USA basketball stars use social media to offer glimpse of life behind the scenes at Rio 2016
NBA stars are sharing their Rio 2016 experiences on social media and their fans can't get enough
USA basketball players are used to having their photos taken. Increasingly, they're also becoming accustomed to sharing their own photos via social media. (Photo: Rio 2016)
Since NBA players first participated in the Olympic Games back at the Barcelona 1992 Olympic Games, basketball fans around the world have been fascinated by the Dream Team and other USA basketball teams filled with the sport's biggest stars.
Team USA has largely dominated the Olympic men’s basketball tournament since the Barcelona Games, winning five of six gold medals in the NBA era.
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They've also dominated the public imagination, with fans seemingly not able to get enough of following the team's every move off and on the court.
Numerious articles and documentaries have tried to offered an insider's look at the 1992 Dream Team. More recent editions of the USA team have increasingly used social media to offer share their Olympic experience in real time.
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During preparations for the Rio 2016 Games, guard DeMar DeRozan filmed team-mates Jimmy Butler and Kyrie Irving singing along to Vanessa Carlton’s 2002 hit A Thousand Miles. The camera then pans to veteran team-mate Carmelo Anthony who does not look impressed by their singing ability or song selection.
The clip has been viewed nearly one million times on Instagram.
During the London 2012 Olympic Games, USA forward Kevin Love famously shared a photo of his team-mates and head coach Mike Krzyzewski sleeping on a team flight.
USA centre DeMarcus Cousins thinks social media is a perfect outlet for players to share their Olympic experiences away from the court.
"We joke and play around, we’re a like a group of teenagers right now, we laugh and play all day,” he said at a press conference in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday (4 August).
"I can understand why people want to see that side of us often. Usually we’re straightforward about business, getting ready for the game. You never get to see that relaxed side. It’s there, it’s just rare that you get to see it.”
A family affair
USA Basketball director Jerry Colangelo, who has been associated with the team since 2005, is comfortable with players sharing behind-the-scenes glimpses of the team's quest for a gold medal.
“NBA players are probably the most recognizable athletes in the world (or) among them,” he said.
“They’re young people. They want to have a good time. Most of them take care of their business appropriately."
“You have to understand it’s a family,” Colangelo added. “It's a basketball family. Many of the players have known each other for quite a while.
"There’s an intimate relationship that takes place when they’re together for a month with us. Maybe they do it two or three or four times and great relationships take place."
Social media, second screens and video streaming to transform Rio 2016 for viewers around the world
