LeBron James doesn’t believe in making easy baskets, but he never would have imagined he’d need to drive and make a layup with eight seconds left to save the U.S. from a historic upset.
The U.S. defeated South Sudan 101-100 on Saturday night at the O2 Arena in London, and despite coming so close to a historic defeat, James made it clear he liked the challenge.
“I’d rather have those games than lose by a large margin,” James said as he entered the tunnel after the game. “At least we’re being tested. And I like to be tested, baby.”
James led Team USA with 25 points, including the game-winning point in the final seconds of the game.
South Sudan made several attempts to put the ball in the net in the final moments but failed as the final buzzer sounded.
The U.S. team went 4-0 in friendlies before the Paris Olympics.
They face Germany on Monday before moving on to Group C for the Olympics, which begins on July 28.
Three days later, on July 31st, they will face South Sudan again.
