The Los Angeles Lakers star reportedly received four stitches after taking an “inadvertent elbow” to his eye in the men’s quarterfinal victory over Brazil
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LeBron James (right) and Bam Adebayo support U.S. women’s basketball team at Bercy Arena in Paris . Photo: Marvin Ibo Guengoer – GES Sportfoto/Getty
LeBron James is sporting le-bandage in Paris.
The 39-year-old basketball star was spotted sitting courtside with his U.S. men’s basketball teammates Bam Adebayo and Devin Booker to cheer on the women’s national team in their quarterfinal matchup against Nigeria during the 2024 Olympics.
Adebayo, 27, and James were both wearing Team USA gear at the game, but the Los Angeles Lakers star was also sporting a noticeably large bandage over his eye during the outing.
The night before, James was injured during the United States men’s team’s win over Brazil when he took an “inadvertent elbow” to the face.
The basketball star was also joined by his wife, Savannah James, during the women’s quarterfinal game, and PEOPLE spotted the couple holding hands as they walked into Bercy Arena before tip-off.
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LeBron and Savannah James support the women’s U.S. basketball team in Paris. Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images
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James took the elbow to his eye during the United States’ 122-87 victory over Team Brazil.
He told reporters, including PEOPLE, that he was “okay” and “just got hit with an inadvertent elbow” after the game, adding that he was ready to “lock in on” the team’s film session in the morning to prepare for their semifinal game against Serbia on Thursday, Aug. 8.
However, according to Bleacher Report and Sports Illustrated, Team USA head coach Steve Kerr said that James received four stitches to his upper eye area after sustaining the injury.
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Also during Wednesday’s women’s team matchup, LeBron greeted NBA legend Dirk Nowitzki and gold medalist Katie Ledecky, who sat courtside near swimming legend Michael Phelps.
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Former NBA player Dirk Nowitzki and basketball player Lebron James at Bercy Arena on August 07, 2024. Ezra Shaw/Getty
Booker, 27, took in the game with his camcorder in hand, as the Phoenix Suns star has been seen documenting his Olympic experience since arriving in Paris.
During the men’s game on Tuesday, WNBA star A’ja Wilson — who scored 20 points in the U.S. victory over Nigeria on Wednesday — sat courtside with Snoop Dogg to cheer on the NBA stars.
Bronny James Supports Dad LeBron in Paris as Team USA Basketball Advances to Semifinal
It’s unclear if Savannah was in attendance for the men’s quarterfinal on Tuesday, but the couple’s oldest son Bronny James was seen in the stands cheering on his dad — and new teammate.
Bronny, 19, was drafted to the Lakers in this summer’s NBA draft.
Following Tuesday’s win, LeBron told reporters he’s grateful to be playing for Team USA after 21 seasons in the NBA. “It’s a blessing and it’s an honor to be able to still compete at this level and represent Team USA, especially at the later stage,” he said.
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