The USA basketball team has a very real chance of winning a gold medal in the 2012 London Olympics, following an announcement made on Thursday that Lebron James is looking forward to play for his country in the championships.

The Miami Heat forward joins the ranks of 5-time NBA champion Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul, who have all made their desire to play at the Olympics known.

The USA team will be seeking to reclaim the gold medal won at the 2008 Beijing Olympics where James, Bryant, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh played. The USA team had made it to the Olympics by defeating Turkey in the FIBA World Championships hosted in Istanbul.

The four, along with Carmelo Anthony also played in the 2008 Redeem Team, which clinched gold. They, however, did not play in the World Championships for a myriad of reasons.

This will be the acclaimed MVP’s third time to play for his country and in a statement that showed his determination and desire to raise the American flag, he said that only his health could be an obstacle to his being part of the Olympic team.

Image Credit: