“I’m OK. I just got hit with an inadvertent elbow.”
- Stacey RitzenAug 7, 2024 12:37 PM EDT
Team USA men’s basketball scored a 122–87 win over Brazil in the 2024 Paris Olympics quarterfinals on Wednesday, but not before LeBron James suffered an injury to his face that required four stitches.
The Los Angeles Lakers’ forward was elbowed in the face by Brazil’s Georginho de Paula during the third quarter of the game as they struggled for a rebound. After James was knocked to the ground, De Paula could be seen apologizing. Team USA called a timeout so James could be removed from the game, and he was momentarily seen court-side holding a paper towel to his injured forehead before he was taken back into the locker room for treatment.
Yet, despite only being in the game for 17 minutes, James still managed 12 points and nine assists before his injury. He later returned to the bench in the closing minutes of the game, just in time to see Team USA clinch their victory.
Next, the American team will face off against Serbia in the semifinals on Thursday, led by six-time NBA All-Star center Nikola Jokić, who currently plays for the Denver Nuggets but is representing his home country in the Summer Games. If they win, it will be the fifth straight gold for Team USA and James’ third at the Olympics.
Team USA Coach Steve Kerr told reporters after the game that James needed four stitches, but praised the four-time NBA champion.
“That’s who LeBron is,” Kerr said, via the Los Angeles Times. “For a guy who truly is a point forward at heart, for him to be the leading scorer in NBA history when that’s kind of the secondary thing that he does, it’s crazy. He’s playing at such a high level, obviously, he’s got so much talent around him. So the game makes a lot of sense when he’s controlling it.”
For his part, after the game James told ESPN NBA writer Marc Spears: “I’m OK. I just got hit with an inadvertent elbow.”
