“That’s never supposed to happen” : Shaquille O’Neal expresses his disappointment over USA’s inability to dominate at the Olympics
Team USA once again brought gold in basketball, making it their fifth consecutive gold medal win in the Olympics. It is not surprising, as the country invented the sport and the NBA is by far the best league in the world where the best players play.
But this year, the USA were somewhat ‘forced’ to call upon their very best players, instead of sending a mix of young talent and experienced veterans like in previous years. In a team which consisted of LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Joel Embiid, Anthony Davis, Jayson Tatum, Jrue Holiday, Derrick White, Anthony Edwards, Bam Adebayo and Tyrese Haliburton, it was a clear indication of them going all out to win the gold.
And win the gold they did, but not by convincing fashion to say the least. The USA were usually trailing by a large amount of points during quarters, and if not for the individual brilliance of players like James, Curry and Durant, they would have been knocked out in the earlier stages of the tournament. Due to the standards set by the Americans in basketball, many fans criticized their performance and coach Steve Kerr’s tactics as well. Most recently, one of the biggest personalities in the sport, Shaquille O’Neal admitted he was ‘disappointed’ in the team’s efforts.
Shaq opines on USA’s inability to dominate games
Ever since USA’s loss against Argentina in the 2004 Olympics held in Athens, there has been widespread circulation and agreement that the world is coming closer to the standards set by USA in basketball. Fast forward two decades later, and it is not unfair to say that European and South American countries have caught on to them. This was clearly showcased during the Paris Olympics, where USA had no breathing room whatsoever and had closer games than expected against South Sudan, Serbia and eventually France in the final.
NBA and LA Lakers legend Shaquille O’Neal was the latest to criticize USA’s inability to dominate and close games without taking it to the final minutes, even after possessing the best squad in the world.
“I’m not even paying attention to the Olympics, I have a dominant personality. I don’t care how you are, whatever. My cousin Kenny just had this argument upstairs. My cousin said, ‘The world is getting close,’ but I don’t think it is. The fact that [USA Basketball won] 97-95, you only beat South Sudan by one [possession]. Come on, bro. That’s never supposed to happen,” said the 52-year-old (via ‘The Big Podcast with Shaq’).
The rise in talent outside the USA has been increasing every season with new stars emerging, most notably Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic, Victor Wembanyama and Giannis Antetokounmpo winning NBA titles, Finals MVPs and All-Star inductions. It is clear that the gap is thinning between USA and other countries, and with James, Curry and KD not part of the USAB in the next Olympics, the USA might not be favorites going into the 2028 Olympics held in Los Angeles.
