There was a time when the USA sent its top college players to compete in the Olympics and stay in the Olympic Village, where meeting other athletes from around the world and forging a brotherhood within the village was part of the experience.
Since the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, when the Dream Team hit the Olympic scene and their celebrity transcended traditional Olympic participants, the U.S. men’s basketball team has consistently stayed in luxury hotels outside the Olympic Village.
In a previous article we noted that the list of highest-paid Olympians, were dominated by Team USA, so there’s a lot of money moving around in Paris and these guys are used to the best accommodations.
The team even used luxury cruise ships for accommodation in the 2004 Athens Olympics and the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics. These lodging choices ensure player security, maintain optimal conditioning and allow unrestricted family visits.
Team USA Rents 800-Room Luxury Hotel
According to the report, Team USA rented an 800-room luxury hotel in Paris. This hotel is large enough to accommodate the players and coaching staff, their families, support staff, team officials, and NBA executives.
Forbes notes that Team USA opts for top-notch accommodations primarily for security and conditioning. Staying in external lodging provides several benefits, including access to the best possible diet, unrestricted family visits, and easy resolution of room assignment issues, reportedly costing in excess of $15 million.
They’ve made a sizable investment to offer options like luxury cottages, private rooms, or even a 6-bedroom private house with a pool.
The cardboard box beds in the Olympic Village, designed to discourage hookups between athletes and are only six feet long, certainly don’t help either.
Kevin Durant spoke fondly of Olympic Village, but living in the lap of luxury takes precedence over walking among the people.
“The last few times I’ve done the Olympics, we’ve spent our fair share in the Olympic Village and felt like a part of the group there,” Durant said. “We stay outside of it, but we get our time right before the Opening Ceremony. As we go to other sports as well, we get to walk through the village. So I think we get enough time there.”
Men’s and Women’s Team USA Basketball Teams Have Plush Accommodations
No expense is spared when it comes to the Team USA Men’s team. The women’s team share the same luxurious accommodations, including five-star hotels and shuttle service between Paris, as they seek to reach the gold medal game on Aug. 10.
Security issues arose at the 2008 Beijing Olympics when a large crowd of fans gathered outside the USA basketball team’s hotel to catch a glimpse of the late great Kobe Bryant. Since then, they have implemented even stricter security measures and made the players even more inaccessible.
Team USA also helps other sports teams by offering any available extra rooms to athletes from different disciplines. For example, during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, U.S. golfers stayed at the same hotel.
Team USA features NBA stars like LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant for the Paris Olympics. Their combined earnings in 2023 totaled $600 million.
