"Them boys clean af": LeBron James gives fire stamp of approval to South Sudan's sleek Olympic outfit
LeBron James praised the South Sudan delegation after seeing their all-black outfits for the 2024 Summer Olympics opening ceremony. The King, who helped Team USA get past South Sudan in an Olympic exhibition game last week, took to social media to show love for the team's outfit.
"Them boys was clean AF"
South Sudan is a young nation that gained independence from Sudan in 2011. Their journey is still young as a nation and as top-level athletes, but that hasn't stopped their athletes from challenging stronger opponents on their way to the Paris Olympics.
After beating Angola for a spot in this year's Olympics, they were ready to challenge Team USA when they clashed last Saturday. Despite being -43.5 underdogs, South Sudan put on a show, playing intense basketball until the last second, nearly pulling off the upset against the dominant force of international basketball, losing 101-100, after a LeBron James clutch layup with nine seconds left on the clock.
Former Chicago Bull Luol Deng is building what looks like a successful infrastructure for South Sudan basketball. When the team had zero capital, Deng bought equipment and funded trips while trying to assemble a competitive team.
They are living a dream now as the first basketball team to represent South Sudan in the Olympics.
LeBron James shares goals to inspire new Olympic players
Ahead of the opening ceremony, LeBron James talked about his expectations for this year's Olympics. The future Hall of Famer wants to be an example for other players.
"I think it's different, it's always a new experience. New group of guys, some guys have never been Olympians before, so you want them to see the whole moment of being here in Paris. It's a great opportunity for myself to continue to inspire the next generation and super excited to be here, man.
"I've been a part of the Athens games, the Beijing games, the London games and now the Paris games. They're always special in their own right, so it's 2024 and this is another special moment, not only for this country of France but also for us other Olympians that's here representing the United States of America."
LeBron and company will start their Olympic journey tomorrow morning against Serbia at 11:15 a.m. ET.