With Team USA going head-to-head against Brazil in the quarter-final of the Olympics, all eyes were on Paris’ Bercy Arena. As everyone expected, the encounter turned out to be a one-sided affair as the Dream Team 2.0 dominated Brazil 122-87. However, there was a moment that left the fans gasping as LeBron James suffered a brutal facial injury that forced him to leave the game mid-way. Amid this painful encounter, LBJ turned to his comfort zone, his family, for support as he switched on Dad mode on the internet.

Following a hot start to the game, James was forced to take a backseat after Georginho De Paula’s elbow hit him in the eye. The incident occurred during the third quarter after Bron’s pass to Bam was intercepted and De Paula tipped in a missed shot on the other end. Unfortunately, he made contact with the 39-year-old’s face during the play, leaving a huge gash above his left eye. Writhing in pain, James left the game and headed straight to the bench with a towel covering his face to stop the bleeding.

Soon after, he headed to the locker room and it was later revealed by Steve Kerr that James received four stitches to close his wound. Although he returned to the bench in the final quarter, he did not re-enter the game as Team USA had already secured a commanding lead. The King didn’t really go into the details about his sudden injury, however, James took to Instagram to share some wholesome pictures with his daughter Zhuri, captioned, “Promise I got you for LIFE my Princess👸🏾!! 🤎🤎🤎✨✨✨”

The snippets were from a couple of days ago and LeBron James, decked in Team USA merch, can be seen performing his Daddy duties as he roamed around the streets of Paris hand-in-hand with his 9-year-old. Even when he is in pursuit of Gold, being a father comes first for King James and that would’ve likely gotten his mind off the injury, too. While James would want to skip to his next training session as soon as possible, the fanbase is waiting for an update on his status. So, here’s the latest update on the same.

LeBron James confirms his fitness status, after a major scare

Due to the injury, LeBron was not able to finish the game for Team USA. However, by the time he left the court, the damage had already been done. Despite playing only seventeen minutes, James finished with 12 points on a highly efficient five of six shooting. Moreover, he also made his teammates better by dishing out a game-high nine assists. But his productivity was not limited to just offense. Defying his age, LeBron also made three crucial steals, leaving the Brazilians completely hopeless and speechless.

More importantly, James gave a crucial update on his injury after the dominant win, “I’m ok. I just got hit with an inadvertent elbow.” Although the injury looked scary with all the blood and stitches, there is a high chance that he will be back on the court in a couple of days for the semi-final match against Serbia. With Team USA only two wins away from another gold and a super-confident Nikola Jokic being their next opponent, James is unlikely to risk their chances by not suiting up due to a minor injury. Do you agree?

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