Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

basketball :

Dwyane Wade’s comments on compensation for Olympic basketball players a non-issue

Team USA officials were in Las Vegas on Tuesday to promote the national team’s return to the area for Olympic training

Team USA

Sam Morris

Guard Dwyane Wade dunks the ball as the USA Basketball Men’s Senior National Team takes on Canada’s Senior Men’s Team Friday.

Team USA Basketball

Derrick Rose shoots past Rudy Gay, left, and Jeff Green, right, during a USA Basketball men's national team exhibition game Saturday in Las Vegas. Launch slideshow »

Team USA Basketball Chairman Jerry Colangelo doesn’t put much stock into Dwyane Wade’s comments last month about how the professional basketball players on the Olympic team should better compensated.

When Wade spoke after a Miami Heat practice about compensation, his comments quickly became the subject of much debate — whether or not athletes should be paid and whether or not the Olympic team should use NBA stars such as Wade, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and others.

“It’s a lot of things you do for the Olympics — a lot of jerseys you sell,” Wade told reporters last month. “We play the whole summer. I do think guys should be compensated. Just like I think college players should be compensated, as well. Unfortunately, it’s not there. But I think it should be something, you know, there for it.

“The biggest thing is now you get no rest. So you go to the end of the season; (Team USA) training camp is two weeks later. You’re giving up a lot to do it. It’s something you want to do, but it’s taxing on your body. You’re not playing for the dollar. But it would be nice if you would get compensated.”

Colangelo, speaking Tuesday during a press conference at the Wynn Las Vegas to detail the national team’s Las Vegas practice plans this summer, said there are no reservations with Wade — or the national team’s other stars — about representing their country.

“Afterward, Dwyane recognized that really wasn’t what he meant,” Colangelo said. “He didn’t want it to be a real issue because he certainly has shown his dedication. It was over within 24, 48 hours.”

National team coach Mike Krzyzewski, a graduate of West Point who constantly talks about the pride he has in representing the country, has no doubts Wade and others feel the same way.

“These guys are unbelievable about wanting to play for the United States,” Krzyzewski said during the event at the Wynn. “Right from the get-go we kind of formed a relationship with the military, who takes selfless service to the highest degree. Our guys understand the privilege of playing for our country, and serving our country in a basketball sense is a privilege we truly appreciated. There is no need for money.”

The team will be training in Las Vegas for the sixth time in seven summers July 6-12, concluding with an exhibition game July 12 against the Dominican Republic at the Thomas & Mack Center.

They will have their hands full in Las Vegas, especially when selecting a roster. Krzyzewski said losing Dwight Howard and Derrick Rose to injuries will definitely alter their style of play and personnel.

“When you are selecting a team, you don’t necessarily select the 12 best players," he said. "You try to get seven or eight to be the core group. A huge part of the core group are the four or five best players in the world. Kobe, Durant, Wade and LeBron, they will have a tough time not making the team. So, how do you complement them?"

Also, because of the NBA lockout pushing back the start of the season, several national team players will likely get a weeklong break between the end of the playoffs and the start of the Olympic training camp.

“We are paying the price for the condensed NBA season, the fact the season will be extended, the fact the playoffs will end the week before we go to camp,” Colangelo said. “It is conceivable that four or five players will be playing in the NBA Finals who are going to be on the roster. The challenge is how much down time do we need? We are very sensitive to that, and should be. We aren’t going to put the players in the position of injury.”

Tickets for the showcase against the Dominican Republic went on sale Tuesday and are priced starting at $10 for balcony seats. Visit UNLVtickets.com for details.

Ray Brewer can be reached at 990-2662 or [email protected]. Follow Ray on Twitter at twitter.com/raybrewer21.

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