- Olympic Games. Stephen Curry strong in US men's basketball team's 105-79 win over Serbia in Olympic warmup
- Olympic Games. NBA MVP Jaylen Brown blames Nike for his absence from U.S. Dream Team
For the first time since 2011, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson are no longer NBA teammates. The Splash Brothers' split was formalized when Thompson left the Golden State Warriors to be Luka Doncic's new running mate in Dallas. Thompson has signed a three-year, $80 million deal with the Mavericks -- and the Warriors will not find it easy to fill the four-time champion's void.
But LeBron James could swoop in and act as a mediator (of sorts) here. The Los Angeles Lakers superstar is, temporarily, Curry's teammate with Team USA -- and ahead of the Summer Olympics in Paris, James believes he has found the perfect replacement to make Curry happy again.
The 'new Splash Brother' is...
Confidence and vibes are high in the Team USA camp right now, following a convincing exhibition victory over Serbia on Wednesday. That 26-point victory in Abu Dhabi saw Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo uncharacteristically drain three 3-pointers -- and James was hyped about the performance.
Triumphantly trotting back to the locker room, James filmed himself calling Adebayo "the new Splash Brother" and assigning him a new nickname: "Bam Bam Splash."
James had 11 points in the exhibition win, but Adebayo -- who is dating Las Vegas Aces superstar A'ja Wilson -- had 17, including three of Team USA's 16 3s. Wilson has gradually added a three-point shot to her game in recent years, and maybe Adebayo has been inspired to do the same.
But whatever the case may be, James and Curry were certainly watching the display from deep -- and Bam really could blossom in Paris as Team USA's "secret weapon."