Four years prior to representing the United States in the 2024 Summer Olympics, several members of that team – LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Jayson Tatum, Joel Embiid and Bam Adebayo – took part in kneeling during the national anthem to protest racial injustice; Stephen Curry took part in 2021, hours after the Capitol riots.
Upon doing so, there were calls that the two were disrespecting a country that they in fact did not want to be a part of. However, representing the Stars and Stripes on the biggest stage seems to say otherwise.
James and Davis’ quest for a gold medal this past summer was featured in a new Netflix documentary, titled “Court of Gold,” that followed the American, French, Serbian and Canadian national teams out in Paris.
The six-part doc was released last week.
Director Jake Rogal said he never discussed politics with any of the players, but he was certainly able to tell that they did not take representing their country for granted, despite issues they may have had with it in the past.
“I think you have pride in where you’re from, even if you’re not happy with how things are,” Rogal said in a recent interview with Fox News Digital. “I think that we’re in a polarizing, tumultuous environment. And I think that no matter what, whether you like it or not, this is where you’re from, and you want to put your best foot forward in representing that.”
It sure seems like most American-born NBA players would prefer the league titles over gold medals, but in the moment, it sure looked hard to tell. In crunch time, especially in the semifinals and finals, anybody could easily see just how important those games were.
However, Rogal said the players find it impossible to compare the two phenomenons.
“I don’t know if they compare them, because we asked a question that’s similar, and the answer we got back pretty consistently was that they’re two different experiences, so you can’t compare them,” Rogal said. “The NBA championship is a whole season, and you’re building up to that, and it’s your job. The Olympics are for your country, and it’s a quick hit, and it’s like, while it’s the same sport, it’s two different accomplishments … I don’t think they’re comparable. I think they’re both special in their own right for their own reasons.”
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The Olympics were a far cry from, say, the All-Star break. The closing minutes of the gold medal game, when Stephen Curry lit it up and carried the Americans to the gold, peaked at 22.7 million viewers. It was the most-watched gold medal game since 1996; however, this year’s All-Star Game was the second-lowest rated since the turn of the century, with an average of just 4.7 million viewers.
The NBA festivities were trumped by the NHL’s 4 Nations tournament, as over 9 million took in the USA-Canada final (although fights and political tensions certainly played roles).
Nonetheless, given the emotions of these past Olympics, Rogal does feel, though, that NBA players would be all for following the NHL’s footsteps by introducing an international tournament for the All-Star break.
“I think any time you include country, it raises the stakes. It makes things more appealing. It adds emotion right away. It adds competitiveness,” said Rogal. “So, I think getting country competition in the mix at any point is smart. Whether that’s at an All-Star Game or at an Olympics, I think that you would get a more competitive response if you do add country into it because it’s so personal. I think it could be appealing to them.”
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