USA Basketball has announced the 30 players on its shortlist for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. The squad will be cut to 12 players later this year, thus confirming the American team that will attempt to win a third consecutive gold medal in Brazil.

The announcement confirmed the end of the will-he-won’t-he saga surrounding Kobe Bryant. The two-time Olympic and the five-time NBA champion had previously stated he would not seek to compete in Rio, before saying in November that he had changed his mind. After announcing his retirement with a poem Bryant then reiterated in December that he wanted to end his career at the Olympic Games, despite a loss of form.

But the 37-year-old said on Saturday that he would not play after this season – his 20th in the NBA, all with the LA Lakers – ended. Bryant recounted a conversation in a recent game against Golden State Warriors when Brazilian opponent Leandro Barbosa said: “See you in Rio.” Bryant said: “I just turned around and went, ‘Nah’ and he said, ‘C’mon, man. It’s Rio!’ But I said, ‘Nah man. It’s the young guys’ turn to go play and perform.”

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Bryant will therefore not be going after a hat-trick of Olympic gold, having collected medals at Beijing 2008 and London 2012. That honour will be left to the likes of LeBron James, Chris Paul and Carmelo Anthony to chase.

“I’ll support from afar. If they want me to come down and speak to the guys, I will, but that's about it”

Kobe Bryant

Bryant in action at the London 2012 Games, where he helped the USA defend their title (Photo: Getty Images/Streeter Lecka)

Stephen Curry, currently the leading player in the NBA, is likely to be among the stars in Rio and he has already stated his desire to make an impacet in his Olympic Games, in an interview in which he also compared his playing style to that of Argentine foootball icon Lionel Messi. Another potential headline grabber is Kyrie Irving, who was elected most valuable player at the 2014 World Cup, which the USA won to become the first team to qualify for Rio 2016.

Kyrie Irving dreaming of playing at Rio 2016 Olympic Games

The USA, which has won 14 of the 18 men’s basketball Olympic gold medals contested so far, began its preparations for Rio with a special training camp for 34 players in Laz Vegas last August.

Following Monday’s announcement of the 30-man shortlist, USA head coach Mike Krzyzewski said: “The roster features incredible talent, great balance, outstanding leadership, and I believe like we had with our previous teams, this team will have a special chemistry.”

Check out the full list of 30 players on the shortlist:

LaMarcus Aldridge (San Antonio Spurs)
Harrison Barnes (Golden State Warriors)
Carmelo Anthony (New York Knicks)
Bradley Beal (Washington Wizards)
Jimmy Butler (Chicago Bulls)
Mike Conley (Memphis Grizzlies)
DeMarcus Cousins (Sacramento Kings)
Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors)
Anthony Davis (New Orleans Pelicans)
DeMar DeRozan (Toronto Raptors)
Andre Drummond (Detroit Pistons)
Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder)
Kenneth Faried (Denver Nuggets)
Rudy Gay (Sacramento Kings)
Paul George (Indiana Pacers)
Draymond Green (Golden State Warriors)
Blake Griffin (Los Angeles Clippers)
James Harden (Houstin Rockets)
Gordon Hayward (Utah Jazz)
Dwight Howard (Houston Rockets)
Andre Iguodala (Golden State Warriors)
Kyrie Irving (Cleveland Cavaliers)
LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers)
DeAndre Jordan (Los Angeles Clippers)
Kawhi Leonard (San Antonio Spurs)
Kevin Love (Cleveland Cavaliers)
Chris Paul (Los Angeles Clippers)
Klay Thompson (Golden State Warriors)
John Wall (Washington Wizards)
Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City Thunder)