"One f**king more" - Emotional LeBron James delivers powerful pep talk to Team USA after edging out Serbia
It took nearly a full game before LeBron James and Team USA got full momentum in their semifinal against Serbia. The 95-91 victory was a thrilling ball game from start to finish as Serbia gave the USA all they got, from incredible shotmaking to precise ball movement.
Following the win, X user JJJ Muse (@JaimeJaquezMuse) shared a video of an emotional LeBron James in the team's huddle.
The Lakers star logged 32:19 minutes of action on the court with an electric triple-double stat line. He poured on 16 points (6-of-9 shooting, including 2-of-4 from beyond the arc) while racking up 12 rebounds and 10 assists.
It was the kind of Olympic game that needed a huge performance from the 20-time NBA All-Star and he didn't come up short.
With USA Basketball inching closer to securing the gold medal, LeBron James knew that France was all that remained in their journey.
"One f**king more," James said.
James had incredible moments in the contest, from a strong drive that tied the ball game at 84 apiece with 3:41 to go, to pushing the lead to three points with a coast-to-coast lay-up.
Following the hard-fought win, a rematch of the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics final between USA Basketball and France has been set up. This time though, France would be playing in front of a home crowd.
LeBron James talked about Team USA's Olympic semifinal game against Serbia
Lakers forward LeBron James has played various roles for USA Basketball over the years. This year, he has thrived as a point forward for the squad and has taken huge responsibilities as a playmaker and scorer.
Following the win against Nikola Jokic and Serbia, James highlighted the team's unwavering belief that they could pull off a win. But he also credited the contributions of Warriors' Stephen Curry and 76ers' Joel Embiid, as per BasketNews.com.
"Perseverance, hard work, dedication. Chef Curry, Joel 'Process' Embiid," James said. "Big-time win for us, and we knew it was going to be a challenge, we knew it was going to be the toughest game up to date. It was a true total effort. ... I'm always trying to be aggressive and make plays for our team, trying to do a little bit of everything on the floor."
'King James' played at an incredible pace right from the jump and remained aggressive in trying to get every one of his teammates going. It was a tremendous showing for the 39-year-old athlete who was playing in his final Olympics with Team USA.
He now finds himself in familiar territory, at the gold medal match, with an incredible opportunity to gain his third Olympic gold in an already impressive career. To accomplish that goal, the four-time MVP isn't too worried about his ever-changing role for the team.