Shaquille O'Neal believes the US team is not in trouble after several close calls at the Olympics

Recently, LeBron James and the U.S. national team won the gold medal at the Paris Olympics with a convincing victory over France. To get to this point, however, the U.S. national team had to overcome several close losses to other Olympic teams, including a thrilling game against South Sudan and a 17-point deficit to Serbia in the semifinals.

Despite winning the gold medal, there was no doubt at the conclusion of the tournament that the rest of the world is now officially closer to the United States in terms of talent than ever before, especially given that the roster that Team USA fielded was comprised almost entirely of future Hall of Famers.

However, one person is not worried about Team USA's future prospects, according to his own The Big Podcast: former NBA MVP Shaquille O'Neal.

“I don’t even pay attention to the Olympics… [My cousin] said: “The world was getting closer.” I don’t think that’s the case. The fact that [USA Basketball won] 97-95, they beat South Sudan by just one point [possession]”Come on, brother,” O'Neal said.

What does the future hold for the USA basketball team?

It is very likely that the three greatest performers of this year's USA basketball championship run – LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant – will not be present at the next Summer Olympics, which are scheduled to take place in Los Angeles in 2028.

James, Durant and Curry will all be over 40 by the time these games play out, and the NBA currently has a new generation of American stars who are considered key pieces on this team.

Some of them, including Anthony Edwards, Tyrese Haliburton and Jayson Tatum (depending on how scarred he was by being benched at times this year), were on the team this year and will likely be back next time.

Meanwhile, up-and-coming NBA talents like Paolo Banchero of the Orlando Magic and Tyrese Maxey of the Philadelphia 76ers could also have a good chance of landing a spot on this team.

It's worth remembering that the gap between the United States and the rest of the world will likely be even smaller at that point, as French phenomenon Victor Wembanyama could well be among the all-time greats at that point – in addition to the immense talent in other countries.

Even if this was the last Olympic appearance for Durant, Curry and LeBron, it was certainly a sight to behold.