Pretty much every US Olympic squad since the 1992 Games has been compared to the ‘Dream Team’ led by Michael Jordan and none have ever come close.
This Gen Z ensemble cast, featuring four NBA regular season MVP winners – James, Curry, Kevin Durant and Joel Embiid – 11 NBA All-Stars and seven NBA champions, is not far behind.
Coach Steve Kerr – himself one of the greatest bosses in NBA history – wondered how he would knit together five players from a 12-man squad where each could be a future Hall of Famer.
Against Serbia it took a while for the individuals to get going as a team with only Curry, finding space to land his trademark three-pointers, keeping them within touching distance.
Jokic looked on course to upstage his American opponents, playing a key role as Serbia, who led by as many as 17 points, stifled them in a dominant first half.
But, as the US powered back into the game, Serbia faltered.
Three-pointers from Durant and Embiid started to turn the tide in the last quarter before James bustled through to put them level at 84-84.
Curry landed another from behind the arc as the Americans led with two minutes and 24 seconds left – the first time they had been ahead since 45 seconds after the game started.
With an A-List crowd including Simone Biles, Snoop Dogg and Travis Scott cheering them on, they closed out a memorable victory and danced in celebration on the court.
Serbia were unhappy with some of the refereeing decisions in the clutch moments, making their feelings known by lambasting the officials as they walked off the floor.