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After LeBron James carried the USA flag alongside Coco Gauff at the 2024 Olympics opening ceremony, fans quickly gave him the nickname "Captain LeMerica" and "LeCaptain America." USA Basketball has now made this nickname official for the superstar forward.
Following a dominant victory over Serbia in their Olympic opener, Team USA shared a photo of a jubilant James during the game. The official social media post captioned him as "Captain LeMerica," showing their approval of the fan-created title.
Team USA leader
This nickname suits James well, given his role as a leader for Team USA. In the 110-84 win against Serbia, James delivered an impressive performance, scoring 21 points, grabbing seven rebounds, and dishing out nine assists.
"Whatever it takes," James noted. "It's going to be somebody different every day. And we have that type of firepower."
At 39 years old, James showed no signs of slowing down, effectively competing against Serbia's star player, Nikola Jokic, and his team.
James and Kevin Durant combined to make all 13 of their shots in the first half as the US mounted its comeback attempt. The Americans led by nine points at halftime before outscoring Serbia by 17 points in the second half to grab the win.
"To have KD on my side is a treat for sure," James said. "Everything that he does in practice is game speed, so when it translates out here, it's no surprise."