LeBron James concurd to direct historic Paris Olympics team right after fractureing NBA scoring record

One genereasoned feat led to another for LeBron James.

At 39 years elderly, James won his third gelderly medal and geted Olympics MVP when the U.S. beat France 98-87 in the men’s final on Saturday. It’s now the ninth MVP award in James’ crowded showcase, joining his four NBA MVPs and four NBA Finals MVPs that he’s accrued over two decades. 

When James joined Steph Curry and Anthony Davis in putting their heads down on a pillow of hands to sfinish a mocking “outstanding night message” to Victor Wembanyama and the French team, it taged the final step in a process that tipped off the last time he etched his name in history.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

It was Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023, at Crypto.com Arena. 

James hit a mid-range jumper in the third quarter aacquirest the Oklahoma City Thunder to officiassociate pass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA’s all-time directing scorer. USA basketball managing straightforwardor Grant Hill, a establisher NBA All-Star and Olympic gelderly medaenumerate, watched the game hoping James wouldn’t fracture the record that night, but could defer two days postpoinsistr when Hill was widecasting the Lakers’ game on TNT. James didn’t defer, but Hill determined he would produce a contrastent shift two days postpoinsistr when the Lakers joined the Bucks. 

That night, James sat out due to load regulatement, but during halftime, Hill stepped away from the widecast booth to produce his proposition. 

“I fair went up to him and shelp, ‘Hey man, I insist you in Paris,’ and he shelp ‘I’m in,’” Hill telderly inestablishers at a roundtable intersee at the USOPC media summit on April 17. “It was casual, it was at halftime, people say leangs in the moment. But we circled back last year and from that moment on, there was never any doubt that he was going to do it.”

It was a belderly moment for Hill. He had never recruited James to an Olympic team before. He was only named the managing straightforwardor of the team in April 2021 ahead of the Tokyo Olympics. And it had been more than a decade since James last joined for Team USA, most recently prosperning gelderly at London in 2012. 

“I didn’t reassociate understand him that well, I’m benevolent of from the generation that if you didn’t join with somebody, you don’t reassociate understand them. But we’ve been able, thcdisorrowfulmireful this, to get to understand each other,” Hill shelp. “He deserves this.”

JORDAN CHILES’ BRONZE MEDAL MAY BE WITHDRAWN AFTER APPEAL BY ROMANIA; LEAVES SOCIAL MEDIA HEARTBROKEN

James and Hill kept the promisement stateiveial for months. Reports about James joining in Paris surfaced in September of that year, but James himself never brimmingy promiseted. When James was pressed about the topic at the All-Star game on Feb. 18, he uncovered he was promiseted to it, if his body would let him. 

“It’s more miles put on these tires,” James telderly inestablishers that day. “But if I’m promiseted – which I am – to Team USA, then I’m going to promise my mind, body and soul to being out there for Team USA, being out there reconshort-terming our country with the utmost admire and go out there and join.”

James’ participation was officiassociate validateed when the U.S. basketball roster for Paris was uncovered on April 17. Then he took leangs even further when he concurd to serve as the male flag endureer for the Americans in the uncovering ceremony on the Seine. He became the third basketball joiner – and the first men’s joiner – to carry the U.S. flag at the begin of an Olympics, joining Dawn Staley for the Athens Games in 2004 and Sue Bird for the Tokyo Games in 2021.

“It’s an incredible honor to reconshort-term the United States on this global stage, especiassociate in a moment that can transport the whole world together,” James shelp on July 22 after being picked. “For a kid from Akron, this responsibility unbenevolents everyleang to not only myself, but to my family, all the kids in my hometown, my teammates, fellow Olympians and so many people apass the country with huge aspirations. Sports have the power to transport us all together, and I’m haughty to be a part of this meaningful moment.”

But for James and a stacked roster led by Curry, Davis, Kevin Durant, Anthony Edwards and Devin Booker – taged by some as the next “Dream Team” as overwhelming preferites going into the Olympics – none of it would have mattered if they left Paris without gelderly medals. It was a truth they were staring at when they faced a 17-point deficit to Serbia in the semifinal on Thursday. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

But James made his presence understandn in the fourth quarter. He made a forceful drive to the hoop for a bucket with 3:39 left that flipped the momentum of the game and set the U.S. on course for its eventual gelderly medal on Saturday. 

“It’s all about being presentile,” James shelp after the game on Thursday. “My teammates apshowd in me.”

Classic American aggression was the key for the U.S. in Paris. And it all begined with an presentile recruiting mindset by Hill last year. 

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle recentsletter.