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Here's Why the U.S. Men’s Basketball Team Isn't Staying in the Olympic Village
From security concerns to personal preference, the professional athletes have their reasons for not joining others in the dormitory style accommodations.
The U.S. Men’s Basketball Team will not be staying at the Olympic Village for the 2024 Summer Games in Paris — but it may not come as any real surprise.
Iconic basketball star LeBron James and the rest of Team U.S.A. won’t be trading their first-class accommodations for the now-infamous cardboard beds where thousands of other athletes will be bunking. The reasons range from obvious to ‘why didn’t I think of that?’ though four-time Olympian Kevin “K.D.” Durant recently said they do spend their “fair share” at the Olympic Village to feel more included, according to USA Today.
“We stay outside of it, but we get our time right before the Opening Ceremony,” said Durant. “As we go to other sports as well, we get to walk through the Village. So, I think we get enough time there.”
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The late and legendary Kobe Bryant once referred it as the “Disney World for Athletes” when visiting the Olympic Village complex for the 2008 Beijing Games, according to The Washington Post.
When was the last time the Team stayed at the Olympic Village?
The U.S. Men’s Basketball Team hasn’t stayed at the Olympic Village since the Dream Team, including Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird, dominated the Barcelona Games and took home the gold in 1992, according to USA Today.
Since then, the 12-member teams have traditionally maintained upscale and luxurious accommodations for the duration of the Olympic Games.
Why doesn’t the Team stay at the Olympic Village?
The N.B.A. stars of the Dream Team reportedly refused to give up their first-class lifestyle for the dormitory-style conditions of the Olympic Village, but security surrounding the high-profile sports figures was always a huge factor in maintaining their distance.
For the 2004 Athens Games, the athletes stayed in the opulence of the QM2 ship on the Mediterranean, and in 2008, stars like Bryant, James, and Dwyane Wade bunked in a ritzy hotel in Beijing, according to The Washington Post. The U.S. Team also avoided the Olympic Village for the 2012 Games, opting for another swanky hotel in central London.
For the Rio Games in 2016, the team took to sea once more, this time sharing a luxurious 200-room yacht-like cruise ship called The Silver Cloud with members from the U.S. Women’s Basketball Team. According to ESPN, the liner was surrounded by bullet-proof fencing and armed police to protect the passengers aboard the moored ship.
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Other Reasons Basketball Players Prefer Hotels
On top of security concerns and avoiding hordes of adoring fans, there exists another reason the N.B.A. stars typically don’t stay at the Olympic Village: As once raised by NBC Sports, the basketball pros are just too tall for the provided beds, which in 2016 were reported to be 5’8” long.
"You face the issue in a hotel, or you would face it in a village; the beds aren't made for 7-foot players," USA Basketball spokesman Craig Miller told the Associated Press in 2016, according to ESPN. "These guys live on the road, and they figure out ways to sleep. Sometimes, I've seen them put their luggage at the end of the bed so their feet can rest there."
By not staying at the Olympic Village, athletes aren’t held to the same strict rules set forth by Olympic officials, including possibly having roommates, quiet hours, and an alcohol ban, as listed in People.com. Another rule is that those staying at the Village aren’t allowed visits from family and friends to make the community “as distraction-free as possible” ahead of the events, according to Olympic Village Director Daniel Smith.
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The latter posed an issue for those on the Men’s Basketball Team.
“We don’t stay in the Village because we don’t feel it’s the best way to prepare for the competition,” Miller continued in his 2016 interview. "The players have a long professional season, and they want to spend as much time as possible with family and friends."
On the downside, athletes staying outside the Village are left to make their own arrangements otherwise afforded to others, Smith told People.
“Basically, you’re outside of the bubble at that point, so Paris 2024 won’t provide you with transportation from your specific hotel,” said Smith. “All of the meals, all of those additional pieces that come along with logistics that athletes in the Village get, you stay out, all of that is on you.”
Where are they staying in Paris?
On Wednesday, July 24, 2024, the U.S. Men’s Basketball Team arrived in Paris to defend their four-time gold medal title, according to The Associated Press. While there’s no official word on where the men will be staying, they’re reportedly expected to head to the Olympic Village ahead of the Games Opening Ceremony on the Seine, per ABC News. There, LeBron James will have the distinct honor of bearing the flag.
First-time Olympian Steph Curry — about to make his acting debut in the Peacock comedy series Mr. Throwback — said he looked most forward to watching beach volleyball and swimming while in Paris. He also went into detail about preparing for his first Olympic appearance.
“There's those times throughout the day when you get your work in, you get your treatment, make sure you’re prepared,” he told ABC News. “And then the rest is allowing yourself to be free to be a part of the Olympic experience as a whole. I think that’ll be contagious, the joy of being in the moment. We say ‘be where your feet are’ when it comes to enjoying the games that we get to play, too, because it goes by quick. It's only six games, hopefully, to win a gold.”
According to the NBA, the players spent Thursday, July 25, 2024, practicing at the Palais des Sports Marcel-Cerdan just outside the Olympics’ host city.
Learn more about the U.S. Men’s Basketball Team’s participation in the 2024 Summer Games at NBCOlympics.com.
