Sports James set to miss Worlds 2010-Apr-2 09:03:47
NEW YORK - LeBron James has a busy summer ahead. Maybe too busy to play basketball.
Cleveland's superstar said on Wednesday night that he's "probably not playing" for Team USA this summer at the World Championships in Turkey. James, who was a captain on the US team that won a gold medal at the Beijing Games in 2008, is eligible for free agency after the season and is scheduled to film a movie.
His crammed itinerary may make it impossible to play for his country for the third time. James also was a member of the 2004 Olympic team in Athens.
"I've got a really, really, really, really, really busy summer," James said about an hour before tip-off against the Milwaukee Bucks. "I would love it if I had the opportunity and the time to play to represent my country and go out there and do that. But there's a lot of things I need to take care of first."
So will he play?
"It's very, very shady right now," he said. "I'm probably not playing. There are a lot of decisions I need to make this summer before I decide to get back out on the court."
USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo said he won't worry about who is playing until July, when the Americans report to training camp. He was already aware that players such as James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh might be unavailable while dealing with free agency.
