Why LeBron James Is Not Playing In The 2020 Tokyo Olympics' 3-On-3 Basketball

The International Olympic Committee confirmed a new 3-on-3 basketball competition Friday, as one of five new events slated to take place at the 2020 Tokyo Games. And if you’re anticipating the NBA’s best player LeBron James to be there, think again.

James is arguably the most jaw-dropping athlete competing in this year’s NBA Finals, putting up monster numbers and averaging a triple-double throughout. He is no stranger to the Olympics, as he has played on several of the USA basketball teams, carrying them to the gold. But he might not be there himself.

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When James was questioned about the new 3-on-3 tournament, he told the Associated Press he’d have to think about which players he'd team up with for the 3-on-3 games, and though he might be excited about the new Olympic event — fans shouldn’t expect the superstar to participate in it.

“I think it’s great for basketball,” James said Sunday in Oakland, Calif., where the Cleveland Cavaliers were preparing for Game 5 of the NBA Finals.

It’s uncertain whether NBA players are even eligible to play in the event. It’s unclear exactly who would compose the 3-on-3 teams. It is possible that the competition wouldn’t be exclusive to just NBA players. The stars might be too busy recuperating from the rigors of the NBA season to even consider competing in the event. Compared to the traditional 5-on-5 game that most players are used to, this 3-on-3 version may require a different skill set.

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“For us to be able to add another category to the Olympics, another basketball category, I think it’s pretty great. I haven’t seen the full layout of how they plan on executing it and are they going to use NBA guys or are going to use college guys. I’m not quite sure. I’m not very good in a 3-on-3 thing, I’m more of a 5-on-5 guy. I stay out of the 1-on-1 matchups during our practice, the 2-on-2s, and the 3-on-3s. So, probably not. I probably won’t be a part of the 3-on-3 matchup that it has to offer.”

James isn’t the only player showing disinterest regarding the new Olympic event. Draymond Green had similar feelings when asked about it on Sunday.

“I don’t think it’s something that I aspire to do, but I think it’ll be great for sure,” Green said.

“I grew up playing street ball so to have 3-on-3 a part of the Olympics I think it’s also something guys can win that are not pro athletes. So I think that could be really good. You see in these other sports where they go compete in the Olympics but they have regular day jobs. I think that can be like that for 3-on-3. So I think that can be great.’”

“It would certainly be a perfect fit,” Patrick Baumann, the secretary general of world basketball’s governing body, told the Associated Press Friday. “It’s really a 10-minute sprint, no coach, so you need to take the right decisions,” Baumann said.

James, who lead Team USA to gold in the 2008 and 2012 Olympics Games, opted not to play in the 2016 event in Rio.