There probably will be a movie made about the South Sudan basketball team someday. And the players representing the war-torn young nation added a powerful and dramatic scene Saturday night in a moment the raucous crowd at O2 Arena won’t soon forget.
LeBron James made a driving layup with eight seconds left to prevent what would have been a historic upset, and Team USA escaped with a 101-100 victory.
Former Charlotte Hornets forward JT Thor had made a 3-pointer with 20 seconds remaining and South Sudan had two attempts in the final seconds but couldn’t convert the miracle.
The Bright Stars, as they are known, will be the first team to represent the country in the Olympics when they arrive in Paris next week. And they gave Team USA a thrilling and serious test.
South Sudan got up by as many as 16 points and threatened to pull off one of the biggest upsets ever seen in international basketball before Team USA pulled it out.
James might be interested in buying the movie rights to the South Sudan story, but he was determined not to be portrayed on the losing team. James was vicious in denying the upset attempt, aggressively taking over when the U.S. was in serious trouble.
He scored 25 points and made a string of tremendous plays in a 23-5 run from late in the third quarter to early in the fourth. A power dunk that led to a three-point play and a 3-pointer were crucial. Steph Curry made two 3-pointers of his own — helping end a stretch of Team USA missing 14 of 15 triples that contributed to the deficit — in that span.
South Sudan showed off its tremendous collective athleticism and no fear against an American team that many South Sudanese players consider their peers. Most of the South Sudanese players are the descendents of refugees and grew up in North America or Australia.
