Rich Paul doesn’t sound like he’s leaving much room for LeBron James to suit up for Team USA again. In a conversation on the “Game Over” podcast with Max Kellerman, James’ agent said straight out that the 41-year-old 76ers veteran should be done playing for the U.S. national team.
Kellerman pressed him on whether James would be 44 by the next cycle, and Paul didn’t budge. “Yes!
Yeah, he should be done. But the question you should be asking is if he should be around the team in any capacity.
Then with a basketball mind like that, if I’m the USA Basketball Team, then I want Kevin Durant around, I want LeBron around, I want Steph around. And if AD doesn’t play, I want him around my bigs, for sure.”
That opened the door to the bigger idea: James could still be part of Team USA in 2028 without being on the floor. Paul’s view was that a mind like LeBron’s would still be useful in a mentorship or coaching role, and he pointed to Durant, Stephen Curry and Anthony Davis as other voices USA Basketball would want nearby in some form.
The discussion then shifted to Joel Embiid and a separate concern about whether the center’s approach had been questioned during Team USA’s run. Kellerman brought up what he’d heard about how elite players push each other when they’re together, and whether Embiid fit that mold.
Paul pushed back hard. “No, I’ve heard nothing but great things about Joel this summer.
I heard he’s been in the best shape, and he’s been healthy all summer. What Scal is saying (about how the best players compete) is the case.
I’ve been around tons of USA Teams, and I don’t think that is the case (with Joel Embiid and the 76ers’ expectations from LeBron James).”
The bottom line from Paul was clear: he doesn’t see LeBron returning as a player for Team USA, but he does see value in having him around the program in another role. And on Embiid, Paul said he hadn’t heard any issues with the big man’s work ethic this summer.
Embiid’s injury history is no secret. He has missed more regular season games in his career, 495, than he has played, 490, over 12 NBA seasons. But Paul’s comments made one thing plain: the work-ethic concerns aren’t part of the story he’s hearing.
And if James did share the floor with Embiid during the Olympics, that familiarity could still matter going forward. For now, though, the conversation around Team USA sounds more like a future off-court role for LeBron than another run as a player.
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