LeBron and Durant, in preliminary US call for the Olympic Games

[G.O.G]

NEW YORK | AP - LeBron James is set to participate for the fourth time in the Olympic Games, while Kevin Durant and Chris Paul could do it for the third time.

The three stars of the NBA stand out among the luminaries that appear in the roster of 35 players called on Friday by the Basketball Federation for the international tournaments scheduled from 2018 to 20.

Stephen Curry, Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis also appear in the list of players available in case the United States qualifies for the 2019 World Cup in China and the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.

They integrate the rest of the list Klay Thompson and Draymond Green (Golden State); DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry (Toronto); John Wall and Bradley Beal (Washington); Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum (Portland); DeAndre Jordan and Tobias Harris (Clippers); Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond (Detroit); Victor Oladipo and Myles Turner (Indiana); Kevin Love (Cleveland); Jimmy Butler (Minnesota); DeMarcus Cousins (New Orleans); Kawhi Leonard (San Antonio); Paul George (Oklahoma City); Eric Gordon (Houston); Gordon Hayward (Boston); Isaiah Thomas (Lakers); Kemba Walker (Charlotte); Harrison Barnes (Dallas); Mike Conley (Memphis); Khris Middleton (Milwaukee); and Devin Booker (Phoenix).

The players would have to participate in a mini-rally in Las Vegas between July 25 and 27, when coach Gregg Popovich will assume the reins of the US team for the first time.

"It's great just the idea of being on the court with all these players," Popovich said. "It's a great fraternity, there's a lot of talent here, these players are friends, they enjoy being together ... so to see them in action and see that these guys will come together in Las Vegas this summer will be very exciting."

James won gold in 2008 and 2012, and he won the bronze in 2004 as a rookie. He missed the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro but made it clear at the time that he was not retiring from international basketball, which left open the possibility of playing again with the team of his country, to the admiration he feels by Popovich, who replaced Mike Krzyzewski after the previous Olympic event. "

Carmelo Anthony is the only American who has played in four Olympic Games. It did not appear in the call, because it indicated after obtaining its third gold in 2016 that it would not play more with the selection.

The other 11 players who came to Rio are back, including seven who also won gold at London 2012.

Among them is Durant, who has been crowned in the last two Olympic Games. Paul, who played in 2008 and 2012, also preferred to be absent from Rio.

The United States is close to securing its qualification to the 2019 World Cup in China, despite using players from the development league so far in the new tie, which schedules games during the NBA season. That tournament will be used to hand out tickets to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, and the NBA players will participate