LeBron James and star-studded Team USA almost lost to South Sudan having no indoor court experience
South Sudan drove Team USA to the wire, needing a last-gasp layup to win.
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LeBron James and star-studded Team USA almost lost to South Sudan in pre-Olympics friendly
Team USA’s undefeated streak in international friendlies this year is intact. But their recent game against South Sudan gave them a proper scare. If not for a clutch layup from LeBron James, the star-studded Americans would have had to face the ire of fans and the media. Their opponents, however, have been lauded for their efforts despite not having remotely the same level of infrastructure.
South Sudan as a nation was just born 13 years ago. Therefore, they had no national basketball team. The onus fell on former NBA All-Star Luol Deng. He poured in his own money to build a team and the infrastructure. He managed to recruit players who had dual citizenship and put together a team that finished top among all African nations in the FIBA World Cup. That ensured a spot in the upcoming Paris Olympics. They achieved all that despite not having a single indoor basketball court in the entire country.
All they have are a few outdoor courts to practice in and hardly anything called a gym or a weight room for that matter. Now their performances have brought in sponsors and Luol Deng is investing his own money into building the first-ever indoor basketball court in his country. He hopes that a new generation is inspired to pick up a basketball and eventually play for their nation.
None of the players on this team play in the NBA. Some used to, but they were deemed not to be good enough and now ply their trade in other countries. Essentially, a team with nothing to call a basketball environment almost beat the best basketball nation in the world.
LeBron James and Team USA will need to step up their game
Thankfully this was a friendly. Had they lost, they would have had a lot to face. But at least it is not during the Olympics. LeBron James and his superstar teammates will need to up their game. South Sudan showed that chemistry and motivation can do wonders for a team. There is no lack of motivation, but chemistry needs work. It seems they are playing more one-on-one basketball than actually running sets.
Even though all of the Team USA stars are enjoying their time, they are taking it a bit too casually. When the Olympics come around, the stakes will be higher. They will face South Sudan again in their group matchup. Add to that Serbia who they defeated but were not at full strength. Then comes FIBA World Cup-winning Germany. They are part of a tough bracket.
But that does not mean they will struggle if they manage to fix their chemistry issues on the court. They still have time to fix that, but that time is also diminishing. The warning bell has struck once. Team USA have to ensure it does not strike for a second time.
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Joseph Varghese
(2448 Articles Published)