James commits to '08 Olympics

PHOENIX (AP) -- LeBron James has committed to playing for the U.S. team at this year's world championships and the 2008 Olympics, the head of USA basketball said Saturday night.
"It's officially official in his case and I know he's excited about it," said Jerry Colangelo, managing director of USA Basketball. "He's obviously one of the core guys you want because of his talent, his age, his maturity at a very young age."
Colangelo met with James before the Cleveland Cavaliers played the Phoenix Suns, but thought the 21-year-old Cavs' star already had committed in a meeting in Chicago on Dec. 22. However, James was quoted as saying he still had to talk to Colangelo before making any commitment.
"So I visited with him about a half-hour ago to confirm that everything's OK and absolutely it is," Colangelo said. "He said 'Well, what should I tell the media?' and I said 'Tell them you're in, because that's what I'm going to tell them.'"
James declined to talk with reporters before the game.
Past experience
He was part of the U.S. team that struggled to win a bronze medal at the Athens Olympics in 2004, but saw limited playing time for coach Larry Brown's team. He played in eight games, averaging 5.4 points and 11.4 minutes per contest.