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LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony say they’re skipping World Cup this summer

By Josh Hill

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July 15, 2012; Washington, DC, USA; United States guard LeBron James (l) and United States guard Chris Paul (r) lie on the court during warm ups prior to USA team training at the Smith Center at George Washington University. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
July 15, 2012; Washington, DC, USA; United States guard LeBron James (l) and United States guard Chris Paul (r) lie on the court during warm ups prior to USA team training at the Smith Center at George Washington University. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /

The 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics are starting up in a few weeks, but many are already looking ahead to the Rio Summer Olympics in 2016, and that means looking at the Team USA basketball roster. This morning, Team USA announced it’s 28 finalists to make the World Cup roster this summer, but already some big names are dropping out.

According to Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv, Jerry Colangelo has stated that LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul will all bow out of the World Cup this summer for Team USA.

It’s not surprising to hear any of the three names bow out, but LeBron deciding not to play will continue to fuel rumors that he’s done playing for Team USA in the Olympics. All three players are still an option for the 2016 Team USA roster, but LeBron is the biggest question mark.

Chris Paul is still out with a shoulder injury, which means he’ll be spending the summer trying to get back to 100 percent for the Clippers 2014-15 season. Meanwhile, Carmelo Anthony is likely skipping the World Cup so that he can figure out what to do when he hits free agency after the season is over.