'THEY ARE CATCHING UP'
Shannon Sharpe yells ‘those days are over’ as he shares thoughts on LeBron James’ dream team heading to Paris Olympics
LeBron has twice saved Team USA from embarrassment during a tricky warm-up schedule
ESPN's Shannon Sharpe isn't expecting Team USA's basketball team to have it all their way at the Paris Olympics.
The NFL Hall of Famer warned the star-studded roster against complacency ahead of their opening pool game on Sunday.
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Team USA is preparing to face Serbia in Lille, France, as they begin their quest for a fifth-straight gold medal.
Steve Kerr's talent-filled roster has gone 5-0 during a series of warm-up games across the globe.
They needed a LeBron James masterclass to avoid an embarrassing loss to South Sudan, eventually winning 101-100.
And Germany pushed the USA all the way in London, with 39-year-old James again providing the comeback spark.
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Back in 1992, the USA assembled an elite roster dubbed the Dream Team, featuring Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, and Magic Johnson.
That team scored triple-digits in every Olympic game, cruising to the gold medal in Barcelona, Spain.
During a recent episode of his podcast Nightcap, Sharpe was asked if the "rest of the world is finally catching up" after the recent warm-up scares.
"They're catching up Ocho because they're playing [in the NBA]," Sharpe replied.
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"You go back to the Olympics in 1992, you only had two guys away from the USA players that were in the NBA.
"But you look at this year's teams and almost every team has an NBA player.
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"Can [USA] be beaten? Hell yeah, it's one game. Anything can happen.
"Canada is littered with NBA players. Germany is gonna be a tough test.
"USA is not going to beat those teams like the original Dream Team [did in 1992].
"Those days are over. Those days are long, long gone."
"As long as [LeBron] is playing they definitely have a chance," responded one fan on X.
USA basketball Olympic schedule
Men
July 28, 11.15am ET - USA vs Serbia, NBC
July 31, 3pm ET - USA vs South Sudan, USA Network
August 3, 11.15am ET - USA vs Puerto Rico, NBC
Women
July 29, 3pm ET, USA vs Japan, USA Network
August 1, 3pm ET, USA vs Belgium, USA Network
August 4, 11.15am ET USA vs Germany, USA Network
"No Dawgs that will bite on this team," claimed another.
Sharpe is currently enjoying a summer vacation from his regular work on ESPN's First Take.
The 56-year-old recently penned a new multi-year deal with the network that will see his role expand.
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Team USA begins their Olympics schedule against Serbia on Sunday, July 28.
Tip-off is at 11:15 am Eastern, with NBC Sports showing live coverage.