D’Angelo Russell has enjoyed a front-row seat to watch LeBron James for years. Still, the Los Angeles Lakers guard couldn’t help playing “fan” as his superstar teammate led the Americans to a dominant victory in their Olympic opener.
Team USA overcame a slow start on Sunday to beat Serbia, 110-84. While Kevin Durant’s flame-throwing first half was the early story in Lille, James’ impact from the tip to the buzzer loomed just as large in the United States’ convincing victory.
The two-time gold medalist and Team USA flag-bearer stuffed the stat sheet with 21 points, seven rebounds and nine assists on 9-of-13 shooting, also jump-starting the Americans’ transition attack with active, disruptive defense.
After the game, Russell paid tribute to James on X.
It’s a testament to the United States’ wealth of talent that the team coughed up 17 turnovers, including six from James, yet thoroughly outclassed another medal contender.
Joel Embiid looked out of his depth defending Nikola Jokic and contributed to Team USA’s at times stagnant offense. Stephen Curry struggled on both ends early. Jayson Tatum didn’t even get off the bench in Durant’s return.
The Americans have another level to reach at the Olympics, basically. With an all-time force like James setting the tone, early returns suggest they may reach it en route to another gold medal.
