LeBron James delivered a vintage performance in the Paris 2024 Olympics opener against Serbia and Nikola Jokic, posting nearly a triple-double with 21 points, 7 rebounds, and 9 assists. His leadership guided Team USA to a cruising 110-84 victory.

“It’s the best game we played so far,” he noted after also going 5-0 in the exhibitions. “I thought they tested us early. We kind of got our composure. The second group came in, there was a big lift. KD was phenomenal. It’s almost like he never missed a beat, practice, or a game or anything. So it was a good start for us.”

Kein Durant, who was initially questionable for the Olympic Basketball Tournament and received a last-minute clearance to play in the first game, scored 21 points in just 8:39 in the first half, shooting 5/5 from three-point range and 3/3 from two-point range.

KD finished with a game-high 23 points (8/9 FG, 2/2 FT) in nearly 17 minutes.

“I mean, he’s just out of his world talent,” LeBron said of his teammate. “And like I said, in practice, he just goes just as hard as he did in the game. You know, I think he even goes even harder in practice, and when the game starts, it’s just routine for him.”

Returning to Olympic basketball after playing in 2004, 2008, and 2012, LeBron shared that he still feels the excitement.

“It was great. Sitting there listening to our national anthem, you know, listening to the fans cheer, I definitely got a little nervous,” he revealed. “My stomach, the butterflies came out, and it was just something that was different.

“I mean, for me, we played in front of a lot of people. It was just a different atmosphere, but we were able to get to it,” LeBron said.

LeBron logged the most minutes on the team and emphasized the importance of versatility.

“Every game is always challenging and different. For me, to just come out and just to do whatever it takes to help us win,” he said. “I mean, it’s going to be somebody different every game, when we have that type of firepower. But I just try to stay in the best shape I can be, and if the coach calls for me to play big minutes, I can do that. But if he calls me not to play big minutes because we got 12 guys. Everybody is ready.”