With LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Team USA starring at London Olympics ... - New York Daily News

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With Kobe Bryant (c.), Carmelo Anthony (r.) and Kevin Durant wearing red, white and blue this summer, the NBA gains added international exposure in London.

Let the Summer Games begin â€" and let the NBA brand dominate the scene in London, as it is almost guaranteed to do.

Or to put it another way, the summer of 2012 for the NBA sure beats the summer of 2011.

Just a year ago, the NBA was in total lockdown mode, with its players entering the second month of a contentious and costly five-month lockout. The only talk about the NBA was the sleep-inducing arguments over the split of revenues, competitive balance and future luxury-tax levels, along with the possibility of losing a big chunk of the 2011-12 season. Once the two sides reached an agreement on a new labor deal, the latter was realized with the loss of 20 percent of the season, costing owners and players about $400 million.

But this summer couldn't be going any better for David Stern, his 30 owners and the league's 450 players. The NBA logo is ready to dwarf Big Ben for the next two weeks. A record 57 NBA players â€" 39 current and 18 former â€" will be playing in London, filling spots on 11 of the 12 Olympic rosters. In all, 20 of the league's 30 teams will be represented.

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Brazil’s Nene, who plays for the Wizards, is one of 39 active NBA players competing in London.

"Where the NBA is today versus where it was last year, it's night and day,'' said Marc Ganis, president of SportsCorp Ltd., the Chicago-based sports business consulting firm. "The Summer Olympics is the greatest free advertising the NBA can have, and because of the way NBC will be highlighting men's basketball, it will be the dominant storyline of the entire Games, even more than it was four years ago in China. The Olympics is a marvelous international platform that the NBA could never replicate on its own. The NBA will be getting maximum exposure. It's just perfect timing for the league.”

The favorites to repeat as gold medal champions, Team USA won't travel alone as it competes and tries to get to the championship game, to be played on Closing Ceremonies Day on Aug. 12. Along the way, there will be constant comparisons to the '92 Dream Team, triggering more debate and more talk about the NBA.

Plus, Stern has floated out the idea that he'd like to change the current system of picking the league's superstars to play for Team USA by placing NBA players only 23 years and younger on the roster. Because of how the league prospers in the Olympics, putting an end to the “Dream Team” concept is sure to continue to inspire even more debate about the NBA long after these Games end.