Team USA’s millionaire basketballers to stay in luxury ship at Rio 2016 rather than share bedroom in athletes’ village

Athletes at the Rio 2016 will be cooped up in the athletes village where they will share rooms with other athletes, unless of course you’re millionaire NBA basketballer. Members of Team USA’s basketball contingent to Brazil have rented a luxury cruise ship and it comes complete with 7ft comfy beds.

The ship named Silver Cloud is moored in the Port of Rio and a bulletproof glass fence has been erected in the area to keep out intruders while 250 federal police officers are on alert keeping a watchful eye.

‘Nobody can get near the boat without invitation’ said one security official.

The special treatment doesn’t stop there, the players will have their own chefs, concierge services on hand and a fleet of cars to ferry them under armed guard around Rio and to training courts.

A team official said: ‘If they stayed in the athletes’ village, they might be troubled for autographs even from the athletes and media. That would not be fair to them. They are very accommodating to fans when they can, but these are the Olympics.’