Team USA scraped by for the second game in a row with a 92-88 win over Germany, thanks to none other than LeBron James, as the captain helped the U.S. men's basketball squad finish off their exhibition showcase games 5-0 ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
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On a roster stacked full of NBA superstars, there is unquestionably one leader on Team USA. That is to say, in déjà vu fashion, LeBron took control late and single-handedly willed the Americans to victory over the defending world cup champions.
After 🇺🇸 trailed 🇩🇪 82-81 with 4:08 to play, LeBron scored the final 11 points for USA:
- LeBron def. board and ensuing dunk (3:57)
- LeBron steal and ensuing layup (3:40)
- LeBron def. board and 2 FT’s (3:20)
- LeBron 3 (1:26)
- LeBron layup (0:45)Final: 🇺🇸 92, 🇩🇪 88 https://t.co/YaivzBuX0O
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) July 22, 2024
11 points in the last 4 minutes -- LeBron took over to secure the W for #USABMNT pic.twitter.com/3TH05XvLbk
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) July 22, 2024
LeBron scored the final 11 points for the U.S. and outscored the entire German team 😳 pic.twitter.com/V2aNmWaTlR
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) July 22, 2024
LeBron finished the night with 20 points (8-for-11 FG; 2-for-2 3PT), six rebounds, and four assists in 18 minutes of playing time. Not to mention, this is coming off of his game-winning performance vs. South Sudan a couple days ago.
LeBron’s last 2 games for Team USA:
🇺🇸 45 PTS
🇺🇸 12 REB
🇺🇸 11 AST
🇺🇸 1 STL
🇺🇸 1 BLK
🇺🇸 72% FG (18/25)
🇺🇸 80% 3PT (4/5)
🇺🇸 41 MIN pic.twitter.com/yNnFPCaCwb— Witness King James (@WITNESSKJ) July 23, 2024
"It was a good test for us. And I'm glad we were able to once again, you know, keep our composure, persevere like we did the other day versus South Sudan," LeBron stated after the game. "It was a good win for us."
Being 39-years-old, the "kid from Akron" still seems to be at his athletic peak. To note, when looking at the Olympic showcase games that the men's U.S. national team has played in, LeBron led the squad in both points (71) and assists (18).
KD is enjoying being teammates with LeBron this summer 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/QGeUlKE1gB
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) July 13, 2024
The 21-year NBA veteran has certainly earned the respect from his counterparts, as LeBron was not only named the captain of the Team USA basketball team, but also the flag-bearer for the entire 592-member U.S. Olympic delegation, this makes the all-time leading scorer the first player in NBA history to have this honor.
Related: LeBron James Named As Flag Bearer For The United States At 2024 Paris Olympics
