Paul George says Steve Kerr already recruited him for Team USA: "Any interest in playing in the Olympics this summer?"
Steve Kerr has his hands full this season. The Golden State Warriors have struggled off the gates, Klay Thompson is off to a slow start, and Draymond Green has been suspended indefinitely. Despite having so much on his plate right now, Kerr has not forgotten his 'other' squad - Team USA.
The former Chicago Bull was appointed as the head coach for the U.S. Men's basketball team in December 2021 and served his first tour of duty with the Stars and Stripes during the 2023 FIBA World Cup.
After a disappointing performance, the Americans are expected to send the best team possible in the next major international basketball competition - the 2024 Paris Olympics. Although that's still months away, with players still focused on the NBA season, Kerr is already thinking about getting his vengeance.
Speaking on the latest episode of Podcast P, L.A. Clippers star Paul George revealed that Kerr had already tried to recruit him to the U.S. Olympic team.
"I had that conversation right after we, uh, played the Warriors," PG said. "Steve Kerr is like, 'Hey, any interest in playing the Olympics this summer?'"
PG has already played for the flag before
While George did not reveal what he said to Kerr, Paul has already done his share in playing for the flag. The former Fresno State standout was a member of the U.S. men's basketball team that won the gold medal in the 2016 Rio Olympics.
He was one of the four players on that team that averaged double-digit scoring. In their eight games, Paul put up 11.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.5 steals per game for the Stars and Stripes. PG's best game came against Venezuela, where he led the team with 20 points.
Two years before that, however, George had a traumatic experience when he suffered a gruesome right leg fracture during a Team USA scrimmage while preparing for the 2014 FIBA World Cup. Because of that injury, PG ended up playing only six regular season games during the 2014-15 NBA season.
Americans assembling the Avengers for Paris
While Team USA won the FIBA World Cup that George missed in 2014, the Americans lost the World Cup Kerr coached earlier this year. Because of that, they are expected to send their best players to avenge their humiliating performance in Manila.
This early, a group of top NBA stars led by Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James have already expressed their intention to play for the flag in Paris. According to reports, James has already talked with the likes of Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, and Anthony Davis about the prospect of joining forces to reclaim the Americans' spot on top of the basketball world in the Olympics.
It remains to be seen who USA Basketball wants on the team, but given how good he is playing this season, it won't be a surprise if a healthy PG will be one of those invited to play in Paris. It's also unknown if George is interested at this point in his career, but Kerr asking him out this early gives Paul something to think about.
