Lewis Hamilton Stands in Ovation to Celebrate LeBron James’ Olympics Triumph

Lewis Hamilton Stands in Ovation to Celebrate LeBron James’ Olympics Triumph

Team USA clinched another Gold medal during the finals of the basketball event at the 2024 Paris Olympics. A long-time LeBron James fan, Lewis Hamilton has now congratulated the 39-year-old via social media for his heroics on the court.

Team USA squared off against France for the basketball gold. It was a close contest till the very end as the USA edged the French out by just over ten points (98-87). Team USA topped their group comfortably but got the stiffest competition from Serbia in the semi-finals.

Hamilton came onto his Instagram account to commemorate James’ triumph. The seven-time champion reposted a picture uploaded by James and captioned it with the winner’s gold medal emoji.

After this historic victory, James was entrusted with one of the most important tasks — to be Team USA’s flag-bearer for the closing ceremony. This meant he became the first US Basketball Men’s National team player to be bestowed with this privilege.

The affinity that Hamilton has for James is mutual. As it turns out, the LA Lakers star was at the 2022 Monaco Grand Prix, cheering the #44 driver on.

Hamilton and LeBron James share a protective bond

Both Hamilton and James have supported each other through their ups and downs in their respective sports from time to time. Most recently, James was embroiled in the “shut up and dribble” controversy.

The Lakers forward was disrespected by a journalist who asked him to shut up and dribble instead of speaking about politics. Hamilton had stood up in support of his friend. He said, “When I got [to F1], I was constantly confronted with individuals who said, ‘You can only be a racing driver,’ or like when someone said to LeBron, ‘Shut up and dribble.”

But Hamilton explained that these jibes have only fueled both of them to prove their haters wrong. They have not only reached the pinnacle of their respective sports but also widened their creative avenues.

Post Edited By: Aishwary Gaonkar
LeBron James Lewis Hamilton Paris Olympics

About the author

Anirban Aly Mandal

Anirban Aly Mandal is an F1 writer at The SportsRush, with over 1000 articles under his belt, Anirban's love for F1 started when he discovered a copy of F1 2014 on his computer. With over half a decade's worth of time spent religiously following the sport, he’s dived deep into the world of motorsports. However, Anirban's expertise goes beyond just writing - he has also written several academic papers focused on the domain of motorsports and the law. His passion for the sport is so immense that he aspires to work as a legal advisor in the most prestigious racing series in the world someday. When it comes to Formula 1, Anirban finds great pleasure in re-watching classic races and idolizes the likes of Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell, and Sebastian Vettel. His top picks include Brazil '91, Silverstone '92, and Germany '19. Outside of the sport, Anirban is an avid sim racer, often found racing on titles like Assetto Corsa, F1 22, and Automobilista. Apart from his interests in gaming, Anirban has a keen interest in philosophy, literature and music.

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