Rio Olympics: Why college players should replace NBA stars

NBA Stars were first able to play in the 1992 Games in Barcelona.

Competition is the main reason college basketball players should represent America at the Olympics. Sure the stars will bring in the crowds and be an attraction but no one really wants to see 30 and 40-point victories. Knowing the gold medal is going to a team isn’t ideal. Hoping  whoever the USA is facing will come within 20 points in the gold medal game is just a shattered dream.

Since a disappointing bronze medal in the 2004 summer Olympics, the USA Olympic mens team have gone 76-1. The debacle in Athens Greece caused more a major changed in USA basketball.

A new regime was headed by Jerry Colangelo. He brought in one of the best coaches in basketball history in Duke Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski. Coach K needed to restore pride into  a lost program.

The stars and superstars of the NBA followed. Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade were the headliners and they put on a show, winning the gold medal. It ended an eight year drought without finishing a top the podium. They were victors in 2012 and are the clear favorites again in Rio. For the 2020 games in Tokyo, the NBA stars should step aside and let the young guns in College basketball takeover.

For FIBA to make the rule, it would affect every competing country and could ruffle some feathers. Basketball and the NBA is a much more international game than it was in 92. There were 17 players from the Association in Barcelona. There will be 29 players from the NBA in Rio. As well there are players on different teams that have had their cup of coffee in best basketball league in the world.

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Players on European teams like Spain, France and Argentina love representing their country at and it would be painful for those players to  battle for their country. The Americans at times have had trouble getting their best players to come suit up. LeBron James and Steph Curry are two noticeable players missing from this years American squad.

If USA basketball did bar NBA stars from participating in the Games it could cost America a couple of losses and maybe a gold medal. But anyone loves watching a close, thrilling and competitive battle. College players playing the Olympics would allow for this to happen. The only problem with this is the amount of one-and-dones in college basketball.

Could just drafted players be eligible? and could rookies play? These would be some of the questions that would have to be answered.  Some players that could play are the college players going back for another year or are needing to showcase their talent for a NBA team.

The ability to see a college players compete for a gold medal and allowing other countries to have a shot, is something every fan of basketball would love to see. The one downfall would not be not seeing five or six NBA All-Stars play together at once. Sacrificing that for a one point game with 10 seconds left in the Gold Medal game would be much more appealing for any fan and not just of basketball.