NBA – The little-known punishment LeBron received with Team USA: “Coach told him he wouldn’t play”

Par Pierre-Andréa Fraile | Journaliste sportif

Crowned triple Olympic champion in Paris in 2024, LeBron James has written some of the finest chapters in the history of the US national team. This, after receiving merciless treatment during his first international experience.

Today, he can be proud of the three Olympic gold medals he won in 2008, 2012 and 2024. However, during his younger years, LeBron James struggled to shine for the United States. He was even sanctioned in his first international campaign with Team USA, in 2004, as Carmelo Anthony recalled in his podcast 7PM in Brooklyn:

Carmelo Anthony: The moment I realized what kind of environment we were going to be in was when Coach (Larry) Brown drew suspensions at a team meeting when the culprits had arrived early. We were getting ready to play a game against Puerto Rico in Jacksonville, Florida, and the coach told LeBron, Allen Iverson and Amar’e Stoudemire they wouldn’t be playing.

The stern lesson received by LeBron in the U.S. national team

Fresh out of his first NBA season and with Rookie of the Year status, LeBron reportedly showed up at this famous meeting three minutes ahead of schedule. And yet, Larry Brown, his coach at the time, was quick to castigate him, as were his two sidekicks Allen Iverson and Amar’e Stoudemire. The latter remembers the incomprehension he felt:

Amar’e Stoudemire: Actually, we were getting ready for training. We picked up our bags, rushed to the meeting and arrived early. We were a few minutes ahead of the appointment time, so we thought we were in the clear. He blurted out, “You won’t play, you won’t play and you won’t play.” We were shocked!

Problem: in such a configuration, showing up just a few minutes early is already a delay for some coaches. A lesson that Carmelo Anthony has come to learn over time:

Carmelo Anthony: After thinking about it for a long time, I realized that it wasn’t a random penalty. It was meant to send a message. He wanted to make AI understand something, in the mode, “You’re the star of the team, you have to set an example for Amar’e and LeBron, who are the little kids in the group.” He needed to lay the groundwork and let LeBron know that it wasn’t allowed.

In the end, this little skirmish didn’t have much of a positive effect, as Team USA had to settle for bronze at the Athens Olympics.