The basketball roster of Team USA is not just heading to the upcoming Paris Olympics to secure their fifth consecutive gold medal. They will also be heading there to restore their reputation! Their reputation certainly took a beating after the roster was defeated by Germany in the semifinals of the 2023 FIBA World Cup. A year later, after having extracted revenge during a recent exhibition game, LeBron James reflects on what the defeat taught him and his teammates.

LeBron James was not present during last year’s FIBA World Cup, and only two players from the current Team USA roster for the Olympics, Anthony Edwards and Tyrese Haliburton, were on the old team. Despite this, the semi-final loss against Germany was a loss for US Basketball as a whole. In a recent presser, the NBA All-Time Scorer indirectly emphasized the same. However, instead of continuing to use the same as a disheartening fact, the player wants to use the loss as further motivation for his roster.

“It’s extra motivation for us to hold each other to a standard. We already knew they (Germany) was gonna give us some tests, and we was gonna test them as well” said LeBron James. “As a team that’s been together for a few years now, we saw last year what they did in the world championship. So, it’s good to see us have some competition, we love that. To compete, where every possession counts, and it’s good to get that dub.”

During the 2023 FIBA World Cup Semi-Finals, Germany defied expectations by putting out a much better offensive effort than their rivals. Underdog players, like Andre Obst, nicknamed the ‘German Steph Curry’, and Franz Wagner rose to drop 24 and 22 points respectively. Anthony Edwards and Austin Reaves attempted to run parallelly at the same pace, through their 23 and 21 points. However, by the time it was over, USA’s 111 points could not cross over Germany’s 113, the highest score that any team has ever made against a USA Basketball roster filled with NBA players. Head coach Steve Kerr, who is also heading the Olympic roster, admitted to underestimating what the Germans would bring during the important game.

“We did not account for Obst,” said Kerr. “I was Obst as a player. If I could get a free look at a 3 on the first play of the game, the floodgates would open. But if I couldn’t get that look and was being suffocated the whole game, I couldn’t get my shot off. When I look back … I think about detail. We weren’t locked in enough defensively to win the game.” The disheartened coach was forced to admit that “We can do better.” Less than a year later, that learning is finally being put to the test.

LeBron James leads Team USA to a memorable win against Germany

With a star roster comprising LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, and other experienced players, Team USA was well equipped on their journey to extract revenge. Fortunately, they didn’t have to wait till the commencement of the main Olympics to do so.

As part of their final exhibition game before heading to Paris, the US roster went up against Germany at the O2 Arena in London. Just like the FIBA matchup, Andre Obst attempted to put his team in a good spot, ending his minutes by adding 14 points through 4 out of 10 three-pointers. LeBron James initially seemed to give the task of handling the offensive effort to his other teammates, as he only recorded 4 points in the first quarter. However, by the time only 4 minutes were remaining on the clock, it was Germany who was leading by 81-80. It was in the aftermath of that moment when the attendees and viewers from around the world got a glimpse of the real LeBron James.

Taking charge, the 39-year-old went on to solely score the team’s final 11 points. With a pass and assist from Stephen Curry and Anthony Davis each, he was able to break through the defense and put a series of shots that greatly extended Team USA’s lead. By the time there were just 45.5 seconds on the clock, LeBron had dropped an additional two-pointer to take the score to 92-88. Germany wasn’t able to recover from the same, and the US roster exited the stadium with their heads held high.

Things may be different for LeBron James and co once the main Olympics begin. However, having admitted to not forget the lesson of the FIBA loss, Team USA will not be easily defeated.