When Team USA heads to Rio de Janerio to play in the Olympics, LeBron James will likely not be on the roster and won't be playing in his fourth Olympic games.
When asked whether he planned to play in the 2016 Olympics, James told USA Jeff Zillgitt "I don't think so."
Also, when asked he planned to play for U.S. at Rio Olympics, LeBron James said, "I don't think so."
— Jeff Zillgitt (@JeffZillgitt) June 22, 2016
This isn't surprising. He's played in the Finals six years in a row, which means he consistently has a shorter offseason than most NBA players. While this didn't stop him from playing in the 2012 Olympics, he was also four years younger at the time and the 2011-12 season was shortened to 66 games due to a labor dispute.
This is simply a practical decision. LeBron will be 32 years old in December and has played a ton of minutes, so it's prudent for him to conserve his energy so that he can once again perform as the best player in the world during the next playoff run.
This will give someone younger the opportunity to represent Team USA on the world stage, and while it's always a joy to watch LeBron play with a team full of superstars, I think the team will do just fine with another star in his place.