Zion Williamson has his eyes on the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
“It’s definitely a goal for me, and it would be a huge honor to represent my country in the Olympics,” he said Monday during an interview with ESPN’s Malika Andrews. “But that goes back to, I’ve just got to make it happen. I can sit here and talk, but I gotta go out there and earn my spot and show them why I feel like I deserve a spot.”
Williamson is certainly a logical candidate to be on the team, as he is just 25 years old and will theoretically still be a peak producer in two years when the Games arrive.
Many of the stars for recent United States Olympic teams are in the latter portion of their careers, such as LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant. That could open up some more spots for some of the younger players in the league, including Williamson.
But the New Orleans Pelicans star has to stay healthy and demonstrate enough consistency to earn a spot.
Durability has been a concern throughout his career since he entered the league as the No. 1 overall pick of the 2019 NBA draft.
He played 24 games as a rookie, missed the 2021-22 campaign, played 29 games in 2022-23 and played 30 games last season. The Duke product has appeared in 45 of the Pelicans’ 62 games this season and is on track to reach the 50-game mark for just the third time in his career.
When healthy, Williamson is a force in the frontcourt who has averaged 24.1 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.0 steals per game while shooting 58.8 percent from the field in his career.
Those are the type of numbers that will surely catch the eye of Team USA as it is putting together the 2028 squad that will chase gold in front of the home crowd, so it will be important for his chances that he remains on the court and continues to produce in the immediate future before those roster decisions are made.
