 losses) and Canada (1 compensation of 4.2 losses) are far greater than previous years. As Sports Illustrated said: "This is the most 'tender' American team since 2004, but it may also be the strongest athletic. "When these young people stand on the field on the banks of the Seine, they not only have to defend the glory of American basketball, but also have to prove the legitimacy of a new era - just like the "Dream Team" in 1992 set a precedent for professional players to participate in the competition, the "Generation Z Team" in 2025 may rewrite the rules of international basketball..

The story of James and others has not yet been completed, but the protagonists under the fifth ring road of the Olympic Games have changed. This intergenerational alternation is not a sigh, but a proof of the endless sports of basketball. When Edwards received an all-dunk in the training hall, he might remember what Durant once said: "The great standard is to allow latecomers to step on your shoulders to see further. "The sky in Paris is about to belong to those young people who can fly higher.