NBA News Roundup, Saturday, September 14th: Skip Bayless says LeBron James is no longer a Top-10 NBA player, Shaun Livingston retires and more

LeBron's status as one of the NBA's best players has been questioned
LeBron's status as one of the NBA's best players has been questioned

Kobe Bryant says Team USA is no longer the dominant force in International basketball

Kobe Bryant was a fixture for Team USA during his career
Kobe Bryant was a fixture for Team USA during his career

Team USA entered the 2019 World Cup on a 53-game tournament winning streak, although the team was eliminated at the quarter-finals stage by France before also being defeated by Serbia. Much has been made of the USA's underwhelming roster and Kobe Bryant believes that rival nations have managed to bridge the gap:

It's not a matter of the rest of the world catching up to the U.S., it's that the rest of the world has been caught up for quite some time. And it's to the point now where us in the U.S. are going to win some, we're going to lose some. And that's just how it goes.

Much of the NBA's top talent withdrew from the tournament, although big names such as Draymond Green have stated their intent to play at next summer's Olympics.

Quick Links