Lakers' LeBron James Praises 'Firepower' of Team USA Following Dominant Opening Win

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Team USA saw its quest for the gold medal get underway on Sunday with a dominant win over Serbia. While the game was somewhat close in the first half, the Americans pulled away quickly in the third quarter.

Backed by strong performances from Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James and Phoenix Suns superstar Kevin Durant, Team USA made quick work to start with a win. After the game, James praised the overall firepower of the entire squad.

"Whatever it takes," James said. "It's going to be somebody different every day. And we have that type of firepower."

James added in 21 points, nine assists, and seven rebounds to help power the win. He continued his incredible play from the exhibition games and has looked like the best player on the roster.

Team USA head coach Steve Kerr praised James after the game, complimenting him on how he impacts everything while on the court.

"LeBron puts his imprint on the game in so many different ways," Kerr said. "It's not just his skill and his strength and his size, but it's his emotion, his confidence. Just the way he infuses our team with energy and confidence at 39 is just amazing."

Despite being almost 40 years old, James has looked energetic while on the court. This will likely be his final Olympics before he retires so he has been trying to soak it all up. James and Team USA will be back at it on Wednesday as they take on South Sudan for the second game of the group stage.

More Lakers: Lakers' LeBron James Reflects on Team USA's Opening Win: 'We'll Be Better'


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Matt Levine

MATT LEVINE

Matt earned a Master of Science degree in Sport Management from Louisiana State University in 2021. He was born and raised in the Los Angeles area, covering all Southern California sports in his career.