LeBron James-mania takes over 02 in London as fans follow every move of The King

LeBron James took the court 90 minutes before tipoff.

Which was the same time that fans were allowed into the 02 stands to watch Team USA in the final days before the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

Minutes later, LeBron-mania was in full effect.

Standing fans packed row after row, and everyone appeared to be holding up a zoomed-in smart phone before an exhibition game against South Sudan on Saturday night.

When James started his warm-up shots on the right side of the court, eyes zeroed in on the NBA‘s all-time scoring leader.

As The King worked his way toward the right, ‘LeBron!’ screams cut through booming bass streaming out of speakers.

With ‘USA Basketball’ glowing on the big screen above and Stephen Curry yet to emerge from the locker room, the arena and the night initially belonged to the only rival to Michael Jordan as the greatest NBA player of all time.

Every shot was intently followed.

As James stood behind Anthony Edwards and waited for his next round, fans leaned in closer, attempting to obtain a better view of the Los Angeles Laker with four NBA titles and two Olympic gold medals.

A day before, Team USA head coach Steve Kerr had praised James and acknowledged that he’d been ‘blown away’ by watching him work in preparation for Paris.

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“His leadership … is incredible,” Kerr told a group of reporters, including talkSPORT. “I’ve known that forever but to see it up close is pretty special.”

Despite all the screaming and hundreds of Nos. 23 and 6 ‘James’ jerseys, the No.1 overall pick of the 2003 NBA draft kept staring at the basket and listening to the music pumping in his headphones.

For many inside the 02 on Saturday, it was the first – and potentially only – chance to see James play in person.

And 21 years after he became the Chosen One for the Cleveland Cavaliers, London revelled in what could be a final shot to watch James when he’s still The King of the NBA.

Team USA opens Olympic play on July 28 in Lille, France against three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic and Serbia.

James has already said that the 2024 Olympics will be his final Games and he won’t participate in the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles.

“I won’t be there,” James said. ” I will not be in Los Angeles in ’28. I’m getting out of there.”

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