A luxury cruise ship called the Silver Cloud is anchored in Rio de Janeiro, serving as the temporary Olympic home of the US basketballers, and as a reminder that the team outshines its rivals in every aspect.
Although the squad of NBA players representing the United States at the Summer Olympics admit that they are the stars and favourites in Rio, they make an effort to appear humble.
Team leader Carmelo Anthony, who makes his fourth Olympic appearance at these Games, said the beds were too short for basketball players on the ship, just like in the Olympic village where the other teams are staying. “I think we are all having sleeping problems,” he told reporters in Rio yesterday.
US players were looking forward to mingling with other athletes in the Olympic village, the four-time Olympian added.
The New York Knicks player was less humble about his ambitions in Rio though. “My goal is to lead this team to a gold medal and enjoy the process and enjoy the journey,” Anthony said. “We go out there, we play our own game, we do what we do, we try not to worry about anybody else,” the forward added.
The US has won 14 out of 17 Olympic tournaments, and they plan to improve that record at the 2016 Olympics, where they will play their
first match against China today.
So, is there anything that can stop the US from winning in Rio? “I don’t know. Nothing,” Anthony’s teammate Kyrie Irving said, even though they have to make do without stars such as LeBron James and Stephen Curry.
Coach Mike Krzyzewski nevertheless stressed that “we have the utmost respect for the game and for the international community. We know that there are great basketball players all over the world.”
Nearly 50 National Basketball Association (NBA) athletes are participating in Rio, of which only 12 play for the US. Australia, Brazil and France have significant numbers of NBA athletes.
US player Klay Thompson named these teams as some of the toughest competitors at these Olympics, along with Serbia and Spain. The Golden State Warrior shooting guard is among the many Olympic first-timers from the US in Rio.
He acknowledged that the US team must act as one and not as a collection of stars if it wants to triumph once again. “We realise that individual numbers and performances don’t really matter unless you win a gold medal, so we all put our egos aside and we just really wanna take the gold back to the United States,” he said.
Such unity also carries a political message, Anthony said. “From a career standpoint, this is a major step for me and the guys to come on here and represent our country, especially during times where so much is going on back in our country,” he said.
Anthony has previously called on other athletes to be politically active on issues that have been roiling the US, such as police violence and race. The team would “represent our country and be united and show the rest of the world that we are united, regardless of what’s going on,” he added.
Staying on the cruise ship Silver Cloud is a major step up from their fellow Olympians in the athletes village. The US men’s collection of millionaire NBA stars arrived by plane on Wednesday, getting a good look at the famed Christ the Redeemer statue overlooking the Olympic host city.
 “It was so dark and then it was lit up,” said US star Kevin Durant. “It was like Jesus was flying over us. I want to go back and see it up close.”
 Then they checked into luxury accommodations on a 196-cabin cruise ship similar to one used by the US team in 2004 at Athens. “It’s pretty cool,” said Durant. “We’re in a hotel on water.”
 US guard Thompson, whom Durant will play alongside next season at Golden State as well as for the next two weeks, likes the balcony views.
 “It’s nice. It’s like staying at a hotel,” Thompson said. “We’ve all got our own rooms. We’ve got a game room. I like the balcony. You can get out and see the water and see the scenery of Rio.”
 Extra security precautions surround the US squad, the cruise ships being another layer of protection for NBA talent that has proven among the most popular at any Olympics since the 1992 original ‘Dream Team’.
 “It’s good. We live life. Like when you go home, except on a boat,” US guard Kyrie Irving said.
 “I wouldn’t necessarily call it a cruise ship. It’s just a private environment for the USA basketball national team for women’s and men’s, our coaching staff.
 “And then we have a cruise ship almost right next to us that has our family and friends. It’s pretty cool for me. I enjoy sitting on my balcony, kind of looking out at the water.”
 He and other US stars hope to see some Olympic events. Irving wants to see swimming while forward Carmelo Anthony wants to see the Brazil football squad.
 Anthony, seeking a men’s record third gold medal and his fourth overall, likes having a bed long enough to avoid having his feet dangle over the end.
And then there’s Andrew Bogut, who had been Thompson’s teammate at Golden State this past NBA season. He recovered from a serious leg injury to compete for Australia in Rio and is staying with the Boomers in the athletes village.
 Bogut, one of six NBA players on the Aussie squad, has been pointing out the troubles in the village on Twitter, single beds and torn shower curtains among the setbacks. “Putting together a shower curtain so we can shower and not flood the place,” Bogut tweeted with a photo of him working on the curtain.
 He has taken to posting dispatches with the hashtag IOCLuxuryLodging to poke at the International Olympic Committee officials and their likely more luxurious digs.
 “At IOCLuxuryLodging we believe a bed is not vital for sleep. Fine tuned athletes can sleep standing up,” Bogut tweeted. “IOCLuxuryLodging will not comment on our delegates penthouse villas in downtown Rio.”
 After that stirred the social media pot, Bogut later posted: “People today really struggle with 2 things: Sarcasm and sarcasm,” that fuelled more comments.