Even with a paper towel pressed to his forehead, LeBron James had no problem popping off the bench, punching an arm in the air and celebrating Anthony Davis’ soaring one-handed put-back dunk.
The Lakers stars helped the United States blow out Brazil in the quarterfinals of the Olympics on Thursday at Bercy Arena, advancing to the semifinals with a 122-87 victory. The Americans will face Serbia on Thursday at noon PDT in a rematch of a U.S. pool play victory.
The United States is 34-1 in the Olympics since 2004 and trying to win a fifth consecutive gold medal.

James took a stray elbow to the face halfway through the third quarter that put an early end to a clinical performance with 12 points on five-of-six shooting with nine assists, three rebounds and three steals.

He left the court with three minutes remaining in the third quarter with a paper towel pressed above his left eye and returned with three minutes remaining in the game to chants of “Le-Bron!” When shown on the big screen, James, who head coach Steve Kerr said received four stitches in the locker room, waved his hand in recognition and mimicked putting a crown on his head.

The leading scorer in NBA history, James has propelled the United States with his playmaking. The 6-foot-9 forward is more functionally the team’s point guard, Kerr recognized, and leads the United States with 7.8 assists per game.

“That’s who LeBron is,” Kerr said. “For a guy who truly is a point forward at heart, for him to be the leading scorer in NBA history when that’s kind of the secondary thing that he does, it’s crazy. … He’s playing at such a high level, obviously, he’s got so much talent around him. So the game makes a lot of sense when he’s controlling it.”

Fans cheer for American LeBron James during a game against Brazil in the quarterfinals at the 2024 Paris Olympics on Tuesday. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
After some lackluster performances during pre-Olympic exhibition games, including a 101-100 win over South Sudan during which James hit the late game-winner, the United States has won its four Olympic contests by an average of 24.8 points, scoring more than 100 points each time. The team has had different leading scorers in each of its games in France, including a team-high 18 points from Devin Booker on Tuesday.

Kerr told reporters earlier this week he believed his players locked in when they opened the Olympics with Serbia.

“We just understand we’re seizing the opportunity,” said James, who said that his eye was all right after the hit. “The only game that’s guaranteed is the next one now.”

The United States has beaten Serbia by 26 points in consecutive games, including an exhibition on July 17. Led by 21 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists by three-time NBA most valuable player Nikola Jokic, Serbia survived a 95-90 overtime scare from Australia in Tuesday’s quarterfinal.

James’ family, including his wife, Savannah, son Bryce and daughter Zhuri, sat in the stands with families of other U.S. players. More than a decade since his last Olympic Games, James has been soaking up the experience. He was the flag bearer for the United States during the opening ceremony. Last week, he waited out an evening rain delay to watch a beach volleyball match featuring Taryn Kloth and Kristen Nuss. When he danced on the big screen, 9-year-old Zhuri covered her face in embarrassment.

LeBron James high-fives Joel Embiid during the U.S. team’s victory over Brazil in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Olympics on Tuesday. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
Playing In his first Olympics since 2012, James told reporters he even got butterflies listening to the national anthem before the team’s opening game. Teammates hope James’ return to the international stage for the first time since 2012 gives opponents similar nerves.

“He puts fear in the other team,” Kevin Durant told reporters after the United States’ victory over Serbia that opened group play. “That goes a long way, the psyche of the game.”

The Lakers superstar’s yellow No. 23 and No. 6 jerseys dotted the capacity crowd at Bercy Arena. One group held a sign that read “LeBron LeGoat.”

The small pockets of Brazilian fans made their presence known in the second quarter when Brazil cut the deficit to eight points with 4:07 remaining before halftime. Fans wearing yellow and green started chanting “Bra-zil!” when forward Lucas Dias drained a three-pointer.

The United States quieted them quickly with a 21-2 run to end the half. James capped the scoring streak with a no-look, alley-oop pass to Jayson Tatum on an out-of-bounds play, zipping the ball toward the rim where the Boston Celtics star slammed it with two hands. For good measure, James forced a final steal at the halftime buzzer.