USA Olympic Men's Basketball: Each Player's Alternate Olympic Event or Sport

From the glory days of Ancient Greece to 2012, there was no greater honour for any athlete than to compete and succeed at its generation's incarnation of the Olympic games. The operative word there is "athlete," and for many pundits, being athletic means excelling at multiple sports.

Professional basketball players are among some of the most athletic specimen on the planet. By that definition, this would mean that they should be able to excel in other sports.

I'm not saying LeBron James should give up his spot on the 2012 men's basketball team to go try out for discuss or sprinting.

But let's pretend these guys had to do that. Let's take a look at where our favourite American ballers should've tried to do in the 2012 Olympics if they weren't playing hoops. 

Blake Griffin: Athletics (Track and Field)

I've been a little bit critical of Blake Griffin, but the one thing you cannot take away from is that he is a super-freak athlete and can absolutely jump out of the gym. 

His combination of power, athleticism and leaping ability make him a natural for high jump. We all know basketball players excelling at high jump has happened before; remember Wilt Chamberlain?

Blake may not have ever scored 100 points in a game, but he's definitely got the physical tools to do what the Stilt did. I'd start Blake out as a high jumper. Then, as he develops his skills, he could be a dominant decathlete.  

Kobe Bryant: Soccer

It's well-documented, as seen in the photo above, that Kobe Bryant is a pretty big soccer fan. I think it'd be funny for him to team up with David Beckham on the Los Angeles Galaxy or join forces with Landon Donovan for his country. 

Heck, who wouldn't pay money to see him try out alongside Chad Ochocinco?

In all seriousness, Kobe's incredible length, athleticism and incredible reflexes that have made him a nine-time All Defensive Team selection would give him the tools to be a great goal-keeper for the USA side. 

Andre Iguodala: Weightlifting

Just look at those arms and tell me Andre Iguodala wouldn't be a natural weightlifter. This guy is 6'7" and a solid 215. Granted, this isn't bodybuilding. 

But I don't believe for a second that Iggy can't move a couple of peanuts in the weight room. I'd probably throw him on the cleans because that's the lift that is most transferable and indicative of superior athletic ability. 

Dwight Howard would have been slotted for this event if he was on the team. If we were talking Dream Team, is there even a discussion that Karl Malone would be our guy? 

Tyson Chandler: Swimming

Tyson Chandler is a big man that is powerful for someone who isn't overly bulky. He's got an incredible arm-span which would help him a ton to edge out a rival close behind him in the 400-meter freestyle. 

He's also got one of the narrower waists on the team. That isn't to say Tyson should be on the cover of Seventeen and teaching teenage girls how he lost three inches off of his waist in three weeks. That contributes, along with his slim build, to offer lower drag and improve acceleration against the water.

He'd need to get rid of the 'stache, unfortunately.  

Kevin Love: Beach Volleyball

Come on, this is a home run. For one, Kevin Love actually competed on the PVB tour during the most recent NBA lockout. Second, I couldn't possibly imagine him doing anything else.

Kevin's height makes him a solid blocker, and his soft hands that make him a good three-point shooter for his size would make him an excellent setter. As with all volleyball big men, he'd need to work on his passing.

But to see him bang some sets from Jake Gibb or Sean Rosenthal off the right side would be pretty sweet. 

Kevin Durant: Indoor Volleyball

It'd be weird to see Durant doing anything but stroking threes. And I am double-dipping a bit here, but it's pretty easy to see how basketball and volleyball overlap in terms of physical skills. 

Kevin Durant has ideal size to play middle blocker, and his 7'4'' wingspan would make him an absolute force at the net. USA's Clayton Stanley and Reid Priddy would have a hard time dealing with that length in practice. Same with other international FIVB superstars such as Brazil's GIBA or Italy's Cristian Savani. 

The only concern would be since his arms are so skinny, he might have a problem getting used by more experienced hitters, but an athlete of Durant' s caliber could figure it out. 

Russell Westbrook: Athletics (200 M Dash)

Like Blake Griffin, Russell Westbrook is a freak athlete. Here, I'm not talking about his jumping ability, considerable in its own right.

Westbrook is fast for the NBA, and there's not a point guard in the league that can stay in front of Russ when he's going to the basket. Throw him some spikes, and I don't think it's all that unreasonable to say that Westbrook could be one of the best sprinters in the world.

The only thing that could stop Westbrook? If he got disqualified or beaten up in a foreign country for wearing those god-awful hipster glasses.

James Harden: Boxing

I'm not going to talk about how James Harden has the physical attributes or the nastiness to be a boxer.  I actually am not sure he would be, either. He seems to just be built to be a basketball player. 

But, he looks like Mr.T. That would scare some international opponents, wouldn't it? Wouldn't it be funny if James Harden's "training" was simply getting piercings, jewelry and growing out his facial hair even more? 

Deron Williams: Wrestling

Deron Williams is about 6'2'' and around 210, maybe a little more. That actually puts him around the same size as the last USA "Olympic Hero," Kurt Angle, if only he was three or four inches taller.

He's one of the strongest guards in the league, especially in the lower body. This allows him to post-up and bully smaller guards. He's ridiculously competitive and wouldn't back down from grappling with foreigners. He's probably not scared of them after he banged bodies with them in Turkey. 

Chris Paul: Badminton/Table Tennis

Every badminton or table tennis player I know is ultra-competitive, diminutive, have cat-like reflexes and are the picture of good coordination.

Nobody exemplifies those traits better than Chris Paul. I put either of those sports because I think he's too competitive to be bad at either of them.

He'd actually probably be even better in doubles for either. As long as his teammate didn't quit on him because his expectations were too high.   

Carmelo Anthony: Rowing

This one is kind of random, and Carmelo is the only guy who I didn't find a perfect match for, and other than James Harden, the hardest to pick.

I could see him rowing, doing gymnastics, cycling, for any number of reasons other than it kind of seems like something he'd do. 

He should probably just stick with basketball. 

LeBron James: Anything

We've talked about LeBron possibly being a great football player in the NFL. This guy is just an athlete. If he wasn't the "Chosen One" for basketball, he could probably be a star in any other sport. 

In American sports? He'd be the Jimmy Graham or Jason Pierre Paul on steroids in the NFL. His coordination and power would make him an instant "five-tool" prospect in baseball. I don't know if he can learn to skate, but he'd probably just end up being coherent version of Alex Ovechkin if he did.  

In the Olympics? He'd be an absolute octopus of a goalie for USA. He'd be a Michael Phelps-type swimmer if he slimmed down, but four inches taller and minus the bong chops. He could pick his event in track and dominate. 

If I had to choose something, I think it'd be volleyball. He'd be the best opposite hitter the world has ever seen; no questions asked.