Set your mind at ease with NBA’s Most Valuable Player Kobe Bryant and top-scorer LeBron James will head the list of 12 players named by the United States for the Beijing Olympics. They also named Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony and Jason Kidd as the US seeks to end a recent run of disappointments. US aim to win the gold medal in Athens – the first time an NBA-based team had done so at the Olympics. Team’s officials have promised a change of culture in a bid to improve the men’s team’s results.

The Argentina won gold in Athens, having the edged out of the United States in the semi-finals. It is being said that it was the third defeat of the tournament for a US team that was criticised for being under-prepared. But the team’s managing director Jerry Colangelo and head coach Mike Krzyzewski are confident for the current squad that they will perform better than the team that went to Athens.

Bryant led the LA Lakers to the NBA finals this season, while James scorched the league’s defences, scoring 30 points per game. Tayshaun Prince, Carlos Boozer, Chris Bosh, Dwight Howard, Chris Paul, Michael Redd and Deron Williams complete the American line-up. Eight players have been retained from the team which ensured Olympic qualification at the Americas Tournament last year. Bosh, Paul and Wade, who all missed that tournament, return from the 2006 World Championship team.

While the squad will train in Las Vegas from 20-25 July before heading to China for warm-up games against Turkey, Lithuania, Russia and Australia. Since 1992, NBA players have been allowed to compete at the Olympics, where the US famously fielded gold medal-winning ‘Dream Team’ in Barcelona. There is only one occasion that the US failed to win a medal in men’s basketball – the 1980 Games in Moscow, which they boycotted.

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