The United States has been the most successful nation in Olympic basketball, largely due to its history with the sport and largely due to a population (300+ million) that dwarfs many of our competitors.
That second factor will be reduced in this hypothetical: one where the 2024 election gets so contentious and venomous that our nation SPLINTERS in two. Of the remaining countries, which would be the best in basketball? Team Red (states that vote Republican) or Team Blue (states that vote Democratic)?
Of course, if this circumstance actually happened, NBA players (outside of Jonathan Isaac) would want to support the Democratic Party and avoid playing for president/coach Donald Trump. However, for the sake of simplicity and fair play, let’s shuffle each player into the state where they grew up.
######TEAM RED
PG: Stephen Curry (OH/NC)
SG: Anthony Edwards (GA)
SF: Jayson Tatum (MO)
PF: LeBron James (OH)
C: Bam Adebayo (NJ/NC)
THE STARTING LINEUP
Controversial swirls around the divided nation regarding a few of these placements. Technically, Georgia did narrowly vote for Biden over Trump in 2020 (49.5% to 49.3%), but historically they’ve been a red state. That – coupled with a need for a starting SG – leads Anthony Edwards to the team. Bam Adebayo was born in New Jersey (blue), but moved to North Carolina at age 7; given that all his meaningful youth basketball experience was there, we’d slide him into a red jersey as well.
After those recruitments, Team Red looks star-studded and well-balanced as a starting lineup. The team would also have some chemistry together as all five starters played on the latest Team USA.
THE REINFORCEMENTS
There are plenty more options to chose from if you’d like to tinker with team red. Among them: Ja Morant (SC), De’Aaron Fox (LA/TX), Trae Young (TX/OK), Tyrese Maxey (TX), Jaylen Brown (GA), Scottie Barnes (FL), Jimmy Butler (TX), Zion Williamson (SC), Jaren Jackson Jr. (NJ/IN), and Jarrett Allen (TX).
–
######TEAM BLUE
PG: Damian Lillard (CA)
SG: Devin Booker (MI)
SF: Kawhi Leonard (CA)
PF: Kevin Durant (DC/MD)
C: Anthony Davis (IL)
THE STARTING LINEUP
Controversy swirls again, only this time it’s about who should crack the starting lineup. I’m giving the nod to veterans Damian Lillard and Kawhi Leonard over some actual Olympians this year (Jrue Holiday, Derrick White, Tyrese Haliburton). And while Leonard wasn’t up for the run in real life, perhaps he’d change his mind with the weight of a civil war on his hands.
Like Team Red, Team Blue would have a great complement of skills sets at their disposal, with the biggest question mark being a matter of durability.
THE REINFORCEMENTS
Once again, we have a stacked roster of reinforcements to consider. Along with the Olympians we named, you could also add Jalen Brunson (NJ/IL), Kyrie Irving (NJ), Donovan Mitchell (NY/CT), James Harden (CA), Paul George (CA), Paolo Banchero (WA), Evan Mobley (CA), Draymond Green (MI), or Karl-Anthony Towns (NJ) to the list if you’d prefer.