LeBron James reflected on his 2024 Paris Olympics experience during his latest appearance on DraftKings. The 39-year-old praised the superstar gymnast, Simone Biles and spoke about how her achievements have set an exemplary benchmark for his daughter, Zhuri.
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Biles entered the tournament as the fourth American female artistic gymnast to compete in three Olympic Games. She returned to the USA with three gold medals in the Team, All-Around, and Vault events. Her remarkable performances impressed James. He subsequently raved about her dominance in this sport and her influence on future generations, saying,
“Seeing Simone Biles continue to dominate her sport, at the level that she is at, it was unbelievable, and having a black girl daughter in my household who loves gymnastics and loves volleyball and things of that nature to have an example like Simone is unbelievable.”
James‘ remarks are well-founded considering Biles’ meteoric rise to the mountaintop. She earned her first-ever Olympic gold medal at just 19. Since then, she has become the most decorated U.S. Olympic gymnast with 11 Olympic medals. She is also the second-most decorated female Olympic gymnast, trailing only Larisa Latynina (18).
Biles‘ accomplishments are sure to inspire many future gymnasts, including Zhuri. In 2020, her passion for the sport became evident to the world. At that time, James had shared a series of videos on his Instagram story that showed his daughter performing rhythmic gymnastics with a makeshift ribbon twirler.
Over the years, Zhuri has also developed a passion for volleyball. James also attended a Sierra Canyon School volleyball game last year to cheer her up. Footage from the game even captured her prowess as she scored a point with a powerful serve.
Zhuri undoubtedly has great role models to look up to. She also appears to have the potential to succeed in various sports, an aspect that her father takes great pride in.
King James believed he could have excelled in track and field
During last month’s appearance on The Shop, James backed himself to succeed as a track and field athlete. The 4x champion believed he could secure Olympic medals in the long and high jump if given enough time to prepare. He said,
“Maybe the long jump. I think I could do the long jump, maybe, or the high jump if you give me some time. I need about six months, eight months, or whatever, preparation to get to that.”
It’s hard to argue with this statement, especially when considering his gifted athletic abilities. However, it might be too late for him to switch careers. After all, the nation certainly doesn’t have any complaints about what James has already done for them on the global stage.
