While most athletes participating in the Olympics expect to stay in the Olympic Village, members of Team USA 's basketball have been afforded some special luxuries. According to Justin Birnbaum of Forbes , both the men's and women's basketball players of Team USA are staying at an undisclosed luxury Paris Hotel, which costs about $15 million for around 700 rooms that are being used.
While some might think that this sets a bad precedent, this has been the case for over 30 years now.
Ever since the Olympics allowed professional players to participate in 1992, Team USA has opted to house their players in luxury accommodations, presumably as the star players of the NBA and WNBA are accustomed to a certain lifestyle when away from home.
Team USA's men's roster hosts a litany of NBA superstars, who when combined together, will earn a little over $500 million next season from their massive NBA contracts. That kind of money means that they expect a certain level of quality from their accommodation.
At the 2004 and 2016 Olympics, USA Basketball chose to have players stay in massive cruise ships docked at the ports of these cities, and at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, they opted for a luxury hotel, much like they have this time around, for their players.
USA Basketball has always paid top dollar for their athletes to have the best accommodation possible.
It is a stark contrast to what other athletes representing the United States are afforded, as most other sporting organizations aren't spending more than $400,000 to send their contingents to the Olympics.
For example, USA Fencing and USA Weightlifting raise money through their own funds and public fundraisers to provide housing outside of the Olympic Village for their players.
The way the process of selecting off-site accommodations is quite complex. The USOPC (United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee) will visit a future host site about six years before the tournament, in order to understand what arrangements need to be made from a travel, housing, and facilities standpoint.
Upon completing the assessment and establishing their options, the USOPC will invite USA Basketball to visit the city, so that they can make the final call for their private arrangements within the city.
One might wonder where USA Basketball gets the money for such high-level accommodations. They generate a lot of their own revenue, earning $78 million in the last four financial years, of which $38 million is earned from their licensing deal with the NBA, and $15.5 million coming from their winnings at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
Team USA Needs To Have Great Private Accommodation
While it may be seen as a luxury, it is understandable why USA Basketball takes on this cost. Their teams often have some of the most well-known athletes in the world.
This year, LeBron James , Stephen Curry , and Kevin Durant - three players who have been faces of the NBA globally - are on the team, and will attract massive crowds. For security reasons, it makes sense why USA Basketball makes such a luxurious investment.
On top of that, the private accommodation also allows USA Basketball athletes to have better control over their schedule, and the nutrition that is required to sustain their physical fitness.
Even further, a huge benefit of this off-site accommodation allows family members of athletes to come visit, and even stay with the players, something they are not allowed to do at the Olympic Village, which is only accessible by athletes and coaches.
This doesn't mean that the players don't get to visit the Olympic Village and participate in the camaraderie among the world's best athletes. Kevin Durant told USA Today that they do visit the village when they get some free time, and get to walk through the village when they're going to support other American athletes at different sports.
“We stay outside of it, but we get our time right before the opening ceremony,” said Durant. “As we go to other sports as well, we get to walk through the village. So I think we get enough time there.”
At the end of the day, USA Basketball wants to keep their athletes comfortable and in the zone, so that they can focus on the larger goal at hand - winning the Olympic gold medal. Team USA took one step further in the quest for that, as they vanquished South Sudan in their second game yesterday.
The celebrations in Team USA's unnamed luxury hotel will be quaint but enjoyable, as the players get ready for their next test - Puerto Rico on Saturday.
Related: Steve Kerr Breaks Down Why Joel Embiid Was Benched For Team USA Win Over South Sudan
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