With the Paris 2024 Olympics just around the corner, Stephen Curry and Team USA continue to properly prepare for another gold medal in international competitions. In contrast to the way the NBA is played, the Olympics have their own set of rules that athletes need to adapt to. One of the rulings also explains why Curry can't wear the number 30 jersey on the U.S. basketball team.
Why can't Curry wear the number 30 jersey for Team USA?
According to FIBA regulations, the Golden State Warriors superstar must only wear jerseys between No. 4 and No. 15. This ruling also falls into the same category as other international competitions administered by the FIBA Committee.
This is Stephen Curry's first Olympic appearance, and he will wear the number 4 jersey once the U.S. team is on the court in Paris, France.
During his first two terms at the FIBA World Cup, the four-time NBA champion helped his country win two gold medals. Take a look at his track record of honors, coupled with an Olympic gold medal, which will make his achievements even more impressive in the long run.
In his two FIBA World Cup appearances, Curry wore the number 11 jersey in Turkey and the number 4 jersey in Spain in 2010.
Yesterday, Stephen Curry first arrived at the U.S. basketball camp in Las Vegas
Team USA took to Instagram yesterday to share a video of Curry arriving at training camp in Las Vegas, where the superstar is eager to start training.
Curry's last international appearance was when the U.S. men's basketball team won the FIBA World Cup gold medal in Spain. The sharp-shooting shooter averaged 10.7 points (40.8 percent shooting, including 43.8 percent from beyond the three-point line), 2.9 assists and 2.8 rebounds per game.
At last year's FIBA World Cup, the U.S. team lost 118-127 to Canada in overtime, finishing only fourth and disappointingly. Since then, they have made the right adjustments to assemble one of the most dominant international squads.
Curry is surrounded by some of today's basketball elites in the league, such as LeBron James of the Lakers, Kevin Durant of the Suns, Jayson Tatum of the Celtics, Joel Embiid of the 76ers, and Anthony Edwards of the Timberwolves.
The expectations for this team are huge, and they are looking forward to redemption with other basketball teams from all over the world. Looking at the diversity of the lineup, it is characterized by a balance of offense and defense.
Not only does it feature five top-tier shooters at the positions, but it also features a versatile player like Jrue Holiday and includes great two-way athletes like Jayson Tatum and Kawhi Leonard.
Now all that's left is for this basketball team to perform to the standards that are relevant to them and get the job done after all is said and done.