No doubt about it, Team USA and Devin Booker are having a moment after winning gold at the Olympic Games in Paris this summer. The coming together of LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry (somehow his first games), making it cool to forgo a summer holiday and represent your country.
The outpouring of love for Booker has come as a result of how willingly he accepted his role on the road to gold. Sure he could have put up 30 most games, but he instead backed up his "I'll do it" claims by defending at a high level and playing superbly amongst the galaxy of stars he found himself.
One teammate in Paris clearly took notice, and already can't wait to do it all over again with Book.
Nestled in amongst the fantastic video Booker dropped about his experience - which you can check out in full on his Instagram page - was the clip of Anthony Edwards saying in the aftermath of winning that "Me and Book running the show in L.A., you know what I mean?"
I’ll do it.
— Book (@DevinBook) August 20, 2024
Full vid on IG pic.twitter.com/knYkk4M14Y
Clearly then Edwards fully expects that Booker and himself are going to be together again in four years, and there's enough reason to believe this wasn't Edwards getting caught up in the moment either. If nothing else, Team USA is definitely going to need Booker in Los Angeles, where the pressure will be as high as ever to retain their crown.
That group is also going to be without James and Durant - who it is likely will both be retired - while Curry has already said this was a one and done experience for himself. Which will leave the then 31-year-old Booker as one of the old heads, as he seeks what will be a third gold medal.
With Jayson Tatum not having the Olympic Games that a newly minted champion expects, the importance of having an elite scorer who also knows how to play a role will be even more important. Booker isn't exactly going down the Carmelo Anthony route of becoming known for his national runs every cycle, but there's no doubt Durant's GOAT status for Team USA has rubbed off on him.
Where does Edwards factor in all of this? He's already said he'll be there, and he might be the face of the league by that point. He appears the spiritual successor to Durant - the man just wants to hoop - and he'll only turn 27-years-old the week after the games end. It's also nice to see Edwards want to play with Booker, having spent the summer hanging out of Durant. Only 10 roster spots left for L.A.