LeBron James Applauds Anthony Edwards for Leading Team USA Comeback Win

Edwards dropped 34 points as Team USA rallied from 16 points down in the second half against Germany.
LeBron James Applauds Anthony Edwards for Leading Team USA Comeback Win
LeBron James Applauds Anthony Edwards for Leading Team USA Comeback Win /

As Team USA completed its final exhibition game prior to the 2023 FIBA World Cup on Sunday against Germany, it was Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards who came to the rescue. With the Americans trailing by 16 points in the second half, Edwards caught fire as part of a 34-point onslaught to lead the team to a 99-91 win—and he caught the attention LeBron James in the process.

Following Edwards’s performance and the team’s victory in Abu Dhabi, James took to social media to laud the former No. 1 NBA draft pick for helping Team USA improve to a perfect 5-0 during the exhibition run-up to the World Cup, which is set to begin later this month.

James’s Lakers teammate Austin Reaves and Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton each scored 16 points Sunday, but there was no denying that Edwards had emerged as the team’s lead guard.

“He’s unquestionably the guy,” Team USA head coach Steve Kerr said afterward. “He knows it. Now the rest of the team knows it.”

The 2023 World Cup will be jointly hosted by the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia. Group play is set to begin Saturday. Team USA is slated to face New Zealand, Greece and Jordan in Manila.

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Nick Selbe
NICK SELBE

Nick Selbe is a programming editor at Sports Illustrated who frequently writes about baseball and college sports. Before joining SI in March 2020 as a breaking/trending news writer, he worked for MLB Advanced Media, Yahoo Sports and Bleacher Report. Selbe received a bachelor's in communication from the University of Southern California.