On Wednesday, LeBron James and Team USA faced Serbia in a highly-anticipated clash that pitted the two most recent MVP winners against one another. With Joel Embiid starting for Team USA and Nikola Jokic starting for Serbia, anticipation was at an all-time high heading into the game.
At one point, James drove to the lane. Serbia's Marko Guduric cut him off, initiating contact for a foul as James lowered his shoulder to shrug off the guard. The two collided, resulting in the referee blowing the whistle as Guduric hit the ground.
James appeared unbothered by the situation as he walked away, shrugging off the contact. After Guduric got up, he copied James' shrug smiling, appearing equally unfazed by the play.
The game saw Guduric finish with eight points, two rebounds, three assists and three steals as he and Serbia fell to the United States 105-79.
Explore the NBA Draft 2024 with our free NBA Mock Draft Simulator & be the GM of your favorite NBA team.
Meanwhile, James finished the game with 11 points and two assists as he went 5-7 from the floor over 20 minutes of action.
Once SportsCenter posted the clip of James and Guduric, fans began to weigh in on Instagram.
Others reacted to James' physique:
Others reacted to Guduric attempting to play the contact off:
Looking at LeBron James' stats through the first three Team USA international friendly games leading up to the Olympics
Wednesday's win over Serbia made it three straight for Team USA as it prepares for the 2024 Paris Olympics. Ahead of the start of the Group Phase of play on Jul. 27, the US has looked incredibly dominant so far.
On Jul. 10, LeBron James and Team USA played in their first international friendly, which saw James match up with Team Canada's Dillon Brooks. The game saw James and Brooks engage in physical play despite competing in an exhibition game.
James finished the game with seven points in 19 minutes while contributing five rebounds and three assists to the team's totals. Defensively, James impressed, finishing the game with three steals and a block en route to an 86-72 win.
Then, on Monday, the US faced off against Australia in a closely contested game that saw Team USA secure a narrow 98-92 win. While staving off a late-game comeback attempt from the Aussies, James logged 10 points, three rebounds and three assists in 21 minutes of action.
After Wednesday's win over Serbia, who finished second in the FIBA World Cup, James and Team USA remain favorites ahead of the Olympics.