Lakers forward LeBron James and Warriors guard Stephen Curry might not be able to participate in the upcoming Olympics now. Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Report: NBA stars less likely to compete in 2021 Tokyo Olympics

By Erin Walsh | Last updated 8/8/20

The 2020 Tokyo Olympics were pushed back until 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic, and while it originally wasn’t going to affect the NBA, it appears it now will.

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, confidence in both American and international NBA players participating in next summer’s Olympics is decreasing.

The United States would be the main team affected by this news. USA Basketball announced a 44-man preliminary roster in February that included the likes of Stephen Curry, LeBron James, James Harden, Jaylen Brown, Kawhi Leonard and Kyrie Irving. It’s unclear which players from the group would still be in consideration to compete.

List of 44 for @usabasketball pic.twitter.com/zYlTxtWl09
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) February 10, 2020

Wojnarowski also adds that the NBA is considering pushing back the start date of the 2020-21 season. If they do so, it's almost certain that the season will conflict with the Olympics, which would cause players to have to make some difficult decisions.

The league is considering beginning the campaign in January, February or March versus December so fans can attend games...provided it's safe to do so.

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