Chris Paul Re-Considers Playing for Team USA in 2016 Olympics


LA Clippers superstar point guard Chris Paul hooped in the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, but he was ready to walk away from the Team USA program before the 2016 Games. Team USA head coach Mike Krzyzewski has CP3 thinking twice now. Per ESPN: “If it had been another coach than Coach K, I was prepared to be done,’ Paul said. Paul will be 31 when the 2016 Olympics, which will be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, take place. He will still likely be a major piece for the team, despite a strong crop of young and talented point guards that includes Derrick Rose, Kyrie Irving, Russell Westbrook and Stephen Curry. Paul was in Las Vegas coaching his CP3 All-Stars summer league program this week shortly after returning from a trip to China with teammate Blake Griffin and New York Knicks star Carmelo Anthony. Paul also watched the Team USA intrasquad scrimmage in Las Vegas Thursday night, which featured nearly 30 of the top young NBA players. Paul admitted there were times when he and Griffin weren’t on the same page last season, but said the trip gave the pair an opportunity to bond. ‘We talked about everything,’ Paul said. ‘We talked more than we ever have. As we get more familiar with one another, we get more comfortable. Last year we had our moments, but we’re both very competitive and just want to win.'”