After taking an unintentional elbow strike to the head for the United States near the end of their victory over Brazil in the men’s Olympic basketball tournament, LeBron James apparently had to be stitched according to the head coach Steve Kerr. James left the game after it was stopped because of a punch.
James ultimately required four stitches above his left eye, Kerr confirmed. Pictures showed James’ face was bloodied after an errant elbow struck him in the eye socket during a play at the basket. James ultimately did not return to the game, which was already well under control when he was subbed off late in the second half.
When James sustained the injury, he immediately fell to the ground holding his eye. However, after the team’s trainer examined him on the bench, James seemed fine.
At the time of his injury, James had 12 points, nine rebounds, and three assists and was shooting 5-of-6 from the field.
The United States won and advanced to the semifinals, where they faced Serbia, which the United States defeated by 26 points in group play.
Dawn Staley calls Devin Booker the “unsung hero” of the US team
There is not enough spotlight for every player on the US team. After the US team’s convincing 110-84 victory over Serbia on Sunday, South Carolina Head coach of the women’s basketball team Daniela Staley praised Devin Booker for his ability to excel in his role.
“Devin Booker is the unsung hero,” Staley said. “You know KD is going to be KD. But Devin Booker plays both sides of the ball, can score a lot of points on the basketball and can defend. He’s like the silent killer of this group.”
Without drawing too much attention, Booker posted 12 points, three rebounds and five assists in the win over Serbia, and made 4 of 5 three-pointers. Booker was the starter on Sunday’s star-studded team, but he’s willing to do whatever it takes to help the team succeed.
“Whatever it takes to be effective,” Booker said before the Olympics. “Do the extras, get offensive rebounds, defend at a high level, find the spacing, just try to be a glue.”
“I hear everyone saying that everyone is catching up with us. That keeps us hungry, that keeps us motivated… We still want to assert our dominance in the world.”
The 2024 Paris Olympics will be Booker’s second appearance on the international stage. Booker also led Team USA to the gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, averaging 9.3 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game.
