Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James, the oldest player in the NBA, clearly has still got it.
The 20-time All-NBA combo forward was named the MVP in men’s basketball after helping the Team USA men’s basketball club earn its fifth consecutive Olympic gold medal, according to FIBA’s official X account.
During the Americans’ gold medal game against France on Saturday, the 6-foot-9 superstar scored 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field (1-of-2 from beyond the arc) and 1-of-1 shooting from the charity stripe, passed for 10 assists, pulled down six rebounds, swiped two steals and blocked one shot.
James has now won three gold medals at the Olympics, and four medals overall. 20 years ago, the summer after his rookie year with the Cleveland Cavaliers, James was a young member of head coach Larry Brown’s ill-fated bronze-medal-winning U.S. squad.
Golden State Warriors All-NBA point guard Stephen Curry led the U.S. in the 98-87 win with 24 points, having made 8 of his 13 3-point attempts (he went 9-of-14 from deep against Team Serbia in the semis), five assists, two steals, and one rebound.
Read More: Stephen Curry, USA Basketball Survive Team France to Win 5th Straight Olympic Gold Medal
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Kevin Durant, who claimed a record fourth gold medal, nabbed 15 points on 5-of-12 shooting from the field (3-of-9 from deep) and 2-of-2 shooting from the foul line, grabbed four boards, passed for four assists, stole one shot and logged one block.
Heading into the final, James had been averaging a team-high 14.2 points on .674/.273/.714 shooting splits, 8.2 assists, 7.0 rebounds, and 1.2 steals a night.
The gold medal and MVP are the feather on the cap for James during what has been an eventful NBA offseason.
After Los Angeles was ousted by the Denver Nuggets in a 4-1 first-round playoff matchup, the Lakers cleaned house, ditching their entire coaching staff led by two-year head coach Darvin Ham. L.A. hired James’ former “Mind The Game” podcast co-host, 15-year NBA sharpshooter JJ Redick, and drafted James’ 19-year-old son, Bronny, with the No. 55 pick after a one-and-done 2023-24 season with the USC Trojans, and inked James to a two-year, $101.4 million contract.
James’ new deal with Los Angeles will keep him rostered through 2025-26, which would be the four-time league MVP’s record-setting 23rd season.
The 6-foot-9 superstar will also be making another kind of NBA history in 2024-25. When he takes the floor alongside Bronny James, the father-son duo will become the first to do so in the history of the league.
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