DAILY BEAST
Although the U.S. men’s basketball team dominated Brazil in the 2024 Olympics quarterfinals on Wednesday, LeBron James left the game with a gash that needed four stitches after taking a rough fall.
During the third quarter, James was hit by Brazil’s Georginho de Paula’s elbow as the two struggled for a rebound, which knocked the Los Angeles Lakers’ forward to the ground. De Paula could be seen apologizing while the American superstar clutched his face.
James left the court holding a paper towel to his forehead, and was treated in the locker room during a timeout. Team USA went on to win the game 122-87.
After the game, Team USA Coach Steve Kerr told reporters James needed four stitches to close the wound above his left eye. “I’m ok,” James told ESPN’s Marc Spears. “I just got hit with an inadvertent elbow.”
James still put up 12 points and nine assists during his 16 minutes of game time.
Joel Embiid, the 7-foot Philadelphia 76ers center, also sat out the second half of the game after telling Kerr he had ankle pain. Despite putting up a solid 14 points during that first half, Embiid was again met by jeers from French fans angry that the Cameroonian-American chose to play for the U.S. after also receiving French citizenship in 2022.
Team USA is attempting to win its fifth straight gold at the Summer Games—which would be LeBron’s third on the world stage. They will move on to the semifinals on Thursday, where they will play powerhouse Serbia, led by fellow NBA star and current MVP Nikola Jokic.
