The last time LeBron James suited up for Team USA was back in 2012 when they won the Olympic gold medal in men's basketball.
Fast-forward to today, Team USA finds itself losing its foothold against the rest of the world. After missing out on the podium in the last two FIBA World Championships, Team USA is pressured to once again defend their Olympic gold-medal streak.
To answer the call, James will be wearing the Team USA colors for one last time as he brings another star-studded squad to the Olympic Games, this time in Paris. Let's rank LeBron James' 10 greatest moments in a Team USA uniform.
10. LeBron James' powerful dunk against Germany
The 2008 edition of Team USA was one of the most iconic international teams ever assembled in Olympic history. Among the bright spots of the team was James' unmatched athleticism. Aside from making his mark on defense, James was pretty much dunking over everybody that stood in his way. Even a handful of German defenders couldn't stop him on this play.
9. LeBron James' emphatic poster dunk
There's no question that Team USA was just as dominant at the 2012 London Olympics. Around this time, James was in his prime, fresh from winning his first NBA championship and Finals MVP while also taking NBA MVP honors.
After the 2011-12 season, James opted not to rest by suiting up for Team USA en route to a gold medal. Before that, James also decided to dunk all over Tunisia's Mohamed Hadidane.
8. LeBron James exploding for 31 on Argentina
The Team USA program wanted to win again after deflating international stints. To cap off the 2007 FIBA Americas Championship, James went to work in the championship game against Argentina.
Team USA gained vengeance by pulling away with a dominant 118-81 win thanks to James' 31-point night on 11-for-15 shooting. It was the highest-scoring game for James in a Team USA uniform. But more importantly, the statement game propelled Team USA back to winning ways.
7. LeBron James' two-handed block on China's Liu Wei
Team USA was dominant at best at the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in China. In fact, even against the wild crowd of the host team, Team USA was unfazed.
Furthermore, the talent differential was obvious, especially when James pulled off a two-handed rejection on the layup attempt by China's Liu Wei. The block eventually led to an easy transition bucket en route to another blowout victory for Team USA.
6. LeBron James – Kobe Bryant alley-oop connection
James and Kobe Bryant never played together as a team in the NBA, even during the All-Star festivities. However, NBA fans got a treat in 2008 and 2012. Bryant's decision to play for Team USA paved the way for both iconic superstars to play together for the national team colors. As a result, basketball fans get to witness some of their epic plays together, including this alley-oop dunk.
5. LeBron James' dominant block on Angola's Felizardo Ambrosio
While James was dunking on everybody at the 2008 Summer Olympics, he was also making a major mark defensively. With so much offensive options, James answered the call to become the team's main perimeter defender. It's safe to say that the King answered the call and did the dirty work, highlighted by this emphatic block on Angola's Felizardo Ambrosio.
4. LeBron James' perfect night vs. Uruguay
When James gets going offensively, he's difficult to stop, even at the NBA level. In fact, Uruguay found out the hard way when the defense decided to let James loose. The King exploded for 26 points in only 14 minutes of action. He finished the game by shooting 11-of-11 from the field overall and 4-of-4 from rainbow country.
3. LeBron James setting the total points record vs. Nigeria
A 2020 game against Nigeria saw plenty of records being broken by Team USA. James was part of the Team USA squad that dismantled the Nigeria D' Tigers, 156-73. The total tally was enough to set an Olympic record for most points in a single game. James contributed six points, five assists and two rebounds in only 11 minutes of play during the historic victory.
2. LeBron James has first triple-double in Team USA history
With several players wearing that wore the national team colors for Team USA, none of which have notched a triple-double. The only one who has done so was James, when he posted 11 points, 14 rebounds, and 11 assists in a 119-86 win over the Australia Boomers.
Throughout Olympic history, James is only one of three players to register a triple-double in an Olympic game. James joined Soviet Union's Alexander Belov and Slovenia's Luka Doncic.
1. LeBron James taking over for the gold medal at the 2012 Olympics
The last time James suited up for Team USA, The King won his gold medal to further fuel the claim that he was indeed the best basketball player in the world. In a tight affair against Spain, Team USA needed James' magnificent fourth-quarter run to pull away.
In clutch fashion, James took over the fourth quarter, capped off by a dunk and a 3-pointer in the final minutes of play. James finished the night with 19 and the gold medal, joining Michael Jordan as the only players to become NBA MVP, NBA Finals MVP, and a gold medalist in the same year.
Follow Us
Subscribe