Why isn’t Lebron James playing at the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup?

Team USA have made it to the semi finals where they will face Germany in the capital of the Philippines, Manila.

Steve Kerr’s men will be looking to become the basketball national team with the most World Cup titles ever, as they could win their sixth title.

While they might be in the final four, many believe this year’s group is not as strong as in other world cups, and there are no superstars in the roster.

Basketball fans miss seeing the top NBA players defending the USA jersey in such tournaments, as happened with Lebron James and Kobe Bryant a few years ago.

Why isn’t Lebron James playing in the 2023 World Cup?

James first played with Team USA alongside Allen Iverson, Tim Duncan, and Ben Wallace and won the bronze medal in the 2004 Olympic Games, in Athens.

Lebron also won the bronze medal in the 2006 World Cup, a competition that Spain ended up winning. That was the only time King James featured in the international event.

In the Beijing Summer Olympics, Lebron finally won the gold medal for the USA, while his last appearance with the national team was in 2012 when he won his second gold medal at the London Olympics.

After that, James rejected the offer to join Team USA for the 2016 Olympics, saying he could use that break to rest after winning his third NBA Championship.

Four years later, the USA Basketball team didn’t call Lebron to join the team for the Tokyo Olympics in 2020 but he had already expressed he wasn’t interested in it.

James, 38, is fully focused on winning more NBA rings before retiring, prioritizing his success in the NBA than with the national team. That’s the reason why the Los Angeles Lakers superstar isn’t representing his country in the 2023 World Cup.