“I’m here to win and win the gold and that’s my only mindset. It’s not about scoring or any of the stats.” Well, stats might not be the foremost in the mind of LeBron James, but there are certainly a lot who are interested in them. Given the average threshold for retirement in forwards and guard is 35, the man is practically defying Father Time. And everything else we are familiar with in the history of the NBA!

Sure, there are players who have retired at a much later age than James. But have they played at the level that the 20x All-Star is currently playing? The answer would be a resounding No. And the ‘Akron Hammer’ continues his elite performance as Captain America for his team of Avengers.

LeBron James game-by-game stats in the 2024 Paris Olympics

Game 3: Sailing through to a win vs Puerto Rico

After their 104-83 victory over Puerto Rico, Team USA earned their position as the top seed in the knockout round. While he wasn’t tearing through the court, scorching everything in his path, Bron made sure to contribute to the all-around production. Playing 18 minutes, the 2x Olympic gold medalist finished with 10 points, eight assists, six rebounds, and one block while going 4-of-6 from the field and 2-of-3 from the free throw line.

James’ influence is clearly seen as he continued to handle the ball consistently and deferred to his teammates as the opportunity arose. Not to mention, the one aspect that a few basketball pundits noted was the turnover concerns. As an answer to that, perhaps, LeBron James had just one turnover vs Puerto Rico as opposed to the six he had in the first two matchups.

Game 2: Treading the water carefully vs South Sudan

After a near-death experience at the hands of South Sudan in the friendly at London, Steve Kerr and his boys were wary of Coach Ivey and his squad. Yes, despite featuring some of basketball’s greatest American players, game recognized game. And they knew not to take the youngest country in the world for granted.

Suffice it to say that the availability of such talent at Kerr’s fingertips itself was Team USA’s greatest power. At their first meeting with the ‘Bright Stars,’ Bron’s late-game heroics paved the way to a narrow escape. This time, too, the NBA’s all-time scorer paced the offense, helping his team wreak havoc on the agile, deadly three-point shooting team that South Sudan is. The ‘L Train’ had 12 points, five assists, and seven rebounds.

Although he attempted three shots from downtown, none of them reached their destination. However, he had 5-of-9 field goals and drained 2-of-3 from the charity stripe.

Game 1: Exacting a measure of revenge with a familiar foe in Nikola Jokić

To an extent, LeBron’s first group play match against Serbia or, more specifically, Jokic, might have had a bit of personal revenge, as well. With Denver having played the Lakers like a fiddle in the 2023 and 2024 NBA playoffs, it wouldn’t be a stretch to assume that the 4x MVP was looking forward to going head-to-head against the ‘Joker’.

While it looked like Serbia might actually give a run for Team USA’s money early on, Kevin Durant unleashed his inner Olympian, helping his team in the first half. Forward to the second half and we saw the same level of domination from LeBron James as he finished just two points short of KD as the game’s leading scorer.

As the group play came to an end, LeBron James ranks third on the team in scoring (14.3 points per game) and rebounds (6.7), while taking first place in assists (7.3). Of course, from here on, it’s going to be more challenging, given the kind of international talent showcased at Lille. But USAB fans around the world believe that if there’s a team that can counteract that, it’s this one.

Do you agree? What do you think of James’s performance so far? Let us know in the comments below.

 Before you go, do not forget to check out this crossover between BG12 and Georgia Bulldogs star Asia Avinger.