On August 9th, the U.S. men’s basketball team defeated Serbia 95-91, securing their spot in the Olympic men’s basketball finals.
In the entire game, the nearly 40-year-old LeBron James scored 16 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, and provided 10 assists. This is the fourth triple-double in Olympic history and also marks the first time a player has recorded multiple triple-doubles in the Olympics.
After the game, when asked about his personal performance and the match, James said: “I’m 39 years old and about to start my 22nd season in the NBA. I don’t know how many more opportunities or how much more time I have to compete for those important things, to play in important games. But thankfully, today was an important game.”
Regarding his triple-double, James said: “I’ve been trying to play aggressively, hoping to create more opportunities for our team through this. I just want to leave it all on the court, (achieving such stats is due to) my teammates believing in me.”
When talking about his teammates and opponents, James did not stint on praise, saying: “This game was destined to be a hard-fought victory. Beating a team three times is tough. The performances of the Serbian team and Curry, Embiid deserve praise. We needed it, whatever role the team needs me to play, I understand that I have to do it.”