<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Dwyane Wade is going for gold -- again. Having come up short in the 2004 Olympics, winning a bronze medal with the U.S. Olympic team, Wade has committed to the 2008 U.S. team, which could include three consecutive summers of basketball with the team. Wade said Wednesday he gave his commitment to be was one of 25 players selected to a pool of finalists, 12 of which will eventually be chosen for the final rosters of the 2006 World Championship team and 2008 Olympic teams. Should the U.S. team finish among the top four in the World Championships in Japan, it will automatically qualify for the Olympics and, rather than play in the Olympic qualifying tournament in 2007, will play an exhibition schedule that summer. The idea is for the 2008 U.S. players to have more of a familiarity with each other than in the past. Wade said the idea of three straight summers with the U.S. team was the one factor that made his decision complex. Wade said he spoke with LeBron James, who also has committed to the team, throughout his decision-making process. ''I think we both wanted each other to be there, so we talked to each other about that,'' Wade said. Had Wade, James and the rest of the 2004 Olympic team won gold in Athens rather than bronze, Wade said he likely would be sitting out the Beijing Games. ''I can honestly say if I had gotten [the gold] the first time, it probably would have been a different scenario this time around,'' Wade said. Along with Wade, Shaquille O'Neal has been offered a standing invitation from USA Basketball to join the team, though it's unlikely the Heat center will do so. ''I'm not going to try to convince him,'' Wade said. ``It's going to be hard to convince him anyway, with a new baby on the way. That's something he'll have to decide. I just wanted to make my decision before him, so if that helped [O'Neal] any . . . '' Heat coach Pat Riley said he's not concerned with the prospect of Wade playing with the U.S. team for the next three summers.</div> Source
