LeBron James hits game-winner as USA basketball narrowly escapes massive upset vs. South Sudan
The exhibition between the United States and South Sudan was projected to be a dominating victory for the US of A. However, it was anything but that. South Sudan put up a huge fight in the matchup, forcing the game to go down to the wire and resulting in an exciting finish.
Trailing 100-99 with the last 20 seconds to go in the game, Team USA put the ball in the hands of its fearless leader, LeBron James. The NBA’s all-time leader in points stepped up to the plate and delivered when his team’s back was against the wall, scoring the go-ahead basket, as seen below.
The United States was able to take a one-point lead following a driving layup by James with eight seconds remaining in the contest. And what ensued on South Sudan’s final possession of the game was sheer exciting and entertaining madness. You can check out the final play of the United States versus South Sudan exhibition in the video below.
USA would hang on to win by a final score of 101 – 100 in a game in which they were favored by 43.5 points.
While the veterans and stars of the NBA headlined this matchup, it was the youth on South Sudan’s roster that stole the show. South Sudan’s JT Thor and Khaman Maluach were impressive against Team USA, delivering a much-needed boost that helped their team stay in the game to the very end. Thor was the leading scorer for South Sudan off the bench, with 14 points to go with two rebounds, two assists, one steal, and a block. Incoming Duke Blue Devils big Khaman Maluach displayed that he could very much hold his own in the paint in the NBA, going up against the best the USA has to offer. Maluach finished with seven points, one block, and three rebounds.
While the seven-foot-two future Blue Devil didn’t see a ton of action, his impressive performance did not go unnoticed. College basketball expert Jon Rothstein had this to say about Maluach standing toe to toe with the very best Team USA has to offer.
“An incredibly promising performance today for Duke incoming freshman Khaman Maluach. More than held his own against Team USA and switched on both Jayson Tatum and Steph Curry on a few possessions defensively. There’s more in the Blue Devils’ incoming class than just Cooper Flagg,” said Rothstein via X.
For some, the performance by Maluach only confirms the projected high expectations of the South Sudan representative. According to On3’s Jame Fletcher, in his 2025 NBA Mock Draft: Way-too-early projections, the Duke big is projected to be a lottery pick next year, coming in at No. 7 on his list. However, should Maluach continue to perform as he did against the top team in all the land, Team USA, He could find himself competing with his teammate Cooper Flagg for the right to be drafted number one overall in the 2025 NBA Draft.