Charles Barkley has asserted that there is no excuse for Team USA not to win gold in Paris.
The Americans are advancing to the quarterfinals of the 2024 Olympic Games with a perfect 3-0 record in Group C. They secured victories over Serbia, South Sudan, and Puerto Rico.
Barkley addressed the increasing competitiveness of international teams on “Podcast P with Paul George,” Presented by Wave Sports + Entertainment.
He acknowledged the improvement of global teams but emphasized that none surpass the United States in talent. “Have the international teams gotten better? 100%. They still not better than the United States,” Barkley said.
“I mean you take away Joker [Nikola Jokić] and Giannis [Antetokounmpo] and Luca [Dončić], those all three guys are great, great players.”
Barkley added, “We still got the next 10 best players in every game. Well, probably 12. So this notion that yeah, the international teams, they have gotten better. They are, but we still got the best players in the world.”
Barkley further emphasized the disparity by pointing out, “When we go to our bench, there’s nobody bringing a Jayson Tatum or Jrue Holiday or [Tyrese] Halliburton or Derrick White. Those foreign teams ain’t bringing no dudes off the bench that good. I guarantee you that.”
He concluded by stating, “Listen, I don’t even know every country, ain’t nobody bringing nobody off the bench better than Jayson Tatum okay? Ain’t nobody bringing anybody off the bench better than Kevin Durant.”
Barkley insists that despite the rise of international competitors, Team USA’s superior roster leaves no room for excuses.
“There’s never an excuse for the United States not to win the gold medal. We got the best team, we got the best players by far,” he said.
The next challenge for Team USA comes against Brazil, who finished third in Group B. Brazil’s path to the quarterfinals included wins over Japan and losses to Germany and France.
