Back in September of 2023, Dallas Mavericks star guard Kyrie Irving reportedly wanted to play for Team USA in the 2024 Olympics in Paris. Irving’s thoughts on playing for Team USA were even described as a “deep desire,” and his relationships with Kevin Durant and LeBron James were expected to play into this.

Rumors were starting to spread about other players who wanted to play for the USA, and all signs were pointing to Team USA having as stacked of a roster we’ve seen in a long time. When the full roster was announced later on, fans were shocked to see Irving not on the team.

Team USA didn’t host tryouts as they had in the past, and this is something Irving didn’t necessarily seem to agree with. He said he missed when they actually had to try out for Team USA, but that’s not how they decided to do it this year.

Kyrie Irving should undoubtedly be on Team USA in the Olympics

Irving won a gold medal with Team USA in 2014 at the FIBA World Cup and the 2016 Olympics, and he would have been an outstanding leader on this year’s team. He knows what it takes to win on the national stage, and Team USA would be better off with him on the roster.

Although USA will be playing for the gold medal tomorrow, having Irving on this team would have taken them to the next level. Irving is one of the most well-respected players by his peers in the NBA, and he has turned into a great leader while on the Mavs.

Seemingly everyone looks up to him, and leadership is valuable when you’re playing in the Olympics. The Team USA roster is elite, but having Irving on the squad over Tyrese Haliburton could have been a move that made them better.

Haliburton has played a grand total of 26 minutes in the Olympics over five games and has only scored eight points. With Haliburton being on the end of the bench and not playing much to begin with, Irving would have been a better option due to his leadership capabilities.

Not to mention that Irving is arguably on the same level as a player as Haliburton and was coming off a run to the NBA Finals. Irving was unstoppable during the 2024 NBA Playoffs at times, and he would have been an excellent fit on and off the floor for Team USA this summer.

Although it was clear that Irving wanted to play for Team USA, he never let it shift his focus away from the task at hand. Irving remained focused on the NBA Playoffs and helped Dallas to clinch an NBA Finals berth for the first time since 2011.

Irving’s veteran leadership has been missed so far in these Olympics, and this maay have been his last chance to play for Team USA in the Olympics as he’ll be 36 years old in 2028.