MADRID.- A few months before his tragic death, Kobe Bryant attended the basketball World Cup in China and was asked about his native United States team.
He was emphatic in his message: winning gold medals was no longer a walk.
“It’s no longer a question of whether the rest of the world has caught up with the United States,” Bryant said. “Rather, the rest of the world caught up with us for a long time.”
I was not wrong. The United States finished seventh in that World Cup, the worst result of an American team in an international tournament. Now they are seeking revenge by facing the postponed Tokyo Games in search of a fourth consecutive gold medal.
Led by Gregg Popovich, the Americans will have as a bastion Kevin Durant (Brooklyn), eager for his third Olympic gold. They also feature Draymond Green (Golden State) and Kevin Love (Cleveland), former Olympic champions. There are several newcomers to these events, such as Devin Booker (Miami), Bam Adebayo (Miami) and Damian Lillard (Portland).
There are plenty of candidates for the podium among the 12 participating teams.
Apart from the United States, Spain, Argentina, Australia and France present themselves with legitimate aspirations to climb to the top of the podium in Tokyo.
Spain is the current world champion. France eliminated the United States in that tournament. Argentina lost the final to Spain and has a seasoned squad, now with players with NBA pedigree, such as Facundo Campazzo (Denver) and Gabriel Deck (Oklahoma City), as well as the eternal Luis Scola.
“We want and can be better than in the World Cup,” Campazzo said in a recent interview with the Argentine federation. “It is clear that the World Cup put us in another place, surely they already look at us in a different way, with another attention, but the important thing in our case will continue to be the collective block. That is where our greatest strength has always been.”
