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One generational feat led to another for LeBron James.
At 39 years old, James won his third gold medal and earned Olympics MVP when the U.S. beat France 98-87 in the men’s final on Saturday. It’s now the ninth MVP award in James’ crowded showcase, joining his four NBA MVPs and four NBA Finals MVPs that he’s accrued over two decades.
When James joined Steph Curry and Anthony Davis in putting their heads down on a pillow of hands to send a mocking “good night message” to Victor Wembanyama and the French team, it marked the final step in a process that tipped off the last time he etched his name in history.
Steph Curry and LeBron James react during the game against France in the men’s basketball gold medal game. (Rob Schumacher-USA Today Sports)
It was Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023, at Crypto.com Arena.
James hit a mid-range jumper in the third quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder to officially pass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA’s all-time leading scorer. USA basketball managing director Grant Hill, a former NBA All-Star and Olympic gold medalist, watched the game hoping James wouldn’t break the record that night, but could wait two days later when Hill was broadcasting the Lakers’ game on TNT. James didn’t wait, but Hill decided he would make a different move two days later when the Lakers played the Bucks.
That night, James sat out due to load management, but during halftime, Hill stepped away from the broadcast booth to make his proposition.
“I just went up to him and said, ‘Hey man, I need you in Paris,’ and he said ‘I’m in,’” Hill told reporters at a roundtable interview at the USOPC media summit on April 17. “It was casual, it was at halftime, people say things in the moment. But we circled back last year and from that moment on, there was never any doubt that he was going to do it.”
LeBron James addresses the crowd after breaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s, all-time scoring record of 38,388 points vs Oklahoma City Thunder at Crypto.com Arena on Feb. 7, 2023. (Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)
It was a bold moment for Hill. He had never recruited James to an Olympic team before. He was only named the managing director of the team in April 2021 ahead of the Tokyo Olympics. And it had been more than a decade since James last played for Team USA, most recently winning gold at London in 2012.
“I didn’t really know him that well, I’m kind of from the generation that if you didn’t play with somebody, you don’t really know them. But we’ve been able, through this, to get to know each other,” Hill said. “He deserves this.”
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James and Hill kept the commitment private for months. Reports about James playing in Paris surfaced in September of that year, but James himself never fully committed. When James was pressed about the topic at the All-Star game on Feb. 18, he revealed he was committed to it, if his body would let him.
“It’s more miles put on these tires,” James told reporters that day. “But if I’m committed – which I am – to Team USA, then I’m going to commit my mind, body and soul to being out there for Team USA, being out there representing our country with the utmost respect and go out there and play.”
James’ participation was officially confirmed when the U.S. basketball roster for Paris was revealed on April 17. Then he took things even further when he agreed to serve as the male flag bearer for the Americans in the opening ceremony on the Seine. He became the third basketball player – and the first men’s player – to carry the U.S. flag at the start of an Olympics, joining Dawn Staley for the Athens Games in 2004 and Sue Bird for the Tokyo Games in 2021.
LeBron James stands with other members of his delegation in a boat sailing along the Seine during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. (Mauro Pimentel/AFP via Getty Images)
“It’s an incredible honor to represent the United States on this global stage, especially in a moment that can bring the whole world together,” James said on July 22 after being selected. “For a kid from Akron, this responsibility means everything to not only myself, but to my family, all the kids in my hometown, my teammates, fellow Olympians and so many people across the country with big aspirations. Sports have the power to bring us all together, and I’m proud to be a part of this important moment.”
But for James and a stacked roster led by Curry, Davis, Kevin Durant, Anthony Edwards and Devin Booker – labeled by some as the next “Dream Team” as overwhelming favorites going into the Olympics – none of it would have mattered if they left Paris without gold medals. It was a reality they were staring at when they faced a 17-point deficit to Serbia in the semifinal on Thursday.
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But James made his presence known in the fourth quarter. He made a forceful drive to the hoop for a bucket with 3:39 left that flipped the momentum of the game and set the U.S. on course for its eventual gold medal on Saturday.
“It’s all about being aggressive,” James said after the game on Thursday. “My teammates believed in me.”
Classic American aggression was the key for the U.S. in Paris. And it all started with an aggressive recruiting mindset by Hill last year.
