LeBron James dominates thrilling win over South Sudan – Paris 2024 Men's Olympic Basketball Tournament

LONDON (Britain) — South Sudan nearly did the unthinkable. In the first of two exhibition games the U.S. basketball team played in London before heading to Paris for the 2024 Olympics, it came incredibly close to a miracle.

Bright Stars tried to pull away with a significant margin in the first half, sending South Sudanese fans in the stands into a frenzy of cheers. But Steve Kerr's side cruised to a hard-earned victory. 101-100 victory. The USA remains perfect in this 2024 campaign.

Thanks to one man. The legendary LeBron James. This game is not to be missed.

The story of the game

History sometimes repeats itself. The U.S. basketball team lost to Nigeria on the road to the Tokyo Olympics, and another African team nearly pulled off a surprise victory. South Sudan certainly came ready to play in London, and it could make some noise in Paris.

In their first game in Britain against the hosts, Royal Ivey's men had to come from behind to secure victory. But tonight at the O2 Arena, the scriptwriters gave a completely different storyline, with the USA narrowly holding on to the lead at the final buzzer.

USA Basketball trailed by 16 points (58-42) late in the second quarter, and when Nuni Omot put Anthony Davis on a huge comeback dunk early in the third quarter, everyone expected the unthinkable.

However, the Los Angeles Lakers duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis took charge in the second half. They led the comeback with a 16-0 run to close out the third quarter and showed the leadership needed to keep South Sudan on the losing side.

JT Thor gave South Sudan a surprising 100-99 lead with just twenty seconds left on Anthony Davis' missed dunk. But it was only a matter of time before LeBron James scored the game-winning basket.

The player of the game

The King was warmly welcomed to London before the game even kicked off, bringing everyone to their feet during the pre-game shootaround with his one-handed dunks. He wasted no time in replicating his impressive display once the game began and helped USA Basketball follow suit in its third-quarter comeback.

With 23 points (including the winning goal), 6 rebounds and 6 assists in the friendly win over South Sudan and his former teammate Wenyen Gabriel, LeBron James had a night to remember in London. He simply would not let his team lose.

Twelve years ago, he also left London with an Olympic gold medal.

Game statistics

Since Royal Ivey took over the South Sudan program, he has ensured that his team relies heavily on three-point shooting to win games. While his players were making half of their attempts (7 of 14) from three-point range at halftime, USA Basketball worked to limit their three-point opportunities in the second half.

In the end, South Sudan finished the game shooting 13 of 31 from three-point range, including 6 of 17 in the final twenty minutes. This played a significant role in this narrow, but commendable, defeat.

Key points from the match

In front of 17,343 spectators in London, USA Basketball and South Sudan put on a spectacular show. The crowd played their part and the action was thrilling. As they prepare for their showdown at the Paris Olympics, this is a matchup worth noting.

Similar to their match against Serbia in Abu Dhabi, the USA saved their best for the second half, dominating the final twenty minutes of the match in London. It remains to be seen whether this trend will continue.

This game was also important for Carlik Jones, who had been waiting for this moment for nearly a year. After narrowly missing a historic triple-double at the FIBA ​​Basketball World Cup, he delivered a stellar performance with 15 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists on his country's biggest night in basketball.

Marial Shayok was another key player in South Sudan's ambitious challenge against the world's best. After his 27 points against Great Britain, he almost matched that performance with 25 points and 6 of 12 shooting from three-point range.

You can also check these:

Squad tracking: Paris 2024 men's Olympic basketball tournament

Follow-up: Preparation games for the Paris 2024 Men’s Olympic Basketball Tournament