Westbrook, Harden eye Tokyo

Of course that’s one of my goals, to represent the USA and this beautiful country at the Games.

JAMES Harden seeks a third straight Olympic gold medal. AFP

WASHINGTON (AFP) — Two-time reigning NBA scoring champion James Harden and fellow Houston Rockets guard Russell Westbrook said Friday they want to play for the United States at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Speaking to reporters a day before the NBA club opens training camp for the 2019-20 campaign, seven-time NBA All-Star Harden made it clear he wants a chance at a third consecutive gold medal after helping US title runs in 2012 and 2016.

“Of course that’s one of my goals, to represent the USA and this beautiful country at the Games,” Harden said.

Westbrook said he also wants to be a part of the American squad of NBA stars that will attempt to capture a fourth consecutive gold medal and a seventh in eight tries since NBA talent first competed in the Olympics in 1992 at Barcelona with the Michael Jordan-led “Dream Team.”

After settling for bronze at the 2004 Athens Olympics, the Americans created a national team program and returned to Olympic supremacy.

But with many high-profile players skipping this month’s Basketball World Cup in China, the US team of NBA players settled for seventh, barely booking an Olympic berth and raising questions about how well even an elite US NBA squad would fare in Japan next year.

That prompted Tokyo Olympics commitments by Golden State guards Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson and four-time NBA All-Star guard Damian Lillard of Portland even before the Rockets’ starting backcourt joined them.