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The 2008 U.S. Olympic Basketball Team, Team USA, are confident and ready to take the gold medal!

Team USA chatted freely about winning gold at the Beijing Games and rejected suggestions of complacency as they jetted into Chinese territory on Monday to begin their Olympic preparations in earnest.

Star forward LeBron James, back to fitness after an ankle sprain, Dwayne Wade and Carmelo Anthony all expressed confidence about the big prize despite an international drought stretching back to Sydney 2000. “I will be playing here in Macau and in Shanghai preparing myself to get ready for Beijing,” said James of the Cleveland Cavaliers. We’re going to use these matches to get better every day, every second we’re on the basketball court, to come together to be the team we need to be to win the gold medal.”

Kobe Bryant on Tuesday said winning Olympic gold was more important than the NBA title, as he bids to polish his legacy by returning Team USA to world basketball supremacy.

The triple NBA champion, who heads a star-studded line-up hotly tipped to end an eight-year international drought, answered immediately when asked which prize mattered more.

“Gold medal,” said Bryant.

Team USA will play Turkey and Lithuania on Thursday and Friday and then will go on to face Russia and Australia in Shanghai.

Team USA consists of NBA superstars, Dwayne Wade, Chris Paul, Lebron James, Carmelo Anthony, Jason Kidd, Kobe Bryant, Tayshaun Prince, Dwight Howard, Carlos Boozer, Chris Bosh, Michael Redd, and Deron Williams. Mike Krzyzewski is the head coach.

For more information on Team USA visit www.nba.com/usabasketball

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