Hours After Team USA Heartbreaker at FIBA World Cup, Lebron James Celebrates as Ex-Lakers Teammate Bags Biggest Prize: “That’s Tuff”

Team USA lost to Canada in the Bronze medal match of the 2023 FIBA World Cup. 4-time NBA Champion LeBron James’ arch nemesis Dillon Brooks, proved to be too much for the American squad to handle. The former Memphis Grizzlies guard was on fire against Team USA, scoring 39 points and going 7 of 8 from the three-point line. After the heartbreaking loss, Team USA exited the tournament with no hardware.

Hours after Team USA’s loss, King James’ Former Lakers teammate Dennis Schroder led Germany to their First World Cup title. LeBron gave his stamp of approval as Schroder bagged the biggest prize in the tournament.

LeBron James celebrates as Former Teammate wins the ultimate honor

In a thrilling World Cup final, Germany upset Serbia in an 83-77 victory. German guard Dennis Schroder led his team in scoring with 28 points. Schroder played a huge role in Germany’s World Cup win and helped facilitate the offense throughout the tournament. Averaging 19.1 points and 6.1 assists, Dennis took home the 2023 FIBA World Cup MVP trophy. His former teammate LeBron James celebrated Schroder’s huge achievement by sharing a video on his Instagram story, captioned, “Yessirrrr!!! That’s TUFF.”

The German Point Guard played for the Lakers last season and helped the team reach the Western Conference Finals. His “Ice in my veins” celebrations after knocking down Clutch shots hyped The Akron Hammer and the Laker Nation throughout their run. Schroder is the second German player to take home the MVP honors after Hall of Famer Dirk Nowitzki won it back in 2002.

Team USA’s World Cup exit could change the NBA

Team USA proved 6-time World Champion Noah Lyles right as they could not win gold at the FIBA World Cup. Even though the American NBA players could not get the job done, it was the NBA players from other nations that shone in the tournament. Dennis Schroder, who has signed a 2-year $25.4 million deal with the Toronto Raptors, was the best player of the tournament. Other international players, including Luka Doncic, Dillon Brooks, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, put up elite performances throughout.

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That goes to show even if Team USA was not the best basketball team this year, it was the NBA players who outclassed the rest of the world in all departments. The debate of calling the NBA champions “The World Champions” will continue after Team USA’s embarrassing exit. But the fans cannot deny that the NBA has the best basketball talent in the world, which was evident in Germany’s win in the 2023 FIBA World Cup.

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