LeBron James Shows Love To South Sudan’s ‘Clean’ Fits During Paris 2024’s Opening Ceremony

During the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics, US athletes were dressed in suits tailored by legendary fashion brand Ralph Lauren. However, LeBron James seemingly would’ve preferred sporting South Sudan’s stellar uniform, designed by Moshions.

An Instagram account called LeagueFits posted pictures of the African nation’s athletes’ outfits for the opening ceremony. They captioned the post, “South Sudan was the best-dressed basketball team at the opening ceremonies.” James concurred and appreciated their attire with a comment.

The NBA superstar and USA’s flag bearer wrote, “Them boys was clean AF.” Dressed in all black, the South Sudan athletes wouldn’t have looked out of place at Paris Fashion Week in their incredible uniforms. While their outfit garnered unanimous praise, USA’s Ralph Lauren attire wasn’t well-received on social media.

Fans questioned why the brand paired a stellar coat with denim jeans and claimed the outfit wasn’t worthy of a prestigious event like the Olympics’ opening ceremony. South Sudan undoubtedly outclassed the US in the outfit department just days after almost embarrassing them on the basketball court.

LeBron James rescued Team USA against South Sudan

After comfortable wins in their first three exhibition games, Team USA was expected to cruise to victory in their fourth against South Sudan. They were 40-point favorites and were touted to make light work of the underdogs.

However, they shockingly found themselves trailing by 14 points at halftime. They clawed back into the game and led by two in the final minute before a stunning JT Thor three-pointer saw South Sudan reclaim the advantage with 20 seconds left in the contest.

With the game and the nation’s reputation on the line, Team USA deferred to James and he did not disappoint. The 39-year-old signaled his teammates to clear the way and muscled to the rim for a layup. But the drama wasn’t over yet.

On the game’s final possession, South Sudan almost hit a buzzer-beater, but Anthony Davis’ exceptional contest on the game-winner followed by a clutch rebound saved Team USA’s blushes.

During his walk back to the locker room, James remarked that he preferred close games like the one he had just played in over blowout wins like he’s accustomed to when he dons the Team USA jersey. However, the veteran forward undoubtedly had his heart in his mouth when South Sudan’s game-winner bounced off the rim and Davis emerged from the chaos under the rim with the ball in his palms.

The two teams will meet again on July 31st. South Sudan’s opening ceremony outfit was impressive but paled in comparison to their performance against Team USA. James and the rest of the team will be wary of the threat they pose and will likely be locked in as soon as the game tips off.