LeBron James and several other Team USA basketball stars were seen leaving an exclusive Parisian restaurant in the early hours of Monday morning, just ahead of an imminent training session for their upcoming game against South Sudan on Wednesday.
James, Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis, and Bam Adebayo were spotted exiting Siena, an Italian restaurant near the Tuileries Garden along the north bank of the Seine. Durant departed earlier in the night, while James was photographed leaving around 3 a.m. local time.
A group of unidentified women were also seen leaving the restaurant, with umbrellas shielding the celebrity guests and their friends from lingering photographers. It’s unclear if the women were part of the same group as the NBA stars. Earlier in the evening, photos surfaced showing Team USA’s Devin Booker, Jayson Tatum, and former San Antonio Spurs star Tony Parker socializing with restaurateur Mehdi Abdelhedi.
These events followed Team USA’s victory over Nikola Jokic and Team Serbia on Sunday. The timing of the outing raised eyebrows given Team USA’s upcoming schedule.
With all 12 teams having played on either Saturday or Sunday, Monday was a rest day for the men’s tournament at Pierre Mauroy Stadium. For some, it was a chance to regroup and practice. For others, like Team USA—who cruised past Serbia in their opener, led by Durant’s impressive return from a calf issue—it was a day to relax, recover, and enjoy the Olympic experience.
“It’s huge,” U.S. coach Steve Kerr said Monday. “And it’s also important for us to allow our players to enjoy the Olympic experience, for them to be able to go and watch some of the other sports, be with their families. It’s a huge part of this. That’s what today is about, and then we’ll lock back in tomorrow.”
Translation: teams that go 3-0 in group play are definitely advancing, teams that go 2-1 are almost certainly safe barring some wild tiebreaker scenario, teams that go 1-2 will need some help but could still move on (two such teams did advance at the Tokyo Games three years ago), and teams that go 0-3 are going home early.
The U.S.-South Sudan matchup is highly anticipated, especially after the upstart African team nearly defeated the Americans in London earlier this month in a stunning 101-100 game. The winner of this game will secure a trip to the quarterfinals.
Serbia vs. Puerto Rico isn’t an elimination game, but the winner will have a much better chance of advancing next week, while the loser will be hoping for favorable outcomes.
South Sudan has made a strong impression in its Olympic debut in men’s basketball, defeating Puerto Rico 90-79 on Sunday in its first game.
“We’re not a secret anymore,” South Sudan coach Royal Ivey said afterward
