It's safe to say LeBron James is ready for Paris. The Los Angeles Lakers star bailed out Team USA and led the Red, White and Blue to a 92-88 victory over Germany in their final exhibition contest ahead of the 2024 Olympics on Monday in London. James finished with 20 points, six rebounds and four assists in the win, but it was his ability to take over in crunch time that stood out more than his overall numbers.
Just when it seemed like Germany was going to secure the win, the King sensed the moment like he has so many times throughout his career. He bullied his way into the lane for multiple clutch baskets, drilled a three-pointer to extend the lead from one to four in the final two minutes and then put the finishing touches on the win by overpowering defenders down low for another basket. CLUTCH đLEBRON JAMES FOR THREE.
LEBRON JAMES LAYUP.USA-Germany | đș FOX pic.twitter.
com/VlPcxZg4YG Social media had plenty of reaction to the performance: THIS MAN IS DIFFERENT đ€Ż pic.twitter.com/x5cs96NiwG I'll never forget reading Bill Simmons back in 2008 saying that the biggest teller of the pecking order in the NBA is Team USA.
LeBron James, at FORTY YEARD OLD, is the undisputed alpha male of this team.And it's not even close, folks. It's amazing at age 40 that Lebron is still the alpha of this USA team.
In case yall didn't know, Lebron is still the alpha That flag-bearer can hoop. pic.twitter.
com/q6Qazv29Vl They're needing LeBron to do everything like it's 2012 pic.twitter.com/FGhSI3kNsY This whole fourth quarter is a LeBron flex LeBron is the only one on USA who looks like he wants the ball in crunch-time, it's insane to see a 40 year old do this With James headlining plenty of star power, the Americans are expected to win the gold medal.
However, he also had to save them in their last exhibition game against South Sudan when he capped off a double-digit comeback by scoring the final go-ahead basket in the last seconds. Monday's game was an opportunity to make a statement against the same Germany program that won the 2023 FIBA World Cup after defeating the USA in the semifinals. Germany also features notable names in Dennis SchroÌder, Franz Wagner, Daniel Theis and Moritz Wagner.
It seemed like the Americans were well on their way to making that statement when James threw down a monster reverse slam for the opening basket. They built a double-digit lead in the first quarter and seemed to be rolling, but Germany fought back. LEBRON WITH A MONSTER SLAM TO START THE GAME đ± đ€Ż (via @FOXSports) pic.
twitter.com/Q1BlA2La62 LEBRON BLOCK âĄïž STEPH 3 đ„đ„đ„This is beautiful.(via @NBA)pic.
twitter.com/y1KXw1wiLx The challengers continued to chip away until they took the lead with a Theis three in the third quarter. Germany then started to control the pace with the lead in the fourth quarter with Andreas Obst hitting from the outside, SchroÌder setting up teammates on the pick-and-roll, Moritz Wagner mixing it up with the Americans' star big men, and Franz Wagner doing a little bit of everything.
Yet Team USA head coach Steve Kerr probably didn't mind the pressure being dialed up heading into the final quarter of the exhibition slate, and a familiar source answered the call. Relying on a 39-year-old to take over in crunch time may not be the best formula for sustained success, but James is no regular 39-year-old. He proved that once again Monday and will have plenty of individual momentum going into Sunday's Olympics opener against Serbia.
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