LeBron James navigated Team USA’s ship yet again, as the King led the Hoopers to a 110-84 victory over the Serbians. This was their first group-stage game, and the results were just as expected. James put up 21 points, 7 rebounds, and 9 assists while going 9 of 13 from the field. It was a heck of a game from Bron, with KD coming back to drop 23 for the night. While this is Durant’s 4th consecutive Olympic appearance, James is returning to this stage after 12 years. But you wouldn’t expect him to be nervous given his experience, would you?

Well, King James did not hesitate to share what he actually felt during the national anthem. Now, pre-game jitters are quite common among high school and college athletes. The change in atmosphere hits pretty deep and it may affect a certain player’s focus before heading into a game. While LeBron James has played in every level of competition, he was still nervous as the squad stood for the national anthem. “Sitting there, listening to our national anthem, listening to the fans cheer, definitely got me a little nervous.”

“My stomach, the butterflies came out. It was different, and even for me, we played in front of a lot of people. It was just a different atmosphere,” LeBron James told Grant Afseth of EssentiallySports. Playing in front of 27,000 fans isn’t something that James hasn’t done before. However, the stakes are higher this time around and the competition has just leveled up compared to the recent years.

Of course, Team USA has the cream of the crop from the NBA, who are confident in their abilities, but they’re aware of the fact that no one expects anything less than Gold. While these things are minute, they play a big role when it comes to setting the tone in a tournament. At the end of the day, LeBron James had quite a night and will look forward to their next game against South Sudan.

We, the fans, may wonder what’s next for Team USA. Well, they did beat Serbia in the exhibition game by the exact same margin. However, many are more concerned about their next game against the dark horses. The Sudanese almost pulled off one of the greatest upsets in the history of basketball, as they nearly won over the Americans.

On the other hand, as many continue to bite their nails, Kevin Durant has returned, which makes things a whole lot easier for the Hoopers.

LeBron James has set a tone moving forward

While the King was nervous to start the run for the Gold medal, he certainly set a tone with his performance against Nikola Jokic and Co. Not only that but with KD on the other wing, the Sudanese will have a tough time handling the two forwards. The dark horses were definitely tough to handle last time, but The Slim Reaper’s presence makes a lot of difference. It will be the battle of the top two teams in the group, with South Sudan coming off a deserving and stunning 11-point victory over Puerto Rico!

Now, James and KD were quite dominant together on the floor. Along with Steph, Holiday, and Adebayo, the squad seemed to be unstoppable. They can look to add Kevin Durant to the starting lineup, but it doesn’t seem to be the most optimal option given his injury. Joel Embiid’s illness, followed by a poor 4-point performance, will also be a cause for concern.

However, with the level of backing the Sixer received throughout the Showcase run from USA Basketball, Steve Kerr will likely hope that The Process turns his slump around, without the need arising to make any major change to the roster rotations.

It will be interesting to see King James take over versus the Sudanese on Thursday, as Team USA prepares for what seems to be the toughest matchup of the group stage.

What are your thoughts on LeBron James’ pre-game jitters? Do you think he sent a message with his performance in the opener? Let us know in the comments.