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09
Sep
Sep
The end has come. It’s an ending that leaves us all questioning where we were when American basketball reached its nadir. For me, I was perched in front of my television in the sun-soaked enclave of The Villages, Florida. I found myself yelling at the screen, bemoaning the lack of fundamental skills as I witnessed the unimaginable: Germany, a nation that had never quite surpassed the United States in any athletic endeavor, save, regrettably, for some dark episodes in history, was delivering the knockout blow to American basketball in the 2023 FIBA World Cup.
Yes, you read that correctly. Team USA’s dreams came crashing down in a heart-wrenching semi-final match in the Philippines, with a final score of 113-111. But let’s not be fooled by the numbers – it wasn’t even that close. The Americans trailed by a staggering 12 points in the fourth quarter, and Dennis Schröder delivered the proverbial dagger with a mere 40 seconds left on the clock, giving Germany a six-point cushion.
Where do we even begin to dissect this debacle? This wasn’t the first setback for Team USA in the tournament. In the preliminary rounds, they suffered a loss to Lithuania, a nation with a population smaller than some American cities, led by Jonas Valančiūnas, who has averaged a modest 13 points per game throughout his NBA career.
The pundits tried to console us. “It’s okay,” they said. “Lithuania is a formidable team! Consider this a wake-up call. The rest of the world is catching up, and remember, this isn’t even the cream of the American basketball crop!”
Team USA got cooked by this guy lmao
— thefifthelemet (@thisisfaton) September 8, 2023
But should it have to be? After all, a staggering three-quarters of NBA players hail from the United States. If the NBA was genuinely the pinnacle of basketball, shouldn’t that have been sufficient to assemble a roster of championship-caliber athletes?
The Team USA lineup was a showcase of rising young stars: Tyrese Haliburton from Indiana, Mikal Bridges from Brooklyn, Brandon Ingram from New Orleans, Paolo Banchero from Orlando, Jalen Brunson from New York, and Anthony Edwards from Minnesota. Yet, even with this talent, they couldn’t overcome a German squad boasting a mere four NBA players and a coach from Finland.
It’s said that the rot starts from the top, and in this instance, it’s hard to overlook the notorious figure of Steve Kerr, a man whose championship rings owe more to the greatness of Michael Jordan and Stephen Curry than his own coaching prowess. The NBA has morphed into a realm of political correctness, and it was led into this abyss by its most politically correct coach.
Once upon a time, the NBA was a paragon of hard work, grit, fundamentals, a touch of hidden athleticism, and sheer passion. But now, it’s become a gathering of athletes lamenting that they have to play too much and aren’t paid enough.
The league appears to be beyond redemption. The project seems lost. It’s an ending that forces us to contemplate radical measures: perhaps the NBA should disband immediately, Adam Silver should be held accountable, and a new league should rise from the ashes, one that will truly Make Team USA Great Again.
