LeBron James and Kevin Durant praise South Sudan ahead of Paris 2024
South Sudan are days away from making their Olympic basketball debut at Paris 2024.
Preparations for the African nation are currently taking place in England, in the pre-Olympic exhibition tour, where they have already beaten Team GB in a close encounter, 84-81.
Their next and final test before heading to Paris will be a first-ever game against 16-time Olympic champions Team USA. The two will meet again during Games time, when they face off in Group C on Wednesday (31 July).
Ahead of Saturday’s (20 July) showpiece, some of USA basketball’s biggest names have lauded South Sudan with warranted praise for their incredible rise.
“They’ve built up who they are right now and and haviung an opportunity to represent their country in the Olympics is amazing,” said three-time Olympic champion Kevin Durant.
His sentiment was echoed by LeBron James, who expressed his pride over former team-mate Wenyen Gabriel, saying: “[I] have great memories with him being part of the Lakers.
“[I’m] always proud of everything he does.”
The first quarter tip-off is schedule for 20:00 BST (15:00 PST), available to watch on FOX for viewers Stateside.