lebron james 6 step travel

You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience.

LeBron James explains his ridiculous travel that was not called

LeBron James somehow got away with what may have been the most obvious travel in NBA history on Wednesday night, and even he seemed like he was in disbelief after he watched the replay.

Following the Los Angeles Lakers’ 121-96 win over the Utah Jazz, LeBron admitted that he should have been called for a travel in the first quarter when he stopped his dribble and took more than three steps before putting the ball back on the floor. He called it “probably one of the worst things I’ve ever done in my career.”

“I think at the same time, I was watching the underneath play, and KCP and Donovan got into it. KCP started to run, and Donovan bumped into him, he fell on the ground,” LeBron said, via ESPN’s Dave McMenamin . “I think I was ready to pass the ball, and my brain just kind of just, I had a malfunction. I really had a malfunction.”

LeBron said he didn’t even realize he had traveled until a coach showed him the replay at halftime. You can imagine what he must have thought when he watched the video:

LeBron got away with one pic.twitter.com/Uv4uMKKcDi — SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 5, 2019

A fan heckled James about the travel during the third quarter, and he could be heard on the TV broadcast responding, “That’s one of the worst things I’ve ever done in my life.” He also said after the game that he felt sympathy for the officials.

“I feel bad for the refs on that one because they’ll probably get a write-up on that or something,” LeBron said. “That was pretty bad.”

We have seen NBA refs miss traveling violations during crucial moments in big games , so fortunately LeBron’s was not one of those instances. You have to wonder if an official would have blown the whistle if it were any player other than King James.

Lakers fans , show everyone who runs LA with this great T-shirt :

Article Tags

Subscribe and Listen to the Podcast!

Related Articles

Cardinals release 3-time All-Star

The end appears to be near for Brandon Crawford. The St. Louis Cardinals announced on Tuesday that they have granted Crawford his unconditional release. We have made the following roster moves: pic.twitter.com/orkQ00sGMN — St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) August 20, 2024…

Anthony Edwards reveals why he could not celebrate after winning gold medal

Team USA Basketball apparently had a bit of an inconvenience as they were trying to celebrate their gold medal victory at the Paris Olympics. Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards appeared this week on a panel at Fanatics Fest in New…

Adam Schefter offers prediction about CeeDee Lamb situation

CeeDee Lamb has not taken part in training camp or any other mandatory workouts with the Dallas Cowboys this offseason, but one prominent NFL reporter does not see the star wide receiver’s holdout continuing much longer. During a Tuesday appearance…

Photo of Elly De La Cruz standing next to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. surprises fans

Elly De La Cruz is apparently taller than a lot of people realize. The Cincinnati Reds shared a photo of their star shortstop De La Cruz posing with Toronto Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. The Reds and the Blue…

World No. 1 tennis player tests positive for steroids, but there is a catch

World No. 1 men’s tennis player Jannik Sinner twice tested positive for a banned steroid in March, but he has avoided a punishment. The International Tennis Integrity Agency on Tuesday announced that Sinner has not been punished despite his positive…

Brian Flores responds to harsh comments from Tua Tagovailoa

Tua Tagovailoa made some comments this week that reflected poorly on Brian Flores, and the former Miami Dolphins head coach has issued a response. In an interview with the “Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz” that aired on Monday, Tagovailoa…

More From Forbes

That viral video of lebron james traveling from half court is totally fake.

• Share to Facebook
• Share to Twitter
• Share to Linkedin

The real video of LeBron James dribbling (left) and the altered video showing James traveling ... [+] (right).

Have you seen that video of LeBron James clearly traveling—taking six steps without dribbling the basketball—before a slam dunk? The video has been viewed over 2.7 million times. But it’s completely fake.

“That time LeBron didn’t travel,” the Twitter account that first shared the video tweeted sarcastically on March 22.

But from there, the video spread through retweets that allow people on Twitter to create their own captions, helping the video get seen by almost 3 million people in recent days.

NBC News reporter Ben Collins tweeted on Monday that it was the “first deepfake that actually got me” and it really does look real. Deepfakes are videos that more typically allow people to make videos that show celebrities saying things they didn’t actually say.

It’s not immediately clear how the fake video was created, but there are a number of tools available online that allow for the altering of videos. It’s also possible to simply delete frames from video using basic editing software like iMovie, though it doesn’t look like that’s what happened here.

Best Travel Insurance Companies

Best covid-19 travel insurance plans.

Ben Chase, who works for the Florida Gators, tweeted the original video , which shows James dribbling the basketball before dunking it. The real video has only been viewed by 17,000 people on Twitter at the time of this writing.

Fake images on the internet have been a problem for many years, with people often using Photoshop to manipulate photos in an effort to fool people. Sometimes images don’t even need to be manipulated to spread misinformation, like when images simply have an inaccurate or misleading caption .

But artificial intelligence tools like Midjourney have completely changed the game in recent months, allowing people to easily create new images of things like Donald Trump getting arrested or Pope Francis wearing a big puffy coat .

Former president Trump even recently shared a fake image of himself praying on Truth Social without noting that the image isn’t real. Trump has a history of using fake images though, like the time he altered at least three images in 2019 to make himself look thinner and even make his fingers longer. Seriously .

Again, it’s not clear how the fake LeBron James video was created, but the video isn’t real and we’re likely to see plenty more fakes in the next few years—especially as we get closer to the 2024 presidential election. Obviously the stakes are much lower when videos involve old basketball games than when people are voting. But it’s a great reminder that internet users have to be constantly skeptical of the videos and photos they’re seeing these days. The web has become an incredibly efficient tool for spreading fake images.

• Editorial Standards
• Reprints & Permissions

Join The Conversation

One Community. Many Voices. Create a free account to share your thoughts. 

Forbes Community Guidelines

Our community is about connecting people through open and thoughtful conversations. We want our readers to share their views and exchange ideas and facts in a safe space.

In order to do so, please follow the posting rules in our site's  Terms of Service.   We've summarized some of those key rules below. Simply put, keep it civil.

Your post will be rejected if we notice that it seems to contain:

• False or intentionally out-of-context or misleading information
• Insults, profanity, incoherent, obscene or inflammatory language or threats of any kind
• Attacks on the identity of other commenters or the article's author
• Content that otherwise violates our site's  terms.

User accounts will be blocked if we notice or believe that users are engaged in:

• Continuous attempts to re-post comments that have been previously moderated/rejected
• Racist, sexist, homophobic or other discriminatory comments
• Attempts or tactics that put the site security at risk
• Actions that otherwise violate our site's  terms.

So, how can you be a power user?

• Stay on topic and share your insights
• Feel free to be clear and thoughtful to get your point across
• ‘Like’ or ‘Dislike’ to show your point of view.
• Protect your community.
• Use the report tool to alert us when someone breaks the rules.

Thanks for reading our community guidelines. Please read the full list of posting rules found in our site's  Terms of Service.

Site search

• Secret Base
• DraftKings Sportsbook
• DraftKings Daily Fantasy Sports
• DraftKings Network
• Fantasy Football
• Arizona Cardinals
• Atlanta Falcons
• Baltimore Ravens
• Buffalo Bills
• Carolina Panthers
• Chicago Bears
• Cincinnati Bengals
• Cleveland Browns
• Dallas Cowboys
• Denver Broncos
• Detroit Lions
• Green Bay Packers
• Houston Texans
• Indianapolis Colts
• Jacksonville Jaguars
• Kansas City Chiefs
• Las Vegas Raiders
• Los Angeles Rams
• Miami Dolphins
• Minnesota Vikings
• New England Patriots
• New Orleans Saints
• New York Giants
• New York Jets
• Philadelphia Eagles
• Pittsburgh Steelers
• Los Angeles Chargers
• San Francisco 49ers
• Seattle Seahawks
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• Tennessee Titans
• Washington Commanders
• Atlanta Hawks
• Boston Celtics
• Brooklyn Nets
• Cleveland Cavaliers
• Dallas Mavericks
• Detroit Pistons
• Golden State Warriors
• Houston Rockets
• Los Angeles Lakers
• Milwaukee Bucks
• Minnesota Timberwolves
• New York Knicks
• Philadelphia 76ers
• Phoenix Suns
• Portland Trail Blazers
• San Antonio Spurs
• Sonics Rising
• Toronto Raptors
• Washington Wizards
• G-League and International
• Bracketology
• Women’s CBB
• Cinderella Stories
• View team list
• Swish Appeal
• Los Angeles Sparks
• Minnesota Lynx
• New York Liberty
• Washington Mystics
• Arizona Diamondbacks
• Atlanta Braves
• Baltimore Orioles
• Boston Red Sox
• Chicago Cubs
• Chicago White Sox
• Cincinnati Reds
• Cleveland Guardians
• Colorado Rockies
• Detroit Tigers
• Houston Astros
• Kansas City Royals
• Los Angeles Angels
• Los Angeles Dodgers
• Miami Marlins
• Milwaukee Brewers
• Minnesota Twins
• New York Mets
• New York Yankees
• Oakland Athletics
• Philadelphia Phillies
• Pittsburgh Pirates
• San Diego Padres
• San Francisco Giants
• Seattle Mariners
• St. Louis Cardinals
• Tampa Bay Rays
• Texas Rangers
• Toronto Blue Jays
• Washington Nationals
• MLB Trade Rumors
• Sabermetrics
• English Premier League
• Aston Villa
• Manchester City
• Tottenham Hotspur
• Leicester City
• Southampton
• Manchester United
• Leeds United
• German Bundesliga
• Bayern Munich
• Italian Serie A
• Inter Milan
• Spanish La Liga
• Atletico Madrid
• Real Madrid
• Women’s Soccer
• Mexican Soccer
• U.S. Soccer
• Fantasy Soccer
• MMA Fighting
• MMA Fighters
• MMA Fight Schedule

Filed under:

The NBA’s 9 most hilarious missed travel calls

How were these plays not called for traveling?

Share this story

• Share this on Facebook
• Share this on Twitter
• Share this on Reddit
• Share All sharing options

Share All sharing options for: The NBA’s 9 most hilarious missed travel calls

LeBron James said his travel against the Utah Jazz was the worst one of his life, and folks, he was not wrong. James dribbled the ball past the halfcourt line, then just walked a bit before remembering to dribble it again. That is not how basketball is played. Yet somehow, none of the referees blew their whistle.

LeBron got away with one pic.twitter.com/Uv4uMKKcDi — SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 5, 2019

During the game, James talked to a fan after realizing how awful the play was. “I didn’t even know I did it until I saw it at halftime,” he said. “That’s the worst I’ve ever done. Yeah, that was f-cked up.”

LeBron to a fan about his no-call travel/double-dribble: “Yeah I know that was bad. That was real bad. I didn’t even know I did it until I saw it at half-time. That’s the worst I’ve ever done. Yeah, that was f-cked up. I feel bad for them though.” pic.twitter.com/YNffJPN1t9 — Yoni (@OriginalYoni) December 5, 2019

“I think I was ready to pass the ball,” James said after the game, according to ESPN , “and my brain just kind of just, I had a malfunction. I really had a malfunction ... I feel bad for the refs on that one because they’ll probably get a write-up on that or something.”

James’ travel was hilariously bad, but it’s far from the first time a player’s egregiously messed up and forgot to put the ball on the ground. Here are some of the best travels to not get called by the officials.

Bradley Beal ’s gallop

Blake Griffin ’s defense psyched out Beal , who, after taking his two steps on a drive to the hoop, took three more steps.

No whistle.

Worst of all, referees after the game stood by the call!

“The offensive player gathers with his right foot on the ground,” the official ref account tweeted . “He then takes two legal steps, before losing control of the ball. After regaining possession, a player is allowed to regain his pivot foot and pass or shoot prior to that foot returning to the ground. This is legal.”

The time Dirk Nowitzki played hopscotch

Nowitzki really just kept taking mini bunny hops going backwards. He took seven steps! Seven!

Kemba Walker’s jump-and-spin

Walker’s hop-step was a total mess, and his awkward landing sent him into another spin and a half-step and then ... a layup? The Celtics’ defense had a right to be Mad As Hell.

Take a bus next time, Kemba... pic.twitter.com/vbTeDh7FUT — Dime (@DimeUPROXX) April 12, 2016

Kendrick Perkins ’ nine-step walk

NINE! 9! (NINE?!)

Perkins kept changing his pivot foot and not a single soul in black-and-white stripes paid attention. They thought this looked fine:

WATCH: Kendrick Perkins' 9-step travel highlights this edition of "Shaqtin' A Fool!" https://t.co/tvDm4hycAP — NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) April 10, 2015

Dwyane Wade ’s seven-step travel

Wade dribbled down the court, similar to James, and appeared to do some stretching with the ball over his head while changing his pivot foot over and over again. In basketball, you simply can not do that.

Josh Smith’s 20+-step travel

This is so bad that I have no words.

Corey Brewer ’s dunk travel

In comparison to some of his colleagues, Brewer taking six steps before dunking wasn’t all that bad!

James Harden ’s double step-back

The best for last. This one is so legendary that it even had a failed reboot. Harden shuffled his feet backwards twice for a walk so obvious that nobody called it.

Months later, Steph Curry did it ... but he got whistled!

They just called a travel on Steph for doing the Harden double stepback. Ha pic.twitter.com/6HGgE55rfZ — Drew Shiller (@DrewShiller) January 6, 2019

Harden is, to date, our uncalled travel king.

Next time you complain that a specific player “always gets away with travels,” remember: They are not the only ones.

Next Up In NBA

• The Connecticut Sun are trying to steal some of the Celtics’ championship energy
• Steve Kerr crushed it at the Democratic National Convention
• 6 NBA teams who will be way better than last year
• For Gerald Green, a Big3 championship at TD Garden is as full-circle as it gets
• The NBA’s 5-hour Stephen Curry clutch YouTube video is peak offseason content
• NBA’s easiest and hardest schedules, key dates, and more for 2024-2025 season

Sign up for the newsletter Sign up for the SB Nation Daily Roundup newsletter!

Thanks for signing up.

Check your inbox for a welcome email.

Oops. Something went wrong. Please enter a valid email and try again.

• On SI On SI On SI
• si.com si.com si.com
• si swimsuit si swimsuit si swimsuit
• si sportsbook si sportsbook si sportsbook
• si tickets si tickets si tickets
• si showcase si showcase si showcase
• si resorts si resorts si resorts

Former Nuggets Player Unleashes Controversial LeBron James Take

• Author: Joey Linn

In This Story:

The NBA has become more lenient on traveling violations than they once were. While the league did start placing a greater emphasis on calls like traveling, carrying, and others last season, there are still ways to exploit the rules that current players have gotten savvy with.

During a recent appearance on Gil's Arena , former Denver Nuggets guard Nate Robinson shared an interesting take about LeBron James, and how the Los Angeles Lakers star was the first player to begin using a hop-step to get extra steps in without receiving a traveling violation.

"That's a travel. They don't call that no more. LeBron did that sh-t," Robinson said. "He started doing that hop-step and then taking two steps and then dunking off of coming down from a jump-step. I'm like, after [the hop-step] you gotta go up. They're taking two more steps, it's crazy."

One of the best dunkers of his era, Robinson doesn't like how the NBA now allows players to take extra steps after their hop-step, which has become a savvy way to gain more ground before going up. This is an interesting discussion that has become very controversial in NBA circles, but the former Dunk Contest champion believes LeBron James is traveling when utilizing that move.

While Robinson believes this move should be a travel, it's usually allowed by NBA officials.

Related Articles

Former NBA Star Destroys Narrative About Nikola Jokic's Playoff Run

Nuggets Broadcaster Reacts to Backlash Over 'Lakers Daddy' Comments

NBA Legend Makes Incredible Nikola Jokic Observation

Latest Nuggets News

Nikola Jokic's Injury Status vs. Utah Jazz Revealed

Injury Report: Denver Nuggets vs Utah Jazz

Jazz-Nuggets Injury Report: Nikola Jokic Update

Boston Celtics Star Makes Controversial Nikola Jokic Statement

NBA Legend Blasts Jayson Tatum After Game vs Nuggets

LeBron James says uncalled travel 'one of the worst' of his career

LeBron James describes what happened on his travel that the referees missed in the first quarter of the Lakers-Jazz game. (0:36)

• Covered the Lakers and NBA for ESPNLosAngeles.com from 2009-14, the Cavaliers from 2014-18 for ESPN.com and the NBA for NBA.com from 2005-09. Follow on X

SALT LAKE CITY -- LeBron James broke a personal seven-game road losing streak to the Utah Jazz , dating back to December 2010, in the Los Angeles Lakers ' 121-96 win Wednesday, but there was one sequence he would like to get back.

As James was bringing the ball past half court in the first quarter, he picked up his dribble and proceeded to take 3½ steps -- making it from the "A" to the "H" of Utah's midcourt signage -- before putting the ball on the floor again, with no travel call made by the official.

"It was the worst thing, probably one of the worst things I've ever done in my career," James said after the game, essentially admitting his final line of 20 points, 12 assists and just one turnover should have included a second turnover. "I didn't realize I did it until halftime. One of my coaches showed me."

Jazz forward Bojan Bogdanovic didn't take quite as long to recognize the miscue, signaling to referee Jacyn Goble as soon as it happened.

James said he was distracted by a collision involving Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Donovan Mitchell and absent-mindedly kept shuffling his feet as he checked it out.

"I think at the same time, I was watching the underneath play, and KCP and Donovan got into it. KCP started to run, and Donovan bumped into him, he fell on the ground," James said. "I think I was ready to pass the ball, and my brain just kind of just, I had a malfunction. I really had a malfunction."

James had fun with a fan heckling him about the play in the third quarter by heckling himself right back.

"That's one of the worst ones I've ever done in my life," he could be heard saying to the fan on the Spectrum SportsNet broadcast of the game.

Lakers guard Danny Green said he finally saw James' happy feet in the postgame locker room.

"I was wondering where I was when it happened. I'm like, 'When the hell did this happen?' So, yeah, I didn't catch it," Green said. "But it was funny to see after the game."

James, who has publicly critiqued NBA officiating several times this season, acknowledged he was the beneficiary of a no-call this time around.

"I feel bad for the refs on that one because they'll probably get a write-up on that or something," James said. "That was pretty bad."

LeBron James, Still Leading the Way for the US at Age 39, Has Another Chance at an Olympic Gold

LeBron James knows there aren’t many moments like this left

Mark J. Terrill

United States' LeBron James (6) celebrates after beating Serbia during a men's semifinals basketball game at Bercy Arena at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

PARIS (AP) — LeBron James knows there aren’t many moments like this left. He’s 39. He’s entering his 22nd professional season. It’s logical to expect that the Paris Olympics will be his last time on this stage, and who knows if he’s got one more NBA championship run in him.

If this is the Olympic finish line, though, he’s not sputtering toward it.

He’s leading — on pace to do so in a way that the U.S. has never seen before.

James could win the third gold medal of his Olympic career on Saturday night, when the U.S. takes on France for the title in Paris. If it happens, he’ll become just the third men’s player with at least three golds; Kevin Durant would have a record four golds should the U.S. win, and James would tie Carmelo Anthony for second on the all-time list with three Olympic titles.

“We know what we’re here for,” said James, who was one of the flag bearers along with tennis star Coco Gauff, tasked with leading the U.S. into the opening ceremony.

James enters the final as the U.S. leader in points (14.8 per game), rebounds (7.0 per game) and assists (8.2 per game) during these Olympics. Since all those stats started being tracked — assists were added to the box score at the Olympics starting with 1976 — no U.S. men’s player has ever led an Olympic team in all three of those categories. Some have come close, notably Durant at the Tokyo Games three years ago. But nobody has finished atop the list in all three categories.

So, yet another accolade may await. U.S. coach Steve Kerr needs only one word to describe how James — the NBA's all-time scoring leader and the U.S. all-time Olympic leader in assists, by a wide margin — is still playing, still dominating, at 39.

The word: “Crazy.”

“This is maybe one of the best things about this trip for me, to see LeBron behind the scenes, see the preparation, see the focus and getting a picture for why he is who he is,” Kerr said. “It’s just amazing to watch him. He loves the game so much. He loves the work. He loves his teammates. There’s an energy and a joy to LeBron that just sort of spreads through the locker room. He’s obviously one of the very best all-time players, but it goes so far beyond one thing. It’s just everything, the whole package. He’s just brilliant.”

He’s played brilliantly all summer, too.

James, to hear U.S. coaches tell the story, began setting the tone for how this team would operate from the very first practice in Las Vegas more than a month ago. He could have been elsewhere that day; his son Bronny James was making his summer league debut for the Los Angeles Lakers in San Francisco, a game that his dad — and now Lakers teammate — surely would have been courtside for in any other circumstance. He was in Vegas instead, watching highlights after the first practice.

And while the people in leadership roles for USA Basketball like Grant Hill, Sean Ford and Kerr were technically the ones who assembled the roster, James took on the unofficial role of principal recruiter. When the U.S. finished fourth at the World Cup last summer, James was the one on the phone asking players like Stephen Curry if they wanted to team up for an Olympic run this year.

“We’re all different as we get older, but the thing about greatness is that you adjust and find ways to continue to be effective,” Durant said. “And that’s what LeBron has done at that age. He’s not running and jumping the same way as he was when he was 25 years old, but he’s still jumping pretty high and running pretty fast.”

He’s also still doing things that nobody else does.

James had a triple-double in the comeback win over Serbia in the semifinals on Thursday night. It was the second triple-double of his Olympic career. Every other men's Olympic player ever, all of them from every team in the world, have two — combined. James has two himself.

“He’s still a freaking monster,” U.S. center Joel Embiid said. “I don’t understand how he’s doing it. It’s been fun to watch.”

And Saturday may be the final time he can be watched in the Olympics. He'll be 43 when the Games come to Los Angeles in 2028. Never say never, especially with James, but this game in France is probably the last time he'll wear the national team uniform.

When James has worn USA across his chest, the national team has won each of its last 46 games on the international stage.

He'd do anything to push that streak to 47 on Saturday night.

“Whatever it takes for our team to be successful, that's what I'll do,” James said. “That's always going to be my approach. Whatever the game calls for, whatever it takes to be successful.”

AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games

Copyright 2024 The  Associated Press . All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Photos You Should See - July 2024

Join the Conversation

Tags: Associated Press , sports

America 2024

U.S. News Decision Points

Your trusted source for the latest news delivered weekdays from the team at U.S. News and World Report.

Sign in to manage your newsletters »

Sign up to receive the latest updates from U.S News & World Report and our trusted partners and sponsors. By clicking submit, you are agreeing to our Terms and Conditions & Privacy Policy .

You May Also Like

The 10 worst presidents.

U.S. News Staff Feb. 23, 2024

The Best Cartoons on Donald Trump

Aug. 16, 2024, at 4:34 p.m.

Joe Biden Behind The Scenes

July 25, 2024

Best Lines From Day One of the DNC

Aneeta Mathur-Ashton Aug. 20, 2024

Obama to Headline Tuesday at the DNC

Tim Smart Aug. 20, 2024

DNC’s Farewell to Biden, Hello to Harris

Biden’s DNC Farewell

Aneeta Mathur-Ashton Aug. 19, 2024

The Week in Cartoons Aug. 19-23

Aug. 20, 2024, at 11:16 a.m.

Pivotal Week in Politics and the Economy

Tim Smart Aug. 19, 2024

Facts About the Democratic Convention

Laura Mannweiler Aug. 19, 2024

• SPORTS & TEAMS
• PERSONALITIES

Why LeBron James and Steph Curry should have been Co-MVPs of Olympics basketball l What's Wright?

Nick wright breaks down team usa's win over france to win gold and steph curry's clutch three-point shooting. he explains why lebron james and steph curry could have been co-mvps of the 2024 paris olympics in men's basketball..

How a gold medal affects Steph Curry's legacy l First Things First

Steph curry's clutch 3s lead team usa to gold vs. france l the herd, should jayson tatum play in the olympic final vs. france | first things first, steph curry's 36 points leads to team usa's 95-91 win vs. serbia l speak, steph curry leads team usa to comeback win vs serbia, faces france for gold l first things first, how kevin durant's success has translated in olympic and fiba play l the herd, could serbia upset team usa | first things first, anthony edwards, team usa defeat brazil, faces serbia in semifinals | the herd, team usa beats brazil to advance, will play serbia in semi-finals | speak, who's the most important player for team usa | undisputed.

• Summer Racing Northeast
• Champions League
• Motor Sports
• High School
• Shop Northeast
• PBR Northeast
• 3ICE Northeast
• Stubhub Northeast
• Play Golf Northeast

USA Basketball: Steph Curry, LeBron James, Kevin Durant keep Team USA golden by doing what all-time greats do

Curry, james and durant led team usa to its fifth straight gold medal and added to their legacies in paris.

Winning cures many things. But winning gold might just cure everything . For that, thank Stephen Curry.

By beating France, 98-87, in Paris in the gold medal game of the 2024 Olympics on Saturday, the USA men's basketball team didn't just keep its country where it belongs in the pantheon of international basketball. The Americans silenced all the drama that accompanied them to this spot.

Jayson Tatum getting benched in multiple games? The near loss to South Sudan in a warm-up game? Serbia dominating most of their semifinal before a late charge by Curry & Co.? Steve Kerr's questionable rotations?

It was all suddenly gone, replaced by the glitter of gold, flattened in a flurry of Curry 3s — eight of them! — that set another mark of his greatness and lifted USA to the heights of international basketball.

Curry scored a game high 24 points, was 8 of 12 from 3-point range, and had 12 crucial fourth-quarter points. He showed again why he is a top-five player in the history of the game.

STEPH WAS ICE COLD DOWN THE STRETCH. 🥶 Four three-pointers in TWO MINUTES AND 11 SECONDS to close out France for the gold medal. 🥇 #ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/2dR7UUE0Hn — NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 10, 2024

Even Kevin Durant's Twitter barrage lamenting Nikola Jokic fans praising the Serbian in his loss to Team USA on Thursday   -- which I, for one, would certainly tag as a bizarre and petty social media spree  -- faded under the greatness of Curry's performance and the magnitude of Olympic gold.

That's the thing about winning for your country, and just winning, especially when it has that particular hue of an all-time great performance: The ultimate goal has this way of erasing the details of how it was accomplished.

Just like the Tatum saga would've gone full DEFCON 1 had America lost a couple days ago, the end result is often more important than what we remember, even more important than the truth. The details that accompany these moments along the way almost always give way into a history painted in much broader strokes -- it's the magic we remember, not the other stuff. 

Not if you win, like Team USA did Saturday.

And Saturday was magical. It was special. And it does matter.

"Two years ago, when we won our last [NBA] championship, I knew that this was going to be on the horizon as something I was excited to go after," Curry told NBC after winning gold in his first Olympic Games. "...These last five weeks together with this group has been nothing but '1-2-3 gold.' That's all we've been saying. So, for us to finally accomplish that, for me to get a gold medal is insane."

Take LeBron James and Kevin Durant, too, the pillars along with Curry of this generation of basketball. This will likely be their final Olympics for their country, and the excellence they showed en route to the medal they earned was nothing short of spectacular.

LeBron notched in this run what was then only the fourth triple double in the history of the Olympics, and his gray beard and his aging body seem to enhance the effect of realizing how special this was, how fleeting his greatness must surely be.

TOUGH FINISH + THE FOUL. LEBRON JAMES WANTS A GOLD MEDAL. #ParisOlympics | 📺 NBC and Peacock pic.twitter.com/BSJw1758mB — NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 10, 2024

Durant, too, had moments of sizzling greatness that would defy belief if we hadn't seen it before. Early in this Olympic run in particular, he was able to step up and set the tone for American dominance. 

And Curry, of course, provided one of the greatest Olympic performances we've ever seen in the fourth quarter of this gold medal game.

The drama, the mistakes, the close calls, the Twitter tantrums, the questions we all had -- they were real when they happened, and they were mostly legitimate, too.

But that's what all-time greats do: they push aside the real life struggles and doubts and mistakes and difficulties that would fell most of us lesser men, and turn such things into the background noise of success.

Their performance -- particularly Curry's Saturday night -- will be remembered so much more for its gold medal history than the histrionics surrounding it.

Our Latest Olympics Stories

Flag football champ to battle NFL QBs for Olympics spot

Chris bengel • 2 min read.

French Olympic star Yabusele seeks NBA return

Sam quinn • 2 min read.

Chiles: Decision to take away bronze medal 'unjust'

Steven taranto • 2 min read.

IOC declares Romania can award Ana Barbosu bronze medal

Chris bengel • 1 min read.

Raygun calls amount of hate 'devastating'

Flavor Flav offers Chiles bronze clock necklace

Share video.

Steph, LeBron, KD add golden chapter to their legacies

Olympic medal count: Where USA stands

Biles, Richardson among U.S. athletes getting bonuses

Where to watch all of the top olympic events.

Jordan Chiles' floor exercise medal may be in jeopardy

A promising sign of where Olympic basketball is going

Khelif earns gold in boxing amid gender debate

Five questions for Elana Meyers Taylor

Vonn scatters grandfather's ashes

Russian women go 1-2 in figure skating

Why Kerr is a ‘LeBron fan for life' after coaching James in Olympics

By taylor wirth • published august 12, 2024 • updated on august 12, 2024 at 10:59 am.

Steve Kerr finally was able to reap the rewards of having LeBron James on his side after countless matchups against the NBA's all-time leading scorer over the years.

James, along with Steph Curry, Kevin Durant and a plethora of NBA superstars headlined a loaded Team USA roster at the 2024 Paris Olympics. One that Kerr had the honor of coaching.

In speaking to reporters after Team USA secured the gold medal with a 98-87 win over France on Saturday at Bercy Arena in Paris, Kerr was asked about his experience coaching James.

Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.

"LeBron, what a blessing to coach him finally after all these years of coaching against him and trying to figure out how to beat him," Kerr said. "To watch him up close, I've said this these past few weeks, just to see his approach, to see his professionalism, how coachable he is and then of course just how gifted he is at everything. Every part of the game he seems to have mastered. I'm thrilled to have been able to coach him these last six weeks and I'm a LeBron fan for life."

Kerr won't have long to enjoy his newfound LeBron fandom before the Warriors begin the 2024-25 NBA season on either Oct. 23 or 24. James then will return to being a thorn in Golden State's side as it competes with the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference.

But for now, Kerr is cherishing the shared experience with a longtime rival.

Golden State Warriors

When Warriors ironically saw Waters' fit, potential before trade

Martin shares NSFW prediction for Klay's first game vs. Warriors

Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast

This article tagged under:

• Dubs Talk Podcast
• Monte Poole
• Dalton Johnson
• Warriors News
• Warriors Analysis
• 49ers Talk Podcast
• Matt Maiocco
• Jennifer Lee Chan
• 49ers Training Camp
• 49ers Analysis
• Giants Talk Podcast
• Alex Pavlovic
• Giants News
• Giants Analysis
• A's Analysis
• Kings Free Agency
• Kings Draft
• Kings Rumors
• Kings Analysis
• Sharks News
• Sharks Draft
• Sharks Analysis
• All-Star Teacher
• newsletters

• Skip to Navigation
• Skip to Main Content
• Skip to Related Content
• Today's news
• Reviews and deals
• Climate change
• 2024 election
• Fall allergies
• Health news
• Mental health
• Sexual health
• Family health
• So mini ways
• Unapologetically
• Buying guides

Entertainment

• How to Watch
• My watchlist
• Stock market
• Biden economy
• Personal finance
• Stocks: most active
• Stocks: gainers
• Stocks: losers
• Trending tickers
• World indices
• US Treasury bonds
• Top mutual funds
• Highest open interest
• Highest implied volatility
• Currency converter
• Basic materials
• Communication services
• Consumer cyclical
• Consumer defensive
• Financial services
• Industrials
• Real estate
• Mutual funds
• Credit cards
• Balance transfer cards
• Cash back cards
• Rewards cards
• Travel cards
• Online checking
• High-yield savings
• Money market
• Home equity loan
• Personal loans
• Student loans
• Options pit
• Fantasy football
• Pro Pick 'Em
• College Pick 'Em
• Fantasy baseball
• Fantasy hockey
• Fantasy basketball
• Download the app
• Daily fantasy
• Scores and schedules
• GameChannel
• World Baseball Classic
• Premier League
• CONCACAF League
• Champions League
• Motorsports
• Horse racing
• Newsletters

New on Yahoo

• Privacy Dashboard

• Fantasy Football
• Yahoo Sports AM
• College Sports
• Horse Racing
• Fantasy Sports
• What & How To Watch
• Scores/Schedules
• Fantasy Basketball
• In-Season Tournament
• All-Star Game
• Summer League
• NFL contract beef predictions
• Olympic star signs with Storm
• Big Ten preview
• ‘The Murder of Air McNair’
• NFL QB competition check-in

Fantasy Basketball: Draft strategy for approaching LeBron James and other 35+ year olds

Fantasy basketball: navigating aging veterans in fantasy basketball for 2024-25.

As fantasy basketball managers gear up for the 2024-25 NBA season, I've been debating where to rank and draft the old guys. When I say old, I'm talking about players who will be over the basketball hill —at least 35 years old — before the end of the 2025 regular season. Some of these legends continue to extend their primes while othes are either aging like fine boxed wine or in decline.

Let's dive into how I approach these elder statesmen in drafts this season.

LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers

Real rap, he's one of the greatest athletes ever. He was the most impactful player for Team USA at the 2024 Paris Olympics, and it looks like he could play for another five seasons despite turning 40 later this year and being the oldest player in the NBA.

I have some durability concerns given his age, but James had his healthiest season in over three years, playing 71 games last year. The production's always been consistent — bank him for at least 25-7-7 with a field-goal percentage north of 50% and a couple of threes and a steal per game. I wouldn't be mad if you're a LeBron stan and want to take him in the second round but an early third-round pick balances the risk and reward perfectly.

Kevin Durant , Phoenix Suns

The NBA's modern mercenary became an injury risk over the past decade, where he sustained a Jones fracture during 2014-2015 that set off several injuries thereafter, most notably a torn Achilles in 2020. Since the Achilles tear, Durant has failed to play over 55 games in a season. That was until last year, when he played 75 games, clearly returning to form as a top-10 player in fantasy. Like James, the Slim Reaper was bounced early from the 2024 playoffs but played an influential role in Team USA capturing gold in Paris.

Durant will be 36 in September and is going in the backend of the first round of most mock drafts this offseason. I'll likely pass on him there because of (what seems to be) persistent soft-tissue issues, but that could easily become a regret. He's one of the most prolific and efficient scorers ever. And he gets stocks too.

[ Create or join a Yahoo Fantasy hoops league for the 2024-25 NBA season ]

Stephen Curry , Golden State Warriors

The baby-faced assassin has a beard now and likely some grays after carrying Team USA to gold and the Warriors all year long. I have Curry ranked as a late-first in category formats because he is elite in three categories — points, threes and free throw percentage. Points leagues, he's more of a third-rounder.

Curry'll turn 37 in March, and I feel good about his prospects to stay healthy, considering he's played in at least 63 games in 11 of his 15 seasons in the league. So in short, I'd run it back for another year with the seemingly ageless future Hall-of-Famer.

James Harden, Los Angeles Clippers

The stars aligned well for Harden this offseason. Paul George went to Philly, and if the Olympics indicate what's to come for Kawhi Leonard this year, Harden could be in for a massive workload. The soon-to-be 35-year-old is one of only a handful of players capable of leading the league in assists, and his ability to contribute across categories puts him right in line with a second-round grade. His scoring fell off a cliff last year as the third wheel to PG and Kawhi, so I'd expect some positive regression there. His 16 ppg was his lowest since winning Sixth Man of the Year in 2015-2016.

Heavy minutes could lead to injury, but hopefully, Ty Lue and the staff have a plan to keep Harden motivated and healthy.

Jimmy Butler , Miami Heat

Butler turns 35 in September and his sketchy contract situation is far from ideal. Also, in the regular season, Jimmy isn't Playoff Jimmy . I've passed over him in every offseason mock because I don't know what to expect from him or the situation at hand. He needs to get paid, and until he does, I'd be more tempted to draft him if he falls beyond the fourth.

DeMar DeRozan , Sacramento Kings

DeRozan's traditional 20-5-5 likely goes to a 20-4-4 playing in such a loaded Sacramento starting unit. Everyone has downgraded a smidge since his arrival, but I'd be more interested in selecting DeRozan in the fifth/sixth round of drafts. I don't love him though.

Draymond Green , Golden State Warriors

I don't know why Draymond feels older than he is, but he'll be turning 35 in March. I'm fine drafting him for his rebounding and assists. He also looks to be back to attempting more than a couple of threes per game. The thing with Draymond is, as a fantasy manager, how do you factor in his on-the-court antics? Last year was an outlier, so I'd buy the dip considering what he does outside of scoring.

Chris Paul , San Antonio Spurs

I love that CP3 chose to play with San Antonio this season. The point god could've gone ring chasing to some degree, but teaming up with Wemby , a future star of this league, is a dope way to close out his career. Word on the street is that he chose the Spurs because he'll start. And at draft cost, Paul is shaping up to be a sleeper in the mid-to-late rounds of drafts.

The scoring is likely sapped but averaging a low-end double-double can't be ruled out if he's playing 30+ minutes a night. CP3 may not last through the season, but he's still a productive fantasy player despite how he was utilized by the Warriors last season. Don't reach, but scoop him if you missed out on assists earlier in the draft.

Brook Lopez , Milwaukee Bucks

Splash Mountain will be 37 in April, and I expect to see some decline here. Is Lopez still worth drafting in fantasy? Yes. But it'll really just be for the blocks and threes. He doesn't get enough volume in this offense, and he can't clog the paint with Giannis . I'd pass on Lopez if younger options are available in the mid-rounds.

Mike Conley , Minnesota Timberwolves

As the point guard of one of the best teams in the Western Conference, Conley often gets overlooked in drafts because of his age — he'll be 37 in October. But like Paul, he's a cheap source for assists in the mid-to-late rounds. The Wolves drafted Robert Dillingham in the first round as Conley's replacement, so just be mindful that the next man up isn't far behind.

Al Horford , Boston Celtics

Old man Al is 38 and more fantasy-relevant than many would expect heading into the season. Kristaps Porziņģis has no firm return date, so Horford will likely step in as the starting center once the season is underway. The Celtics have 13 back-to-backs (B2B) on the schedule (under league average), and trust — Horford will be missing at least one of every B2B. Still, he's worth a flier late for his 3s and stocks.

Russell Westbrook , Denver Nuggets

New team, same Russ. It's unclear if he'll start, but the peripherals at this stage in his career left him outside the top 120, and he's not someone I'd be interested in drafting. If more information comes out about his role, I could see a bump as a late-rounder in points formats.

Klay Thompson , Dallas Mavericks

I like the landing spot, but Klay's fantasy value lies in his three-point shooting. If you need a boost, go for it. I just don't see much room for Klay to contribute in other categories because so much of Dallas' offense flows through Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving .

Recommended Stories

Fantasy football draft kit: rankings, mock drafts and much more.

Our fantasy football draft kit is here to help you crush your 2024 drafts and build championship-winning teams!

Fantasy Football Rankings: Top 250 full PPR draft rankings for 2024

The analysts of Yahoo Fantasy share their full-PPR rankings ahead of 2024 fantasy football drafts.

Bust alert! 13 players to avoid early in your drafts | Yahoo Fantasy Forecast

It's officially 'Convictions Week' on the pod as we provide our most definitive takes of draft season. Matt Harmon is joined by Yahoo Fantasy's resident hater Dan Titus to identify potential busts in each round of your draft. While both make it clear they don't think the guys they pick will have awful seasons, they do offer reasons why each of their picks won't meet the expectations of their current ADP. The two also end the show by answering your questions in the fantasy mailbag.

Fantasy football rankings 2024

Dominate your drafts with these 2024 fantasy football rankings from the analysts of Yahoo Fantasy.

Fantasy football rankings 2024: Top WRs, according to our experts

The Yahoo Fantasy football analysts reveal their updated wide receiver rankings for the 2024 NFL season.

2024-25 NBA Schedule: Key dates for fantasy basketball, games to watch

With the NBA schedule revealed for the 2024-25 fantasy basketball season, Dan Titus reveals his takeaways.

2024 Fantasy Football Mock Draft: 10-team half-PPR

The Yahoo Fantasy football crew got together for their very first mock draft of 2024. Andy Behrens recaps the results.

Fantasy University: Course 102 — How to draft in fantasy football

Learn the ins and outs of how to draft your fantasy football team.

Mock Draft Monday: 10-team dynasty startup league (with Nate Tice) | Yahoo Fantasy Forecast

Matt Harmon is joined by Nate Tice to break down the results of a 10-team dynasty mock draft they participated in with the rest of the Yahoo Fantasy staff last week.

LeBron carries Team USA, Eastern Conference reset & another Bulls rebuild | Good Word with Goodwill

Vincent Goodwill and Jason Goff wonder if LeBron is still the best American basketball player, look at the Eastern Conference after free agency and wonder what comes next for the Chicago Bulls.

Fantasy Football Rankings: Full PPR RB rankings for 2024

The analysts of Yahoo Fantasy share their full-PPR running back rankings for ahead of 2024 fantasy football drafts.

Fantasy Football: Key ADP risers and fallers heading into Week 3 of NFL preseason

Fantasy football analyst Tera Roberts highlights some interesting ADP movement ahead of the third week of preseason action.

2024 breakout candidates: the obvious & the obscure | Football 301

Nate Tice and Charles McDonald join forces to give their top breakout candidates to keep an eye on for the 2024 NFL season.

Cubs release reliever Héctor Neris, avoid $9M vesting option for 2025

Neris was 14 appearances away from securing $9 million for next season with the Cubs.

Predictions on how contract standoffs like Dak Prescott and Ja'Marr Chase will play out

Which contracts will get done before the season starts?

Fantasy football rankings 2024: Top tight ends, according to our experts

The Yahoo Fantasy football analysts reveal their tight end rankings for the 2024 NFL season.

3 things to know about the Big Ten: Is this the year Ohio State finally breaks through?

With the 2024 season quickly approaching, here's a look at the Big Ten. Ohio State has a lot of pressure entering the season and a few teams could be right on its heels.

Dodgers All-Star Freddie Freeman has fractured finger on right hand, will play through it

Freeman injured the middle finger on his right hand while fielding a ground ball on Saturday.

Zion Williamson's apparent weight loss draws attention on social media

New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson appears to have lost notable weight during the offseason, based on photos taken at his basketball camp in South Carolina.

United States announces team for 2024 Paralympics, with 225 members heading to Paris

Team USA will include 141 returning Paralympians, including swimmer Jessica Long, sprinter Hunter Woodhall and multi-sport Paralympian Oksana Masters.

Lebron James , who helped the United States defeat France in the men's basketball gold medal game on Saturday, said he could not imagine himself playing at the next Summer Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028.

Asked if he would contemplate playing in the next Olympics on U.S. soil, the 39-year-old said: "No, I can't see myself playing in L.A., but I also didn't see myself playing in Paris."

"Four years from now, no, I can't see myself [playing at the Olympics]."

James, the L.A. Lakers star who is often regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of basketball, had 14 points, six rebounds, 10 assists and two steals against France.

The Olympic title in Paris is James' third.

Start your Olympic journey today on SportsEnginePlay.com , the Home of Youth Sports™

Note: Some components of NBCOlympics.com may not be optimized for users browsing with Internet Explorer 11, 10 or older browsers or systems.

LeBron James is relishing this moment in Paris, and coach Steve Kerr is enjoying the view

Lebron james' desire to win another gold medal was on display against serbia. he was close to losing, but he didn’t let it happen..

PARIS — U.S. men’s Olympic basketball coach Steve Kerr knows how good LeBron James is from coaching against him in four consecutive NBA Finals.

But after coaching him for more than a month for the 2024 Paris Olympics , Kerr has a greater appreciation of what James does.

“I just like coaching him rather than coaching against him,” Kerr said just before the U.S. opened group play at the Olympics. “It’s so fun to see him up close and get to know him a little bit and watch him with his teammates. I mean there's a reason he's LeBron James – to see him at 39 doing everything he's doing, dominating games, leading practices, setting an example for everybody. He's incredible.”

That appreciation grew tenfold, if not more, after James, Steph Curry and Joel Embiid spearheaded a dazzling comeback and saved the U.S. from what would have been a humbling and disappointing loss to Serbia in the semifinals at these Summer Games.

➤  Get Olympics updates in your texts!  Join USA TODAY Sports' WhatsApp Channel

2024 Paris Olympics: Follow USA TODAY’s coverage of the biggest names and stories of the Games.

ANALYSIS: Think Team USA has a lock on gold? Here's how LeBron & Co. could get beaten

OPINION: Winter is coming for US men's basketball. Serbia game shows it's almost here.

The U.S. defeated Serbia 95-91 on Thursday – after trailing by 13 to start the fourth quarter – and will play France in the gold-medal game on Saturday . Team USA is trying to win its fifth consecutive gold medal.

James was once again spectacular. He had 16 points, 12 rebounds (all defensive) and 10 assists and locked in defensively in the fourth quarter as the U.S. stormed back.

“LeBron James is such an amazing basketball player,” Kerr said. “He guarded (three-time NBA MVP Nikola) Jokic most of the fourth quarter and just all the little stuff that he was doing defensively to thwart Serbia – rebounding, pushing the ball in transition.”

Said James: “Big-time win for us. We knew we were going to be challenged. We knew it was going to be the toughest game up to date, but it was a true total effort."

It was not a one-man show by any stretch. Curry scored 36 points, Embiid had 19 and Kevin Durant had seven of his nine points in the decisive fourth quarter in which the U.S. outscored Serbia 32-15.

But James led the charge. At 39 years old, he has been the best player at the Olympics.

James was a member of the 2004 Athens Games team that won a disappointing bronze (he played little as a 19-year-old); he was a member of the teams that won gold in Beijing in 2008 and London in 2012, then took a break from international play.

So he is relishing this moment.

You don’t need to wonder how seriously James takes this. He wouldn’t have committed to playing for Team USA after a 12-year hiatus if it didn’t mean something to him. And his desire to win another gold medal was on display against Serbia. He was close to losing, but he didn’t let it happen.

It’s his last Olympics, and as the sun begins to set on his basketball career, he acknowledged why this is special.

“I don't know how many opportunities and moments I'm going to get like this to be able to compete for something, compete for something big and play in big games, and tonight was a big game,” James said.

That James who takes over a game is still around. In the fourth quarter, James had six points, six rebounds and three assists. He scored two of his buckets on coast-to-coast driving layups following rebounds and his aggressive defense on Jokic allowed his teammates to cut off the good 3-point attempts Serbia had in the first three quarters.

Kerr hasn’t passed on an opportunity to praise James.

“LeBron puts his imprint on the game in so many different ways,” he 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. It's just amazing.”

Follow NBA reporter Jeff Zillgitt on social media  @JeffZillgitt .

The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast.  Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more .

US men's basketball advances to semifinals with rout of Brazil

Team usa took another step toward a fifth straight olympic men's basketball gold medal by rolling past brazil in the quarterfinals., by nbc staff • published august 6, 2024 • updated on august 6, 2024 at 4:18 pm.

This live blog about the Team USA-Brazil quarterfinal has ended. See more updates from  today's Olympics action here .

What to Know

• In their first win-or-go-home contest of the 2024 Olympics , the No. 1-seeded Americans cruised past Brazil by a score of 122-87 in the quarterfinals.
• Devin Booker led six American players who scored in double figures with 18 points, while Anthony Edwards added 17 off the bench. LeBron James nearly had a double-double with 12 points and nine assists.
• Kevin Durant surpassed Lisa Leslie as the all-time leading scorer in American Olympic history with 11 points in the win.
• The final four teams standing in the Olympic men's basketball tournament are Team USA, France, Germany and Serbia.

Devin Booker, Anthony Edwards and LeBron James starred as the U.S. men's basketball team rolled past Brazil and into the Olympic semifinals. Here's how the quarterfinal game played out:

This article tagged under:

10 Moments of Beauty at the Paris Olympics

The Summer Games are known for athletic excellence, but they provide plenty of aesthetic excellence along the way.

Léon Marchand and the rest of the Olympians at the Paris Games have put on a show — in more ways than one. Credit... James Hill for The New York Times

Supported by

• Share full article

By Sadiba Hasan

• Published Aug. 9, 2024 Updated Aug. 12, 2024

Some people watch the Olympics for the events. Others watch for the hot athletes.

This is nothing new. Going all the way back to the first century, the orator Dio Chrysostom praised the “beauty” of the boxer Melankomas, who competed in the ancient Greek athletic games .

That same feeling resonates in 2024. A number of participants in the Paris Summer Olympics have distinguished themselves for things beyond their athletic talent. In an extreme case, a pole-vaulter gained a great deal of attention — some might say notoriety — for failing in a unique way. Others caught the public’s attention through moments of love or kindness — a different but equally palpable form of beauty.

There are numerous options to choose from, but here are 10 moments of beauty at the games.

Swimmers and Their Abs

After Italy won bronze in the 4 × 100-meter freestyle relay on July 27, the Italian swimmer Thomas Ceccon, 23, raised his arms in celebration. In doing so, he unintentionally bared his well-cut abs , which had many thirsting on the internet .

(Ceccon, who won gold in the 100-meter backstroke, was later found sleeping on the ground next to a bench in Olympic Village after he had complained about the conditions at the village.)

Triple Play

For the first time in Olympic gymnastics history, three Black athletes shared a podium, with Rebeca Andrade of Brazil earning gold in the women’s floor exercise final, Simone Biles receiving silver and Jordan Chiles taking bronze. At one point, while they were on the podium, Biles and Chiles, both of the United States, bowed down to Andrade .

Each had their “ face cards ” locked down, with floor routines rife with sexy moments. Chiles had a wink to the camera when she opened her routine , Biles had her hand over her mouth when she closed out hers and Andrade impressed with her confident fluid movements to a soundtrack of Brazilian funk.

Suspended in Midair

The Brazilian surfer Gabriel Medina, 30, was the subject of one of the most eye-catching photographs at this Olympics . In it, he defies gravity as he floats in the air and poses with one finger pointed toward the sky, his surfboard parallel to him, seemingly mimicking his stance. Aside from being the subject of a stunning photo, Medina took bronze at the surfing competition, which was held in Tahiti — 9,800 miles from Paris.

A Clutch Comeback

In the men’s basketball gold medal match, Stephen Curry made a series of clutch three-pointers in the draining minutes of the game, each more impressive than the one before, to lead the United States to a 98-87 win over France.

And after each of those artful shots, he flashed his signature “night, night” celebration , pressing his palms together, laying them against the side of his face, and tilting his head — motioning France to go to bed. His teammates joined him, including LeBron James.

Curry scored 24 points as the United States won its fifth straight gold medal in men’s basketball, with plenty of help from fellow N.B.A. stars like James and Kevin Durant. He similarly delivered in the semifinal match against Serbia , scoring 36 points and leading the team to overcome a 17-point deficit.

Rumors of Romance

Devin Booker, an N.B.A. star and a player for the U.S. men’s basketball team, shared a video on Instagram of the footage he captured from the stands at the women’s individual all-around final in gymnastics. He recorded routines on a camcorder like a proud parent, cheering on Sunisa Lee, Biles and Andrade, with his teammates, including Curry, sitting next to him. During Lee’s floor routine, he chanted “Vamos, vamos!”

Then Booker posted a photo on Instagram of himself with Lee, which quickly drew attention. Though it might have just been a sweet pic of two athletes posing together, many were swooning over how good they looked together. Her body is tilted in his direction, and there’s a massive height difference — she’s 5 feet and he’s 6-foot-6.

Love has been in the air at the games, with at least six proposals involving athletes taking place so far.

After breaking the European women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase record, the French athlete Alice Finot celebrated by proposing to her boyfriend, Bruno Martínez Bargiela, in the stands. She proposed with an Olympic pin that reads “Love is in Paris.” .

The French skiff sailing partners Sarah Steyaert and Charline Picon were proposed to by their boyfriends after winning bronze in the women’s skiff 49erFX.

And the Chinese badminton player Liu Yuchen proposed to his teammate Huang Ya Qiong with a bouquet of flowers after she won a gold medal in the badminton mixed doubles final.

Showing Confidence — and Versatility

When Noah Lyles, 27, won gold in the men’s 100-meter , he did so wearing a diamond-covered chain-link necklace, pearls in his hair and nails that featured stars, a cross and a lightning bolt in red, white and blue. After claiming the title of the world’s fastest man by fractions of a second, Lyles, who is known for performing well under pressure, exclaimed to a camera, “I told you America, I got this.” (Later, he inspired some debate by winning bronze in the 200-meter after he had been diagnosed with Covid.)

Two days later, another stylish American runner, Gabby Thomas, 27, won gold in the women’s 200-meter — proving she can do it all. Back home, she graduated from Harvard with a degree in neurobiology and earned a master’s degree from the University of Texas in public health with a concentration on epidemiology. Her day job is volunteering at a health care clinic.

The Sharpshooters

Many people on social media reimagined the pistol shooters at the Olympics as characters from action movies .

There was the Turkish shooter Yusuf Dikec, who nonchalantly competed with both eyes open, no special equipment (i.e., ear protector, specialized lens, eye cover) and one hand in his pocket. Dikec, 51, took silver in the 10-meter air pistol mixed team event, his country’s first medal in shooting. When he found out about his internet stardom, Dikec told the Turkish media , “I did not need special equipment. I’m a natural, a natural shooter.”

And then there was the Korean shooter Choe Dae-han . In a photo that spread quickly online, Dae-han is seen wearing a cyberpunk leather jacket and shooting with a deep arched back.

The Legend and the Future

After winning his fourth gold medal at his first Olympic Games, the French swimmer Léon Marchand, 22, held up four fingers at the end of the 200-meter individual medley race. When asked how he was feeling after becoming the fourth swimmer to win four golds at the same Olympics, Marchand said, “ I was more relaxed than usual, because I won three gold medals before. ” Light work.

And during Marchand’s moment of triumph, Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian of all, was in the stands, contorting his face and cheering along as Marchand beat his Olympic record in the 200-meter individual medley. Adding to the spectacle, Phelps had his hair in a tightly packed bun that drew plenty of opinions online.

An Act of Kindness

After a dominant 4-0 win over the U.S. men’s soccer team, Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi, 25, consoled the American soccer player, Kevin Paredes, 21. Hakimi, a defender for Paris St.-Germain, knelt down to comfort Paredes , who was crying. Hakimi lifted him up, put his arm around his neck and walked down the soccer field with him. Morocco went on to beat Egypt, earning the bronze medal.

Sadiba Hasan reports on love and culture for the Styles section of The Times. More about Sadiba Hasan

Advertisement

Column: Scoring record clinches it. LeBron James, not Michael Jordan, is basketball’s GOAT

• Copy Link URL Copied!

One small basket for man, one giant end to the sports argument that has plagued mankind.

With his 36th point Tuesday night against the Oklahoma City Thunder, LeBron James passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA’s all-time leading scorer and silence a decades-long debate.

James is now officially and unquestionably the greatest basketball player to ever walk this Earth, and no apologies necessary to those who still insist it is Michael Jordan .

Accomplished in front of a roaring crowd at Crypto.com Arena on a fallaway jumper with 10.9 seconds left in the third quarter, this wasn’t just a milestone for a superstar, it was the coronation of a King.

How LeBron James claimed the NBA’s scoring crown, step by step

The little, and big, moments that led to LeBron James becoming the NBA’s all-time leading scorer as he surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on Tuesday night.

Feb. 7, 2023

James not only eclipsed 38,387 points, but he made more than 38,387 points in a debate that is surely now resolved.

Turn off “The Last Dance” videos, lose the romantic Bulls-colored glasses, separate the myths from the men, and the reality thunders down like a trademark James tomahawk dunk.

James, not Jordan, is the GOAT.

He cemented that status on a night when a celebrity-studded sellout crowd screamed every time he touched the ball, urging him to shoot, groaning when he passed.

He scored eight points in the first quarter, a dozen in the second quarter. Then, fueled by roars that grew louder with each basket, he turned it on with 16 points in the record-setting third quarter that appropriately featured virtually every sort of basket — free throws, layups, three-pointers and that clinching two-point fall-away.

After making the record shot, amid deafening cheers from fans who leaped and hugged, James stalked across the court with his arms in the air and his head tilted toward the ceiling. He held that pose for a few seconds, then doubled over with emotion.

He summoned his family to midcourt, where he was honored by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and Abdul-Jabbar, who handed him a basketball in a symbolic passing of the torch. The widely reported iciness between James and Abdul-Jabbar was obvious in the way they stood apart and didn’t look at each other. It was at this point that James began to cry, then took the microphone and addressed the crowd.

“I wouldn’t be me without all of y’alls help, all y’alls passion, all y’alls sacrifices,” he told the crowd and his loved ones, later adding: “I would never, ever in a million years dreamt this even better than what it is tonight. .… F— man, thank you, guys.”

In breaking a seemingly unbreakable record that has stood for nearly 39 years — as long as Babe Ruth once held the career home run record after his retirement — James has checked the last box on a resume that doesn’t just dominate basketball but defines it.

He ranks first on the scoring list, more than 11,000 points ahead of the next active player, and nobody will ever catch him.

He ranks fourth on the all-time assists list having just recently passed assist specialist Steve Nash.

How LeBron James fits with greatest Lakers players ever

When debating the greatest players in Lakers history, LeBron James is likely the most talented of them all, but only tied for seventh in an L.A. Times poll.

Nov. 14, 2022

He ranks 32nd on the all-time rebounds list, but no active player has more and no active player is in position to pass him.

In all three categories, James leads Jordan, which leaves Jordan’s defenders to continuously brag only about the same thing they’ve been bragging about for years.

Jordan has won six championships, James has won four, and that is supposed to make Jordan a better player. It does not.

Jordan won all six titles with the same team and the same system. James won his titles with three teams in three systems, a much tougher accomplishment.

Then there was the coaching. Jordan was coached during each of his championships by Hall of Famer Phil Jackson . James won titles with coaches who were unproven or journeymen at the time, from Erik Spoelstra to Tyronn Lue to Frank Vogel.

What does this say about James’ basketball IQ? It’s off the charts and at least the equal of Jordan’s.

James is more versatile than Jordan, with an ability to play all five positions. James is more adaptable than Jordan, with the body of a tight end, the toughness of a running back and the agility of a wide receiver, with a game that produces unstoppable drives and feathery three-pointers.

James has also been better, for longer, than Jordan. James looks as amazing at age 38 as he did when his career began 20 years ago. He plays as hard and effectively as he ever did. Just look at his numbers. At last count, he was averaging 30 points, seven assists and more than eight rebounds per game, all ranking in the NBA’s top 30.

When Jordan retired for good at age 40 in 2003, he had been a shell of himself in his final two seasons with the Washington Wizards.

Yet it’s not just about longevity. While Jordan averaged more points per game than anyone in basketball history, James ranks fifth on that list, proving his greatness has been as consistent as the constant slap of his hands upon his chest.

And don’t start with that tired, “LeBron isn’t clutch” argument. James has made five game-winning buzzer-beaters in the playoffs, the most in NBA history and two more than Jordan.

LeBron James by the numbers: A comparison to Kareem for the NBA scoring record

LeBron James became the NBA’s all-time scoring leader, passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Here’s a statistical comparison of the two legendary players.

Asked late Tuesday if he was now the GOAT, James didn’t argue.

“If I was a GM … of a franchise that was starting up and I had the No. 1 pick, I would take me,” he said, adding, “I’ve been able to do whatever this game has wanted me to do … that don’t take away from nobody else … but I can’t take nobody over me.”

Lakers coach Darvin Ham agreed Tuesday that, yes, James is the GOAT.

“Impact? Man for man? I think he’s at the top of the list,” he said.

Putting James’ legacy into perspective is a jaw-dropping exercise. He has scored against several father-son combinations. He has scored against former high school teammates of his son Bronny. He has scored against a half-dozen current coaches. He has scored with different basketballs, different rules, and in arenas both new and demolished. He has scored at least 40 points in a game against all 30 teams.

All of which brings up a question lingering on the fringes of the record-breaking points celebration.

Has he truly scored with Lakers fans? Does the record feel like a Lakers accomplishment or a LeBron accomplishment?

The answer is complicated. Though the Lakers brought him here from Cleveland partially because they wanted him to break the scoring record in purple and gold, he has never quite connected with Los Angeles.

In his five seasons here, he has yet to win a playoff series in front of a home crowd. Their 2020 championship was forged in front of zero fans in a COVID-created bubble in Orlando, Fla. The Lakers’ first-round series against Phoenix in 2021 ended in injury and embarrassment.

What Showtime Lakers and other legends are saying about LeBron James

Former Lakers stars and NBA Hall of Famers give their impressions of LeBron James overtaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA’s all-time scoring leader.

James has yet to hit a memorable game-winning shot as a Laker. He has yet to produce a classic game-winning defensive play as a Laker. He has, honestly, had very few singularly shining Lakers moments. There was the speech he gave before the first home game after the death of Kobe Bryant. There was the Bryant-imitated dunk he performed in Kobe’s honor. There was his winning duel with Golden State’s Steph Curry during the 2021 play-in game.

Until he broke the scoring record Tuesday, James had not done much to connect with the Lakers brand, and, even in this wondrous moment of triumph, his teammates did not surround him and Anthony Davis even took a seat behind the bench and looked away just before James hit his big shot.

The impression has always been that James is a great player who just happens to be biding his time with the Lakers. That impression is a fair one. The truth is, James belongs not to Los Angeles or the Lakers, but the world.

Abdul-Jabbar, meanwhile, is definitely a Laker, having spent his last 14 seasons here while helping the Showtime-era teams produce five championships. This, plus the fact that Abdul-Jabbar surrendered four years’ worth of scoring to James because Abdul-Jabbar had to attend college and James didn’t, is why some fans will forever believe Abdul-Jabbar is the real Lakers scoring leader. Few Lakers fans would even acknowledge James as a top-five Lakers great, leaving him out of a list that includes Magic Johnson, Bryant, Jerry West, Abdul-Jabbar and Chick Hearn.

At the end of a night in which the Lakers lost to the Thunder 133-130, none of that really mattered when James staked his claim to a title far more vaunted than anything the home team could offer.

He might not be the best Laker ever, but, on a night when he wore a Lakers uniform to break the unbreakable, he became the best basketball player ever.

Be like who?

More to Read

Olympics give LeBron James another chance to show his Midas touch

July 13, 2024

Granderson: LeBron James is the aging icon we all needed

May 28, 2024

LeBron James has never been NBA defensive player of the year — and it really bugs him

April 16, 2024

All things Lakers, all the time.

Get all the Lakers news you need in Dan Woike's weekly newsletter.

You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.

Bill Plaschke, an L.A. Times sports columnist since 1996, is a member of the National Sports Media Hall of Fame and California Sports Hall of Fame. He has been named national Sports Columnist of the Year nine times by the Associated Press, and twice by the Society of Professional Journalists and National Headliner Awards. He is the author of six books, including a collection of his columns entitled “Plaschke: Good Sports, Spoilsports, Foul Balls and Oddballs.” Plaschke is also a panelist on the popular ESPN daily talk show, “Around the Horn.” He is in the national Big Brothers/Big Sisters Alumni Hall of Fame and has been named Man of the Year by the Los Angeles Big Brothers/Big Sisters as well as receiving a Pursuit of Justice Award from the California Women’s Law Center. Plaschke has appeared in a movie (“Ali”), a dramatic HBO series (“Luck”) and, in a crowning cultural moment he still does not quite understand, his name can be found in a rap song “Females Welcome” by Asher Roth.

More From the Los Angeles Times

Steve Kerr won’t ‘shut up and whistle.’ Coach uses Steph Curry’s ‘night, night’ move on Trump

Lakers 2024-25 schedule includes Christmas in San Francisco, January trip to Inglewood

Aug. 15, 2024

Former Laker Frank Selvy, who scored 100 points in a college game, dies at 91

Aug. 13, 2024

2024 Paris Olympics

LeBron James, Stephen Curry and fellow stars lead U.S. to gold-medal win over France

Aug. 10, 2024