NBASports & Politics

David Stern Wants An Age Limit On Olympic Participation, And Kobe Bryant Thinks That’s “Stupid”

It must really sting David Stern to watch the Olympics. “Look at all those American professional basketball players playing basketball, and I’m not making any money off of them!” he might say aloud, if he was particularly villainous. Instead, he simply alluded to it recently by saying 23 should be the age limit for Olympic basketball participants. Kobe Bryant, NBA superstar and resident team old guy, didn’t take kindly to that suggestion.

From ESPN:

“It’s a stupid idea,” Bryant told local reporters at the reception to welcome them to Manchester in advance of Thursday night’s exhibition game here against Team Great Britain. “It should be a (player’s) choice.”

Asked how much he and his Team USA teammates have talked about Stern’s proposal since getting together in Vegas on July 5, Bryant said: “Our discussion is this: Basically, it’s just a dumb idea and we (discuss) it that way.”

Are we really surprised that Bryant, who is far and away the veteran on this team, doesn’t want to be told he’s too old to do something? Telling him that he can’t play in the Olympics because he’s too old would probably make him move to Italy, gain citizenship and spend the next 20 years singlehandedly dominating the American squad, just to prove his point.

Under Stern’s original suggestion, the Olympics would have an age cap (with three overage players, similar to the World Cup), while the FIBA World Championship would have no limits. And here’s the kicker:

That competition [FIBA World Championship] will be renamed the World Cup of Basketball in 2014 and, if eligibility changes also are made, theoretically sets up NBA owners to finally earn a share of revenues in return for allowing their top players to participate. At present, NBA teams get no revenue from the Olympic basketball tournament.

Ah ha! There it is. The real reason for such a “stupid” suggestion. Kobe himself echoed that sentiment in the same interview:

[W]hen asked if he understands the concerns of NBA owners, Bryant scoffed, saying such reservations are motivated by owners merely wanting “to protect their investments.”

Yes, owners want to protect the players they paid so much money for. Is that so bad? How did Clippers fans feel when Blake Griffin went down with that knee injury — did they still love the Olympics then? As this Jeremy Lin saga proved, this is a business, not just a game.

But as anyone who watches basketball can tell you, injuries happen anywhere, anytime. They happen in the Olympics, and they happen on the street ball courts of America, and they happen when you’re eating pancakes. On the other hand, playing in the Olympics is a rare opportunity and an honor. Chris Paul called it “the greatest experience of my life.” How are the owners going to argue with that?

Oh, right, the business-not-a-just-game thing. And speaking of business — or, as Knicks fans call it, that which is stupid…

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