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LeBron James undecided on Rio Olympics; 25 named to U.S. Select Team

By The Sports Xchange
Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) hasn't decided on Rio. File photo by Mark Goldman/UPI
Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) hasn't decided on Rio. File photo by Mark Goldman/UPI | License Photo

Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James is undecided about playing in the 2016 Olympics and said he will make a decision shortly after the NBA Finals conclude.

James has sidestepped several opportunities in recent weeks to clarify his feelings about participating in Rio de Janeiro.

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He was asked about it again on Tuesday, one day after Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry announced that he will skip the Olympics.

"I'm just now hearing about Steph pulling out," James told reporters. "But my decision has never been on anyone either playing on the team or being invited or not playing. I haven't made a decision yet and I probably will make it right after the season is over."

The Cavaliers trail the Warriors 2-0 in the best-of-seven series. Game 3 is Wednesday in Cleveland.

Speculation pins James as being tired from six straight NBA Finals appearances and playing more than 100 NBA games per season. He also is reportedly concerned about the Zika virus with it wreaking havoc in the South American country.

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Curry cited the need to rest his body -- he suffered ankle and knee injuries in this postseason -- as one of the factors in his decision.

Meanwhile, USA Basketball announced the 25 players chosen to be part of the USA Men's Select Team and the list is full of young NBA players.

NBA Rookie of the Year Karl-Anthony Towns is the obvious omission, but Towns will be playing for the Dominican Republic in the Olympics.

Current NBA players selected were Devin Booker (Phoenix), Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (Detroit), Willie Cauley-Stein (Sacramento), Aaron Gordon (Orlando), Jerami Grant (Philadelphia), Gary Harris (Denver), Rodney Hood (Utah), Stanley Johnson (Detroit), Zach LaVine (Minnesota) C.J. McCollum (Portland), Doug McDermott (Chicago), Emmanuel Mudiay (Denver), Jahlil Okafor (Philadelphia), Jabari Walker (Milwaukee), Julius Randle (Los Angeles Lakers), D'Angelo Russell (Los Angeles Lakers), Marcus Smart (Boston), Myles Turner (Indiana), Justise Winslow (Miami) and Cody Zeller (Charlotte).

Players who were in college last season and were chosen include Malcolm Brodgon (Virginia), Kris Dunn (Providence), Brandon Ingram (Duke), Brice Johnson (North Carolina) and Denzel Valentine (Michigan State).

The head coach will be Gregg Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs.

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"Being chosen for the Select Team is an honor and it is an important step in becoming involved in USA Basketball's National Team program in the future," USA Basketball National Team managing director Jerry Colangelo said in a statement. "Current national team players like Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson, Kevin Love, Russell Westbrook, as well as many other outstanding players, got their USA National Team start through a Select Team."

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