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LeBron James suffers injury, leaves Olympics quarterfinal vs. Brazil

Grant Grubbsby:Grant Grubbs08/06/24

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LeBron James
© Kyle Terada | USA TODAY Sports

In Team USA’s showdown against Brazil in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Paris Olympics, LeBron James left the game with an eye injury. James suffered the injury when one of Brazil’s players went up for a putback and accidentally elbowed him on the way back to the floor.

James immediately fell to the ground holding his eye. However, after the team trainer checked him out on the bench, James appeared fine. As of this report, James has not yet returned to the game.

At the time of his injury, LeBron James boasted 12 points, nine rebounds and three assists while shooting 5-6 from the field. The winner between Team USA and Brazil will square off against Serbia on Thursday in the Olympic semifinals.

Dawn Staley calls Devin Booker ‘unsung hero’ of Team USA

There isn’t enough spotlight for every player on Team USA. After Team USA’s convincing 110-84 win over Serbia on Sunday, South Carolina women’s basketball head coach Dawn Staley praised Devin Booker for his ability to exceed in his role.

“Devin Booker is the unsung hero,” Staley said. “You know KD is gonna be KD. But, Devin Booker plays both sides of the ball, can score a whole lot of basketball points and also defend. He’s like the quiet assassin of that group.”

Without drawing too much attention, Booker tallied 12 points, three rebounds and five assists in the win over Serbia while shooting 4-5 from beyond the arc. Booker started on the star-studded team on Sunday but he’s willing to do whatever it takes for the team to succeed.

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“Whatever it takes to be effective,” Booker said ahead of the Olympics. “Doing the extra stuff, offensive rebounding, defending at a high level, figuring out the spacing, just trying to be a glue guy.

“I hear everyone say that everyone is catching up to us. It keeps us hungry, it keeps us motivated… We still want to claim our dominance over the world.”

The 2024 Paris Olympics is Booker’s second appearance on the worldwide stage. Booker boosted Team USA to a Gold Medal in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics as well, averaging 9.3 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game.

Although Booker is now a four-time NBA All-Star with the Phoenix Suns, this isn’t his first time as a role player. During his lone season at Kentucky, Booker came off the bench, supporting a loaded roster with future NBA players such as Karl-Anthony TownsWillie Cauley-Stein and Trey Lyles.