WASHINGTON (CBSDC) – Win or don’t go home.

The U.S. men’s basketball team is again the heavy favorite to bring home the gold medal in London, but that hasn’t stopped Kobe Bryant from saying that the U.S. players should have their citizenship revoked if they don’t win the gold.

Last week in Washington, Bryant, the elder statesman of the men’s national team, offered the extreme idea that the team, the heavy favorites to repeat their gold-medal run in Beijing in 2008, needs to win the gold or shouldn’t be allowed back in the U.S., according to USA Today.

During the Olympic exhibition games for the U.S., Bryant has been vocal in his role as the team’s leader, also suggesting that the 2012 team could beat the storied 1992 Dream Team, led by Michael Jordan.