Stephen Curry and LeBron James Replacements in 2028 Team USA Olympic Are Obvious: “Face of the Team”

The sting of no podium at the 2023 FIBA World Cup sparked the ‘Team Avengers’ era: standing invites to LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant, whose star power delivered zero letdowns. The squad stormed to gold in Paris, extending America’s streak to a record fifth straight Olympic triumph. With 2028 landing on home soil in L.A., the hype is electric—but who’s stepping up as the new alpha?

For Bill Simmons, the blueprint is already sketched. On The Zach Lowe Show, he rolled out his early starting five with zero hesitation: “Anthony Edwards and Tyrese Haliburton as the backcourt. We’re assuming Tyrese Haliburton will come back at 100%. I love both of those guys. Edwards probably will be the face of this team, and then Haliburton as probably the best reliable point guard that we’re going to have in 2028.” Sure, LeBron hits 40 and Curry 37 by then—repeats aren’t out of the question. But the vets have hinted at bowing out, eyes on family, legacy, or just kicking back courtside.

Ant-Man being the face is not an accident; his confidence while speaking to Barack Obama was very evident. Netflix docu-series ‘Court of Gold’, which premiered in February, showcased an interaction between the former POTUS and the Wolves star guard. “Man, y’all better step down,” Edwards said while looking at Obama. “I’m the truth.” This confidence came from his performance in Paris, where, he was not the starter on the team, and averaged the 4th-lowest minutes per game.

After Edwards’ bold claim, Obama quipped to LeBron and Durant,

“LeBron, are y’all talking to this young man? He just said he’s the truth.” Durant shot back, “Nothing wrong with that,” while James smirked over champagne—Obama later conceded, “You gotta have that.”

Despite playing just 16.3 minutes per game, he was the best scorer behind LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant. 12.8 points on 58% from the field and 48% from beyond the arc. So, Anthony Edwards taking over the main spot is not a debate for Simmons.

Similarly, the case for Haliburton being the facilitator is not a debate. After all, he also holds an NBA record for being the first player to record 500 assists in a season with fewer than 100 turnovers.

And for Haliburton, the doubters—those who dismissed him as the NBA’s “most overrated” player in anonymous peer polls and online hot takes, riding the coattails of flashier stars—were left in the dust by what arguably stands as the defining season of his young career. Fueling a chip-on-the-shoulder run to the Finals, he orchestrated historic low-turnover assists (No. 1 in the playoffs at 9.8 apg), buried four game-tying or go-ahead daggers in the final five seconds—tying Reggie Miller for second all-time behind only LeBron James.

Despite the setback, Haliburton’s path forward carries real stakes for Team USA: the Pacers star tore his right Achilles tendon early in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals loss to Oklahoma City, undergoing successful surgery shortly after and now targeting a full return by the 2026-27 season.

Simmons’ optimistic “100%” nod feels earned here. His Finals heroics only amplified the lore. In Game 1’s 111-110 thriller against OKC, Haliburton buried a 20-foot pull-up over Cason Wallace with 0.3 seconds left, erasing a 15-point deficit for the latest first-lead in Finals history since 1971.

So, the backcourt partnership, at least for Simmons.

LeBron James and Stephen Curry won’t play but will still be part of the 2028 team

He finished his starting 5 with Paolo Banchero, Jaylen Williams, and Cooper Flagg. In fact, the host of the show also agreed with this opinion. Zach Love stated, “You are five for five for players on my 12-man roster“. The veterans LeBron and Steph already did what they had to do with the 2024 team. For Bron, it was bagging his third gold medal, while for Steph, it was his first. So, for the 2028 team, they want to be involved but not as players.

In episode 6 of the same Netflix series, we saw Anthony Edwards wanting to know if Stephen Curry will actually come back. “You coming back in ’28?” Instantly, the Warriors superstar replied, “Yeah, I’m gonna coach. Steve ain’t gonna coach, I’m the coach”.

Want to make it better? Let’s also hear LeBron James’ answer. Kevin Durant posed the same question to LeBron. James’ reply? “I mean, I’ll coach these m———. Guarantee we win gold. Guarantee.” Their partnership on the court already brought gold once, and the idea of them repeating it from the sidelines is tantalizing.

With Steve Kerr unlikely to return, the idea of James and Curry coaching together in 2028 is gaining traction. So, now the ball is in Grant Hill’s court to persuade the Akron natives. The Managing Director for Men’s USA Basketball team previously stated, There’s a narrative that we’re in trouble in ’28, but I look at it as appropriate fear every time we step out there.” With Bron and Curry coaching, with Anthony Edwards and Haliburton being the leaders on court, the fear in the opposition will be instilled again.