NBA's Jared Dudley -- Flip Flops On Kobe Bryant ... Put Him On Team USA (VIDEO)

Washington Wizard Jared Dudley just pulled a 180 on Kobe Bryant -- calling him a LOCK for Team USA ... even though he recently said free agent superstars were avoiding Kobe like the plague.

Dudley was leaving Greystone in WeHo when we asked if the Mamba should rep USA in the Olympics next year ... with younger players like Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kenneth Faried. Some critics feel Kobe's getting a little long in the tooth.

Check out the clip, 'cause Jared sounds like the head cheerleader for Kobe -- which is interesting since just 3 months ago he said Kobe's ball-hogging and attitude was killing the Lakers' attempts to recruit new blood. Now he's calling him a "legend."

Hmmm ... maybe someone's looking to score an invite to Kobe's 37th birthday next week.