Embiid: LeBron is no longer the LeBron he used to be

The USA men's basketball team narrowly defeated South Sudan 101-100 in a warm-up match. Before the game, USA team member Joel Embiid spoke to reporters.

When asked if he doubted the USA team's ability to win gold at the Olympics, Embiid said, "Look at the talent the USA team has; other teams have similar talent. Plus, most of the talented players on the USA team have aged. LeBron now is not the LeBron of a few years ago. So, the difference is quite significant. Everyone will tell you, and you can see it yourself, that the LeBron of today is not the same as the athletic, dominant LeBron of a few years ago. I think people are deceived by the surface-level reputation, but these reputations were built over their careers, and now they are older. They are not what they used to be."

However, in the subsequent warm-up match against South Sudan, James scored 25 points, grabbed 6 rebounds, and provided 7 assists. He also made a clutch near-game-winning play in the final moments, leading to a 1-point comeback victory over South Sudan.