People need to stop saying "Father Time is undefeated." LeBron James has been defeating Father Time for years now.
The 39-year-old looked anything but on Monday, coming up clutch to help Team USA avoid an upset loss to Germany in its final tune-up game ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics. James completely took over down the stretch, leading the United States to a 92-88 victory.
If that sounds familiar, it's because James did the exact same thing two days prior , pulling the United States from the jaws of defeat against South Sudan.
On a stacked Team USA roster filled with future Hall of Famers and superstars, James continues to prevail as the country's best player. Regardless of the talent around him, he has left no doubt that he is still Team USA's No. 1 option.
DECOURCY: Team USA makes great choice with LeBron James as Olympics flag-bearer
LeBron James stats today
- vs. Germany: 20 points (8-11 FG, 2-2 3PT, 2-4 FT), 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 2 turnovers in 18 minutes
LeBron James is still Team USA's No. 1 option
There was plenty of debate as to who would be Team USA's No. 1 option going into their pre-Olympics showcase.
Kevin Durant is the United States' all-time leading scorer, but a calf injury prevented him from playing in any of the five exhibition games. Anthony Edwards tried to stake his claim (and Jaylen Brown backed him up). Stephen Curry would be a viable option for obvious reasons.
After James' clutch heroics against South Sudan and Germany, he has left zero questions as to who "the man" is for USA Basketball.
Behind a 13-point, 10-assist double-double from Dennis Schroder, a 3-point shooting barrage from Andreas Obst, and strong play from Franz and Moritz Wagner, and Daniel Theis, Germany had the United States on the brink of defeat.
Then James decided he would not let Team USA lose on his watch.
Trailing by one with four minutes remaining, James put on his cape. He finished a tough left-handed layup through traffic to give the United States a one-point lead, then immediately hustled back on defense for a steal, bullied his way into the paint to finish another layup, and extended the lead to three.
When Germany cut the deficit to one with 1:43 to go, James answered right back with a clutch 3-pointer. Team USA then got a stop on the ensuing possession. That put the ball in James' hands with a chance to close out the game, and to no one's surprise, The King delivered.
He backed Schroder into the paint, got Johannes Voigtmann on an up-fake, stepped through his pivot foot, and created an easy layup to seal the win for the United States.
James celebrated with a couple of flexes at center court as the O2 Arena crowd in London went ballistic over the complete takeover it had just witnessed.
This was the second game in a row James delivered for Team USA in the clutch, also finishing the game-winning layup in its comeback win over South Sudan on Saturday. Both instances were the ultimate sign of respect, showing that even the best players in the world know that when it's that time, give the ball to LeBron and get out of the way.
Even when he's only five months away from turning 40 years old.
As he has been doing after each exhibition game, James addressed the team in a huddle moments after the win.
"Great f—ing job to close out the preliminary games. We saw some adversity, which is f—ing good. We went down two games in a row and that's gon' be good for us. Like KD just said, 'The real s— begins now.' We got six games, but it's one game at a time," James said before leaving the team with a clear message.
"Gold, 1-2-3," James stated confidently as the entire team responded, "Gold."
If the pre-Olympics showcase taught us anything, it's that Team USA's fifth-consecutive gold medal will come on the shoulders of the team's oldest — and best — player.
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