PARIS (AP) — LeBron James knows there won’t be many more moments like this. He is 39. He is entering his 22nd professional season. It is logical to expect that the Olympic Games in Paris will be his last appearance on this stage and who knows if he has another NBA championship run in him.
However, if this is the finish line of the Olympic Games, he is not exactly racing towards it.
He is in charge – and is well on his way to doing so in a way the United States has never seen before.
James could win the third gold medal of his Olympic career on Saturday night, when the USA plays against France for the title in Paris. If he does that, he would be only the third male player to win at least three gold medals; Kevin Durant would have a record four gold medals if the USA wins, and James would tie Carmelo Anthony for second place on the all-time list with three Olympic titles.
“We know what we are here for,” said James, who one of the flag bearers along with tennis star Coco Gauff, who was tasked with leading the USA through the opening ceremony.
James enters the final as the U.S. leader in points (14.8 per game), rebounds (7.0 per game) and assists (8.2 per game) during these Olympics. Since those statistics began to be tracked – assists began to be included in the score sheet at the Olympics in 1976 – no U.S. player has ever led an Olympic team in all three categories. Some have come close, most notably Durant at the Tokyo Games three years ago. But no one has managed to top the list in all three categories.
So there could be another award waiting. U.S. coach Steve Kerr needs just one word to describe how James – the NBA’s all-time leading point scorer and by far the U.S. player with the most assists at the Olympics – is still playing and still dominating at age 39.
The word: “Crazy.”
“That’s probably one of the best things about this journey for me, seeing LeBron behind the scenes, seeing the preparation, seeing the focus and getting a picture of why he is who he is,” Kerr said. “It’s just incredible to watch him. He loves the game so much. He loves the work. He loves his teammates. LeBron has an energy and joy that just spreads through the locker room. He’s obviously one of the best players of all time, but that goes way beyond one thing. It’s just everything, the total package. He’s just brilliant.”
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He also played excellently all summer.
The way U.S. coaches describe it, James set the tone for how this team would operate at the first practice in Las Vegas over a month ago. He could have been anywhere else that day. his son Bronny James made his summer league debut for the Los Angeles Lakers in San Francisco, a game that his father — and now Lakers teammate — would have surely been courtside at under other circumstances. Instead, he was in Vegas, watching highlights after the first practice.
And while USA Basketball leaders like Grant Hill, Sean Ford and Kerr were technically the ones putting the roster together, James took on the unofficial role of chief recruiter. When the U.S. finished fourth at the World Championship last summer, James was the one on the phone asking players like Stephen Curry if they wanted to join him in the Olympics this year.
“We’re all different as we get older, but the thing about being big is you adapt and find ways to continue to be effective,” Durant said. “And that’s what LeBron has done at this age. He doesn’t run and jump like he did at 25, but he still jumps pretty high and runs pretty fast.”
Plus, he still does things that no one else does.
James had a triple-double in the comeback win against Serbia in the semifinals on Thursday night. It was the second triple-double of his Olympic career. All other male Olympic players of all time, all from every team in the world, have a total of two of them. James himself has two.
“He’s still a damn monster,” said US center Joel Embiid. “I don’t understand how he does it. It was fun to watch him.”
And Saturday may be the last time you see him at the Olympics. He will be 43 when the 2028 Games are held in Los Angeles. You never say never, especially with James, but this game in France is likely the last time he will wear the national team uniform.
When James wore the USA crest on his chest, the national team won each of its last 46 games on the international stage.
He would do anything to extend that streak to 47 on Saturday night.
“Whatever it takes for our team to be successful, that’s what I’m going to do,” James said. “That’s always going to be my approach. Whatever the game requires, whatever it takes to be successful.”
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AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games
