USA Basketball sent the best possible men's and women's basketball teams to the 2024 Olympics to ensure that the United States stays dominant on the international scene. But while it's impressive to see the lineups that USAB has assembled, the cost to get them to Paris is just as stunning.
Forbes.com staff writer Justin Birnbaum researched how much USAB spends to make its own arrangements for the two basketball teams, and Birnbaum revealed a massive two-and-a-half-week budget.
"We estimate that the total cost there is $15 million," Birnbaum said on Forbes Talks. "It includes all these different things like travel, chartering, lodging, transport. When you're not inside the Olympic Village, you have to arrange a lot of your logistics, whether it's getting to practices and games, there's a lot of associated costs."
The men's team alone is worth $600 million
According to Birnbaum, the main expense is the cost of their accommodation. For the 2024 games, USA Basketball has rented out an unnamed 800-room hotel in the heart of Paris. Since Team USA is playing its group stage games in Lille, two hours north of the capital, it has also rented a five-star hotel there. Given the status of the players on the teams, the first-class accommodation is justified.
The men's team alone is composed of 12 players who made an aggregate $600 million during the last NBA season. This includes 39-year-old Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James , who ranked fourth on Forbes' list of the highest-paid athletes of 2024 with $48.2 million in NBA salary and $80 million in endorsements and other income.
"You're talking about some very, very famous and very rich individuals," added Birnbaum. "Security is a massive concern. I remember seeing from years ago when the team was in Beijing for the '08 Olympics, Kobe Bryant was mobbed anywhere he went on the streets. This is an important thing, you obviously want to keep them safe, but there are other factors as well."
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Advantages of staying in a separate venue
With their own arrangements, the teams have more control over things like practices and schedule times. The players can also have their families with them since visits aren't allowed in the Olympic Village. More importantly, staying in their own hotel gives the basketball teams the privacy they need to focus on the goal at hand.
"These guys are massive celebrities, and to some degree, it's nice that they enjoy meeting other people of different expertise. But they are there to do a job, and they want to win gold. Keeping it distraction-free is probably a really high priority," said Birnbaum.
Among the U.S. athletes in any Olympics, the basketball teams, especially men, arguably have the most pressure to win the gold medal. Given their status as millionaires, the $15 million cost is small. However, given that basketball accounts for only two gold medals, one for men and one for women, it's such a massive amount to spend.
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