Warriors’ Steph Curry intends to play for Team USA at 2024 Olympics

“If all things stay the same, I want to be playing,” Curry said.

Curry’s declaration comes on the same day that his former teammate Kevin Durant (as well as Durant’s Suns teammate Devin Booker) made the same verbal commitment to playing in Paris. 

Team USA would undoubtedly welcome all three, and any other superstars who wish to join them. Most American star players declined to play for Team USA during this summer’s FIBA Basketball World Cup, and the Steve Kerr-coached squad ended up in fourth place after losing to Germany in the semifinals and Canada in the third-place game.

Curry played for Team USA at two prior FIBA World Cups, winning it all in 2010 in Turkey and in 2014 in Spain. But he wasn’t chosen for the 2012 Olympic team, and then he declined to play in 2016 because of an injury and in 2021 because he didn’t want to jeopardize the upcoming season.

But the combination of a new experience and a chance to help USA Basketball win its fifth straight Olympic gold next summer seem to be a priority for the 35-year-old.

“It’s the one thing that I haven’t done, and I also understand the opportunity for Team USA to kind of reassert themselves as dominant in the world,” Curry said. “… Definitely want to be there, definitely want to be on the team, and hopefully things line up. That way, we’re all there.”

Curry’s likely to have an Olympic roster spot if he’s healthy and ready come next summer, but it’s not clear if he’d have any of his fellow Warriors with him. Klay Thompson was on the 2016 team but does not seem likely to be selected ahead of younger guard options.

Draymond Green was with Team USA in both 2016 and 2021, and his defense-first mentality is often a perfect fit on a superstar-heavy roster like the Americans have. If any coach would know the value of that, as well Green’s veteran presence and leadership, it would be Kerr.

Still, a potential starting lineup including Durant and LeBron James plus Joel Embiid (if the Americans can convince Embiid to play for them instead of France or Cameroon) or Anthony Davis could see USA Basketball opt to go with younger backups, both for the sake of endurance and for building the next generation of Team USA.

But that’s still a full NBA season away. Injuries could derail any commitments made to the roster, as has happened with Curry once already. A deep playoff run next spring could also change Curry’s mind.

For now, he sounds like a man planning to play for his country next summer — and trying to add the one final accomplishment left undone to his Hall of Fame career.