U.S. looking to regain basketball gold

BEIJING, July 25 (UPI) -- Basketball

Gold medals to be awarded: 2

Dates of competition: Aug. 9-24

Winning the Olympic gold medal is no longer automatic for the American men, but this year's team of NBA stars hope to make it as close to a sure thing as possible.

The United States had to settle for the bronze in Athens, giving Team USA plenty of incentive this time around.

Kobe Bryant and LeBron James will represent the United States against a field filled with high-quality players. The Americans will open their Olympic quest with a game against China on Aug. 10, a contest that will attract attention on opposite sides of the world.

The medal race should be wide open, with Spain, Greece, Lithuania, Argentina and Russia among the hopefuls.

The American women will be favored to win their fourth consecutive Olympic title. Lisa Leslie, who was on the previous three gold medal winning teams, will again represent the United States.