Team USA heads to Paris this week with one clear objective in mind - winning the gold medal and banishing the ghosts of the embarrassing World Cup 2023 failure. But for this outrageous crop of superstars , there is more than gold at stake - they're playing for legacy, as they proved with Monday night's 92-88 win over the team that beat them in 2023; Germany.
Team USA rolled into London this past week with a roster boasting the biggest names the NBA has to offer. In a far cry from the 2023 World Cup, head coach Steve Kerr had an embarrassment of riches on offer, and it's notable by the absentees. Kawhi Leonard, didn't make the trip, Paul George is on vacation after completing his move to the Philadelphia 76ers.
On the bench in a baking hot O2 Arena in London, Kerr had the likes of Anthony Edwards, Anthony Davis, Kevin Durant, Jayson Tatum and Devin Booker. This is a team that won't accept a silver medal in Paris, and won't tolerate mediocrity. If you don't perform, guess what? There's an All-Star or two ready to take your spot.
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The majesty of the calibre of player on this roster can be summed up perfectly by the pre-game by the atmosphere inside the arena. Fans lined the courtside area four-deep, while players trudging out of the tunnel were met with screams the likes of which Harry Styles would expect when performing a concert here. If this tour, which has seen the team play games in Las Vegas and Abu Dhabi, was done to boost confidence and remind these players of who they are, it's worked.
LeBron James, who will be the Team USA male flag bearer at Friday's Opening Ceremony, has nothing left to prove in the sport. He's a four-time NBA champion, he's scored more points than anyone to have ever played the game, he's been an All-Star more times than he can count, he's 39 years old and has arguably been the best player in the world for the last 21 years. At 39, he would have been excused for wanting some time off during the summer.
Few would have begrudged him the chance to rest with his family and prepare for the new season - where he will play alongside his son and make NBA history. And yet there he was, mere moments into the game, pulling off a behind-the-head dunk to send the sell-out crowd into raptures. He wasn't done there. Just minutes later, there he was again, barrelling down the court to catch Bam Adebayo's perfectly-timed lob pass and attack the rim in the style we're all accustomed to.
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This summer is a big one for James. He's unlikely to win another NBA championship, the Los Angeles Lakers core might not have what it takes to go through the Denver Nuggets in the West. If he doesn't, he'll be stuck on four rings when he finally, eventually, decides enough is enough and that Father Time has caught up with him at last. But why should that mean he's any less of a player than someone with more? James will play this season, that much is certain, so at the absolute minimum he'll be retiring at the age of 40, considering he celebrates his birthday the day before New Year's Eve.
This team has a certain 'last hurrah' feel about it. Anyone who watches any of the footage from the last few weeks can see James is having the time of his life playing alongside Steph Curry - at last - and is relishing being in a team where everyone matches his will to win (and runs him pretty close regarding matching his talent). Is it possible he's kickstarting a farewell tour with this Olympics run? Yes.
Watching him on Monday night felt like a cinema experience watching the highlight reel of a player's career. There was the dunk in the opening minutes. There was the 2016-esque block midway through the second quarter, there was the pre-game chalk toss. This was his team and he knew it.
But James isn't the only player with more than gold to play for this summer, as you could easily argue this summer represents a true 'changing of the guard' moment for basketball and the NBA. Curry, at 34, won't play at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. This could, and probably will be, his final shot with his national team. He missed out in 2016 due to injury, and suffered the same misfortune in 2021.
Gold this summer will see the two-time league Most Valuable Player, four-time champion, ten-time All-Star and 2022 NBA Finals MVP will have won everything possible in his career. Combined with his medals and accolades, his three-point shooting range has changed the game forever. But before too long, he'll have to leave it behind. While retirement isn't exactly on the horizon for him, at least not that he's admitted, a gold medal will cement his legacy within the sport.
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Watching Curry pre-game was, like usual, a circus attraction. The Golden State Warriors guard plays the game with a smile, and that expression didn't leave his face the entire time as he soaked up the acclaim from the crowd and threw three after three after three. He also showed how much he was enjoying himself by attempting a few dunks - to little success (not that it mattered to his thousands of fans).
While this show-stopping group of All-Stars will grab all the eyeballs and attention in Paris, when it comes to game time, it's very clear Steve Kerr will have to make some adjustments. One thing that was abundantly clear in Monday night's game was that Germany are a *team*. You don't earn the status of world champions by accident, and sometimes it doesn't matter how many big names you have on your roster when it comes down to it late in the fourth quarter. Much like on Saturday against South Sudan, when it mattered the most, Kerr turned to ol' reliable. The King. LeBron.
With Germany leading by four points, Kerr was seen gesturing to the end of the bench, it was time. James strutted onto the floor alongside Embiid and the atmosphere and energy inside the arena switched. Jrue Holiday floated in a two, before Steph Curry forced an and-one to tie the game. Seconds later, Booker had put Team USA ahead with a fraction over six minutes remaining. The tide had turned.
The rest of the game was a close-fought contest, something it hadn't been in the first half as Germany allowed USA to dominate relatively freely. With Germany holding a one-point lead and with just four minutes left to play, Kerr put Curry into the game. The old guard was tasked with turning things around. It didn't take 20 seconds for an invigorated James to score a lay-up, steal the ball on the other end of the court and drive back to the basket, force another lay-up and earn a foul.
The USA was back in control. Anyone who needed a reminder had it right there, this was James' team and he wasn't going to let them lose. Every time USA was pegged back, there he was. Another three-pointer with over a minute left, some key defensive play to stop a Germany move. James was everywhere. Again.
Fans of either side could well argue this was a meaningless friendly designed at getting players minutes and keeping them fresh ahead of the Olympics, but for for many in attendance, this was a bucket list experience, seeing the best players the sport has to offer. Team USA lived up to that billing and more. For them, it was a chance to strengthen team bonds, improve chemistry and fix any issues ahead of go-time in Paris. The result was of some importance, of course it was, but there's no denying that what really matters is what happens over the next few weeks in France.
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