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LeBron James commits to playing in Beijing 2008
(AP)
Updated: 2006-01-16 09:53
PHOENIX - LeBron James has committed to playing for the U.S. team at this
year's world championships and the 2008 Olympics.
"It's officially
official in his case and I know he's excited about it," said Jerry Colangelo,
managing director of USA Basketball. "He's obviously one of the core guys you
want because of his talent, his age, his maturity at a very young age."
Colangelo met with James before the Cleveland Cavaliers played the Phoenix
Suns, but thought the 21-year-old Cavs' star already had committed in a meeting
in Chicago on Dec. 22. However, James was quoted as saying he still had to talk
to Colangelo before making any commitment.
"So I visited with him about a half-hour ago to confirm that everything's OK
and absolutely it is," Colangelo said. "He said `Well, what should I tell the
media?' and I said `Tell them you're in, because that's what I'm going to tell
them."
James said after the game that his talk with Colangelo eased any qualms he
had about being involved.
"I just wanted a more clear vision of what I was getting myself into this
time around," he said. "I kind of had a vision but really didn't the last time,
and I suffered because of it. But he came to me, gave me a great explanation. We
sat down and we talked and came up with some great things and I feel comfortable
about it."
He was part of the U.S. team that struggled to win a bronze medal at the
Athens Olympics in 2004, but saw limited playing time for coach Larry Brown's
team. He played in eight games, averaging 5.4 points and 11.4 minutes per
contest.
"He had a bad experience, you know, in Athens," Colangelo said. "He wasn't
happy about how things turned out there, the outcome and his own personal
experience there. He sees this as an opportunity and he buys into representing
your country and winning a gold medal, and doing it the appropriate way. He
wants to be a part of that."
Colangelo was named the sole head of the U.S. basketball federation last year
and given the responsibility for restoring the national team to the greatness it
once enjoyed. He will select 20 players and has already picked Duke's Mike
Krzyzewski to coach the team.
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