Luca Dugaro / Basketball Forever (DR)

Reigning Olympic champion, the Team USA squad will obviously be closely scrutinized ahead of the Paris Olympics.

A recent particularly unusual decision by the American federation has stunned French fans… and that is understandable.

Only fourth in the last World Championships after having already been only 7th in 2019, Team USA wants to set the record straight.

The American selection has not given up its place on the Olympic throne for two decades, but other competitions have shown that international competition is gradually eating into the gap.

The Paris Games are therefore logically approached with the greatest seriousness.

We can particularly mention the XXL roster that the United States will send to France next July, probably the most terrifying of the last decade, but the managers also want to put the players in the best possible conditions.

However, the choice of the location of preparation for the Olympics for Team USA triggered a real buzz on social networks… and for good reason:

Tourcoing, future HQ of Team USA for the Paris Olympics

No, you are not dreaming: it is Tourcoing, a small town of around 97,000 inhabitants located in the north of France which will welcome LeBron James and others, in order to prepare for the defense of the Olympic title.

A setting as unusual as it is amusing chosen by the leaders of the American federation and which obviously stunned the French fans:

In the space of a few weeks, Tourcoing will therefore become a real place of interest for basketball fans and even more so the American public. We’re just waiting to see LeBron James, Stephen Curry & co. interact with the local population!