"They scared the s**t out of me" - Actor D. L. Hughley weighs in on LeBron James & Team USA's close call vs South Sudan
During the 2024 Olympics, LeBron James and Team USA didn't have many roadblocks in their quest for a gold medal. However, one celebrity recently opened up when the star-studded roster was on the brink of an upset.
For the Paris Games, Team USA put together an impressive collection of stars. Aside from LeBron, other notable names included Steph Curry, Kevin Durant and Joel Embiid. With so much high-level talent on the roster, no team had the kind of firepower to match up with them.
One team that did give LeBron James and Team USA some trouble was South Sudan. During the Showcase Games, they nearly took down the United States in a late-game thriller.
During an appearance on "VLAD TV," actor and comedian D.L. Hughley reflected on the United States' 101-100 win over South Sudan. He admitted it would have been the biggest upset in sports history and that he was scared watching the game.
"They scared the s*** out of me," Hughley said.
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LeBron was a major factor in making sure Team USA didn't wind up on the wrong side of a historic upset. In that nail-biting matchup against South Sudan, he finished with a stat line of 25 points, six rebounds and seven assists.
D.L. Hughley shares why he feels LeBron James and Team USA almost lost to South Sudan
Aside from admitting he was scared that Team USA would lose to South Sudan, D.L. Hughley shared why he felt the game was close. For him, it was all about mindset heading into the matchup.
In the 2024 Olympics, most teams had a handful of players on their roster currently in the NBA. However, that wasn't the case for South Sudan. Some of their players had played in the league at one point, but none had an NBA deal at the time.
Because of the massive talent disparity, Hughley believes LeBron James and company weren't locked in enough against South Sudan. Because of this, they were able to catch Team USA off-guard and almost steal a win from them.
"Two things, they're men and you were cocky and confident," Hughley said. "And they caught you flat footed."
(Timestamp 4:05)
LeBron James and Team USA might have underestimated South Sudan during the Showcase Games, but that wasn't the case once the Olympics officially rolled around. These squads faced off again in the Group Phase round, and it ended with a much different result.
The United States made sure not to allow South Sudan to make things interesting again. They went on to beat them dominantly, winning by a final score of 103-86. Six different players finished in double-figures, but Miami Heat star Bam Adebayo led the charge with 18 points and seven rebounds.