Charles Barkley made his expectations for the US men’s basketball team clear. 

The legendary NBA player wants to see Team USA return from the Paris Olympics with the gold medal in their possession. Barkley was so steadfast in his belief that he suggested the players should find another country to call home if they somehow fall short of his expectations.

“Listen, if they lose, we can’t let them back in the country,” Barkley said during a recent appearance on Philadelphia 76ers star Paul George’s “P Podcast.” “We can’t. I’ll tell them. You can’t come back.”

Barkley is a two-time Olympic gold medalist. He was a member of the U.S. men’s national basketball team during the 1992 Summer Games in Barcelona. The 1992 team was better known as the “Dream Team.” Barkley and Team USA also won gold on American soil during the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta.

Many fans and others have attempted to draw comparisons between the 2024 edition of the U.S. men’s basketball team and the storied roster from 1992. Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Patrick Ewing, and other all-time basketball greats played on the “Dream Team.”

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This year’s team is led by four-time NBA champion LeBron James and also features 2014 NBA MVP Kevin Durant, Los Angeles Lakers’ forward Anthony Davis, and rising NBA star Anthony Edwards, among others.

Basketball: 1996 Summer Olympics: USA Charles Barkley victorious with medals after winning Men’s Gold Medal Game against Yugoslavia at the Georgia Dome. Atlanta, GA. 8/3/1996 (Manny Millan/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)

On Tuesday, Team USA took another step in the right direction by defeating Brazil in the quarterfinals. The team returns to the court on Aug. 8 for a game against Serbia.

After winning the bronze medal at the Athens Olympics, the men’s basketball team took care of business in the next four games, which were held in Beijing, London, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo.

Leo Meindl of Team Brazil and LeBron James of Team United States in action during the Men’s Quarterfinal match between Team Brazil and Team United States on day eleven of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at the Bercy Arena on August 6, 2024, in Paris, France.  (Tom Weller/VOIGT/GettyImages)

The Americans will have to overcome a strong field of competitors this summer if they want to bring home the gold. Barkley acknowledged the challenges the team faces, but he still does not believe the US team should finish the Summer Games in any place but first.

Kevin Durant of the United States reacts during the Men’s Basketball Quarterfinal match between Brazil and the United States of America on day eleven of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Bercy Arena on August 6, 2024, in Paris, France.  (Daniel Kopatsch/Getty Images)

“Have the international teams gotten better, 100%,” Barkley said. “They still not better than the United States. You take away Joker (Nikola Jokic) and Giannis (Antetokounmpo) and Luka (Doncic). All three guys are great, great players. Shai (Gilgeous-Alexander) is great also, but we still got the next 10 best players in every game.”

Barkley also praised Team USA’s depth.

“Ain’t nobody bringing anybody off the bench better than Jayson Tatum,” Barkley said. Tatum earned All-NBA First Team honors this past season and helped the Boston Celtics win the NBA title in June.

“Ain’t nobody bringing anybody off the bench better than Kevin Durant,” he continued. “The international teams have gotten better, but there’s never an excuse for the United States not to win the gold medal. We got the best team, we’ve got the best players by far.”

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The game was only Clayton Kershaw’s third of the season.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts stressed that point on Tuesday night when revisiting his decision to take out Kershaw in the fifth inning of a promising start against the Philadelphia Phillies.

“It’s about continuing to build up, so then he has a base and a foundation to keep going,” Roberts said. “So, right now, for me, it was an easy one.”

The key words: Right now.

By the time Kershaw takes his next turn in the rotation, the Dodgers might not have the luxury of removing him at the first sign of trouble. By the time they’re in the playoffs, they almost certainly won’t be able to manage him as cautiously as they would a rookie.

Even after a billion-dollar offseason and the acquisition of the best pitcher who was moved at the trade deadline, the Dodgers are back to where they usually are at this time of the year.

They’re back to depending on Clayton Kershaw.

They might not like the idea of staking their season on a 36-year-old who underwent a major shoulder operation over the winter, but their situation leaves them no other choice. In the wake of their 6-2 loss to the Phillies in the second game of their three-game series at Dodger Stadium, their lead over the San Diego Padres in the National League West was down to four games.

Their injury-prone rotation has predictably unraveled, and Kershaw might have to pitch effectively for the Dodgers to have a realistic chance of winning the World Series. Tyler Glasnow and Jack Flaherty will lead their staff for the remainder of the regular season and beyond, but whom do they have behind them? Three starting pitchers will likely be required in the National League Division Series, four in the two series after that.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto has been sidelined for close to two months with a shoulder injury and isn’t expected to return until September. Gavin Stone looks as if he’s wearing down. Walker Buehler aborted his initial attempt to come back from his latest elbow reconstruction. Bobby Miller isn’t even in the major leagues. River Ryan has made only three career starts.

What the Dodgers ask of Kershaw could also be affected by the state of the bullpen. Evan Phillips’ loss of form last month has left the Dodgers without a closer. Brusdar Graterol’s return from a shoulder injury lasted only eight pitches, as Graterol went down with a severe hamstring strain that is expected to end his season. The shortage of bullpen resources has been magnified by the inability of the starters to pitch deep into games. Dodgers starters have registered a combined 577⅔ innings, fifth fewest in the NL.

In other words, the next time Kershaw is in the kind of jam he was in the fifth inning against the Phillies, Roberts might not have a viable arm to replace him. The manager’s only choice might be to have him pitch through it.

Six days after a nightmare start in San Diego in which he lasted only 3⅔ innings and looked finished, Kershaw was a new pitcher on Tuesday. His fastball remained in the low-90s, but he controlled the pitch better and threw a greater number of curveballs, which helped him limit the NL’s top team to one run over 4⅔ innings.

“This guy is the greatest competitor I’ve ever been around,” Roberts said. “He just kind of willed himself to have a quality outing.”

The Phillies had runners on the corners with one out in the fourth inning, but Kershaw escaped by striking out Alec Bohm and forcing J.T. Realmuto to ground out. There was more trouble in the fifth inning when Austin Hays doubled and Brandon Marsh was hit by a pitch. Kershaw finished a nine-pitch at-bat by the persistent Edmundo Sosa with a strikeout, only to give up a run-scoring single to Kyle Schwarber that moved the Phillies in front, 1-0.

There were two outs, but the Phillies had runners on the corners. Up next was a right-handed-hitting All-Star, Trea Turner, who was about to face Kershaw for the third time. Roberts came for Kershaw and replaced him with Joe Kelly, who made Turner line out to center field. The Phillies blew open the game by scoring three runs in the sixth inning.

“You never want to come out of the game, obviously,” said Kershaw, who threw 81 pitches.

Kershaw didn’t direct any frustration at Roberts, however. Rather, he blamed himself for his early departure, mentioning the two hitters who reached base after he backed them into 0-2 counts.

“Just made some dumb mistakes,” Kershaw said. “I just have to figure out how to maintain my pitch count. Obviously, my pitch count will keep getting higher, but you have to figure out how to get through at least five [innings], six or seven at some point.”

Roberts said of how Kershaw was focused on what he could control: “That’s the thing I respect.”

This mindset explains why Kershaw has a chance to be a difference maker when his pitches aren’t as explosive as they used to be. Provided he makes the improvements he wants to make, the Dodgers have an obligation to explore the limits of this version of Kershaw. They owe it not only to him but to the other players as well. To win, they’ll need him.

Charles Barkley will not retire and instead remain with TNT Sports even after it loses the NBA following this upcoming season, TNT announced Tuesday.

Barkley will continue on his 10-year, $210 million contract. He is in the third season of the deal.

“I love my TNT Sports family,” Barkley, 61, said in a statement. “My #1 priority has been and always will be our people and keeping everyone together for as long as possible.”

“We have the most amazing people, and they are the best at what they do,” his statement continued. “I’m looking forward to continuing to work with them both on the shows we currently have and new ones we develop together in the future. This is the only place for me.”

Charles Barkley is NOT retiring and is staying with TNT Sports long term, sources tell @AndrewMarchand. pic.twitter.com/8YpcMEfJyM

— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) August 6, 2024

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Barkley had been a target for ESPN, Amazon Prime Video and NBC, which will begin their 11-year, $77 billion agreements after next season. TNT Sports is trying to stay in business with the NBA by suing the league after the NBA rejected TNT Sports’ offer to match one of the league’s new television deals with Amazon Prime Video.

A week and a half ago, Barkley told The Athletic he was open to staying with TNT Sports if it paid him in full.

“My deal is 10 years, $210 million,” Barkley said in a phone interview at the time. “Turner has to come to me ASAP and they have to guarantee my whole thing or they can offer me a pay cut, which there is no chance of that happening and I’ll be a free agent.”

The two sides now agree that Barkley will not be going anywhere. While TNT Sports is trying its Hail Mary attempt to hold onto the NBA, Barkley will still be utilized on its NCAA Tournament coverage that TNT Sports combines with CBS, while it could explore opportunities with its other properties, including the NHL.

The network is also trying to expand its programming on TNT Sports so it doesn’t seem out of the question that it could either build a new studio program around Barkley or try to keep its iconic “Inside The NBA” together even after next year.

“Charles is one of the best and most beloved sportscasters in the history of television,” TNT Sports chairman Luis Silberwasser said. “I know I speak for all the members of the TNT Sports family when I say we are incredibly thrilled to share this mutual commitment to continue showcasing Charles’ one-of-a-kind talents and entertain fans well into the future.

“We continue to add to the breadth and depth of our sports portfolio — including new properties in the College Football Playoffs, Roland-Garros, NASCAR, BIG EAST college basketball, Mountain West football, among others — and it’s fantastic to have Charles for this journey as we develop new content ideas and shows for our fans.”

Required reading

(Photo: Megan Briggs / Getty Images)