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[Saba Sports News] LeBron James is used to getting the loudest cheers, but during Team USA’s knockout stage against Brazil on Tuesday, the crowd’s biggest applause was for someone else.
In the third quarter of the Olympic men’s basketball quarterfinals at Bercy Arena in Paris, LeBron took an inadvertent elbow to the face from Brazilian forward Georginho de Paula while going for a rebound. He got cut above the eye and left the court to get the wound cleaned up.
Returning to the bench in the fourth quarter, the crowd erupted in applause. LeBron, thinking the cheers were for him, acknowledged the crowd and made a “crowning himself” gesture. However, the cheers were actually for French Olympic swimmer Leon Marchand, who was greeting his supporters.
Despite the mix-up, James and Team USA cruised to a 122-87 win over Brazil to advance to the semifinals.