These kids were so happy to meet the U.S. Olympic basketball team
Most of the discussion surrounding the U.S. men’s basketball team for August’s Olympics in Rio de Janeiro has focused on the players that will not be attendance. The stream of dropouts was steady right up until Monday’s announcement of the 12-man roster in New York City, with LeBron James and Stephen Curry the two biggest names to remove themselves from the consideration. The Kevin Durant-led group that will go to Brazil is still the overwhelming gold-medal favorite, but it’s clearly missing some of the most exciting superstars in the sport.
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It would be easy to use those high-profile absences as reason to pay less attention to Team USA when they start the Olympic tournament. However, the faces of the kids who were present at the USA Basketball unveiling in Harlem should be proof enough that such an opinion is pretty damn jaded. Just look at how this group of kids reacted to meeting some of their heroes:
There’s no substitute for that kind of enthusiasm. There were more great moments from the event, too:
Sure, at least one of the kids in the first video says the most exciting thing would have been to meet LeBron. But he seems just fine with settling for KD and company.
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Eric Freeman is a writer for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
