Basketball Odds – LeBron Heads Team USA Favorites
USA Basketball has announced the 30 finalists for its 2016 roster. Now, coach Mike Krzyzewski and his staff have the unenviable task of trimming the star-studded shortlist to 12 in time for the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro (August 5 – 21).
The competition for these spots will be friendly but fierce and several NBA All-Stars will, inevitably, be left stateside.
When considering the likelihood of each player making the team, it’s difficult to say any player is certain to be included on the roster. All candidates are in the midst of a grueling NBA season; plus, myriad personal issues have the potential to trump national pride. Both injuries and “injuries” could keep any of these multi-millionaires out of the unpaid event.
LeBron James is as close as it gets to having a guaranteed spot on the team. The two-time gold medalist has always made USA Basketball a priority and is still considered one of the greatest players in the world. Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, and Anthony Davis are also considerable favorites to make Team USA.
Below are the odds of making the team for all 30 finalists.
Odds to make the 2016 US Olympic basketball team:
LeBron James: 1/9
Stephen Curry: 1/6
Kevin Durant: 1/6
Anthony Davis: 1/4
James Harden: 3/7
Kawhi Leonard: 3/7
Russell Westbrook: 3/7
LaMarcus Aldridge: 7/13
Carmelo Anthony: 2/3
Chris Paul: 2/3
Draymond Green: 10/11
Blake Griffin: 1/1
Kyrie Irving: 11/10
DeMarcus Cousins: 11/9
Klay Thompson: 11/9
John Wall: 13/7
Andre Drummond: 2/1
Jimmy Butler: 7/3
Andre Iguodala: 4/1
DeAndre Jordan: 9/2
Bradley Beal: 17/3
DeMar DeRozan: 17/3
Kevin Love: 6/1
Mike Conley: 9/1
Dwight Howard: 11/1
Paul George: 16/1
Harrison Barnes: 20/1
Kenneth Faried: 20/1
Rudy Gay: 20/1
Gordon Hayward: 20/1
(Photo credit: Christopher Johnson (http://www.flickr.com/photos/globalite/8120723548/) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons. Photo has been cropped.)
