Deron Williams promised to come back for Olympic gold

Basketball star Deron Williams breezed into London yesterday – and promised to come back for Olympic gold.

The New Jersey Nets point guard tops the bill against the Toronto Raptors at the O2 arena tomorrow night, the first regular-season NBA game to be staged in Europe.

And Williams, who has twice made the NBA’s coveted All Star line-up, has set his heart on an encore with the USA Dream Team.

D-Will sized up the 18,700-seater venue for the London 2012 hoops ­showpiece and said: “Winning the gold medal in Beijing in 2008 was my greatest moment, and I would love to accomplish something similar here.

“I’m signed up and available if they want me back, it’s where every basketball player dreams of playing.”

Williams, nursing a wrist injury and jet-lag, missed the Nets’ works outing to watch Chelsea beat Manchester United.

But he expects to be fit – and wide awake – for the double-header with the Raptors on ­consecutive nights, although the adjustment to a five-hour time difference has not been welcomed by all.

Nets head coach Avery Johnson shrugged off jet-lag as an excuse, saying: “It’s exciting to be exploring new horizons for the sport in such a cosmopolitan city.”