British sports author Simon Kuper once said “Other than sports, only war and catastrophe can create this sort of national unity.” The NBA may not be successful in uniting America as a whole. However, it does bring fans of the same franchise/city together and cheer their team. However, there are moments when this domestic unity does transform into national once a squad of the same basketball players take their talents onto the international stage. If people are looking at a recent example, all they need to do is look at LeBron James.

Andscape reporter and Hall of Famer Marc J. Spears talked about the 2024 Paris Olympics in the ‘Hear District’ show. When asked how the Olympics gold medal game between Team USA and France compared for him when placed against the greatest NBA finals ever. Spears highlighted that it’s not right to place both on the same pedestal. After all, a domestic league game seldom brings out that sense of national pride. “It’s different man, because you got USA on your chest. It’s not a job. It’s USA on your chest, right? You’re playing for a country. Like I was telling people, ‘This is the first time everybody could root for LeBron in our country. It’s the first time everybody root for Steph, everybody root for Durant,’ right?” said Spears.

“Like, you have people that hate the Warriors, but if you’re an American during the Olympics you could root for Steph, and it’s okay. And so, to me, like you know that’s different.”

When compiling a list of the most dominating players of the modern NBA, LeBron James is almost always present. After all, LeBron’s been in the league for 21 years and won over four NBA championships. Furthermore, the King has secured his place as the leading scorer. Meanwhile, he has charmed millions with his charisma and on-court prowess. Despite this, a March 2022 report by ‘BetOnline’ found that more than 100,000 negative tweets were shared about King James within 30 days. The player occupying the 2 rank, Kevin Durant, only had 35,000.  LeBron recorded two 50-point games in March 2022. He became the first player in history to record over 10,000 points, 10,000 rebounds, and 10,000 assists. Bron became only the second player to take his total accumulated points above 37,000 points. While it’s unclear if these achievements fueled the surge of negative sentiment, they certainly kept him in the spotlight.

Things took a turn when Team USA’s basketball roster headed to Paris. After it was announced that LeBron James would serve as the male flag-bearer for the national team at the opening ceremony, he stated, “Team USA has given so much to all of us. To me over the last 20 years. And I understand right now and in a country that’s so divided, I hope this moment and that moment will unite us or bring us together.” Along with Stephen Curry, he led the offensive effort during the six games by averaging 14.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 8.5 assists. While Curry took the lead in terms of more points made per game, LeBron walked away with the MVP title. Therefore, for just one brief moment, as the gold medal shone on the player’s neck, fans may have forgotten that LeBron belonged to the Los Angeles Lakers, and instead only considered him as an ‘American.’

If there is anyone who realized better than anyone the power that the Gold Medal-winning squad held in uniting America, then it was the squad themselves. Fortunately, they ended up making good use of it.

Despite being NBA rivals, LeBron James and Stephen Curry unite in Olympics post: “Same Team…Winning Team”

A January 2024 report by Statista named the Los Angeles Lakers and the Golden State Warriors as the most popular NBA franchises of 2024. Therefore, it would make sense for fans to either be aligned with LeBron James or Stephen Curry. However, with the 2024 Paris Olympics providing the duo the opportunity to team up for the first time on the international stage, both LeBron and Curry wanted to show that their rivalry is only limited to the NBA court.

After securing the Gold by defeating France, both LeBron James and Stephen Curry collaborated on a social media post. Featuring the duo holding their gold medal alongside Kevin Durant, Curry wrote a caption alongside the post that read “Same Team…Winning Team.” Curry even took the message one step further by changing the quote on his official Instagram bio from “Guard for the @Warriors” to “Olympic Gold Medalist.”

Being two of the most dominant players of the modern NBA, initial worries would have arisen on how best the players can adjust to each other’s playing styles. After all, uniting two people who were on-court NBA rivals for 15 years would not be easy. Fortunately, Curry was open to any changes that would be made, as he stated “Having LeBron as a teammate is like surreal because you have so many battles back and forth. You admire his game, you know what he’s about and to see the work up close and personal every day, to see how he prepares, how he talks and practices. I’ve never had that vantage point of him. So, just excited to see how our games complement each other and, and, you know, build that chemistry that’s gonna help lead this team.”

With the Gold Medal win still being fresh, NBA fans may continue to be united. However, with the 2024-25 NBA season set to commence a few weeks from now, the same may die out soon.

Before you go, remember to check out this crossover between BG12 and Georgia Bulldogs star Silas Demary Jr.