Olympic Champion DeMar DeRozan says “It would definitely be tough to say no” to an invitation to Paris 2024 – Here's why he shouldn’t

“That’s a great question,” United States men's basketball star DeMar DeRozan said as an infectious mix of joy and surprise crept across his face.

Speaking during a post-match press conference at the NBA Paris Game the 33-year-old Chicago Bulls veteran had been asked if he would compete at Paris 2024 should he be invited by USA Basketball, and the question had caught him completely off guard.

“I’d be 34!” A grinning DeRozan continued as he digested the question. “I don’t know that’s a great question. I haven’t thought about it. But being here in Paris and answering that question, how can you turn it down?"

DeMar DeRozan: A perfect team player on the international stage

DeRozan’s surprise at having been asked if he would make another Olympic bid is itself, surprising.

For one, the Bulls man is already an Olympic gold medallist with Team USA having been a member of the star-studded line-up featuring Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and Carmelo Anthony that swept Rio 2016 8-0, lifting the US to its third consecutive Olympic crown.

DeRozan played in seven games in Brazil, averaging 6.6 points and 1.4 rebounds per game while shooting at 59.3 per cent (16-27) from the field and 77.7 per cent (14-18) from the foul line.

While not the most flattering statistics, his presence ultimately transcended any individual scoring efforts. In keeping the on-court chemistry singing, he played his role in letting the US shine, and the gold medal showed it.

Team USA's triumph in Brazil was also not the first major international title DeRozan has been a part of. In 2014 the shooting guard helped his country go 9-0 to clinch the 2014 FIBA World Cup in Spain.

Even before being selected for Rio 2016, the then-Raptors star spoke about the unique nature of Olympic basketball, saying, "if I am not playing I am still part of it because once you join a USA Basketball, it’s about brotherhood. You are in it forever. If I am on it, great, if I am not I’ll still feel like I am on it, and feel proud of the guys representing us out there."

His international basketball proficiency was reflected again when he was named a finalist in the 2021 USA national team and US Olympic men’s basketball team.

Like all squad members, DeRozan had helped prepare the final 12 in the build-up to Tokyo 2020 and was elated when the eventual team won a fourth Olympic gold, defeating France 87-82 in the final.

There might be those that point to DeRozan’s age as the limiting factor when it comes to a Paris bid.

While it is certainly something the basketball player is conscious of, it would unlikely be a reason to exclude him from contention.

Currently averaging 25.4 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.1 assists a game this season for the Bulls while shooting at 50.7 per cent (as of 22 February), the Olympic champion is showing no signs of slowing down on an NBA court.

Playing alongside Tokyo 2020 Olympic gold medallist Zach LaVine in the starting line-up for Chicago, DeRozan recently notched a sixth All-Star Team selection, making the trip to Utah in the recent All-Star break.

If time is having any impact on the guard it only seems to be making him better.

Then there is the fact that two of his US teammates were also in their early thirties when they defended their Olympic title at the Games in Japan.

Dallas Mavericks’ JaVale McGee was 33 in Tokyo, the same age DeRozan is now, while three-time Olympic gold medallist Durant, who led the USA with 29 points in the gold medal game in 2021, would be 35 if he was selected to go to Paris.

And if early signs from Head Coach Steve Kerr are anything to go by, he has every intention of asking the recently traded Phoenix Suns legend to be involved in his future plans.

Before US Basketball can begin contemplating Paris 2024 it must first qualify.

The first opportunity to do that will be at the 2023 FIBA World Cup co-hosted by Japan, Phillippines, and Indonesia taking place later this year.

The winner will earn direct entry to the Games while the top finishers from across the regions will also secure tickets.

With such a rich Olympic basketball pedigree, it would be nearly impossible to imagine a world where Team USA aren’t a favourite for gold, but after finishing in seventh at the last edition of the World Cup and recently having been supplanted by Spain at the top of the FIBA world rankings, the basketball world order is not as a clear cut as it once used to be.

In such times of unknowability, and with the rest of the world in its ascendency, an experienced star burning as consistently bright as DeRozan might be needed now more than ever.