EXCLUSIVE
Steve Kerr had a list of huge names but only one choice.
Put LeBron James back in the game and let The King take over.
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With Team USA on the verge of international embarrassment inside a sold-out 02, a coach with nine NBA championship rings didn't turn to Stephen Curry, Anthony Edwards or Joel Embiid to save the United States against little-known South Sudan.
Instead, Kerr trusted a 39-year-old who's supposed to be in decline and hanging around just to play with his 19-year-old son Bronny on the Los Angeles Lakers.
Reality says that James was the second-best player last season on a Lakers team that again couldn't get out of the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.
But there was another reality on Saturday night in London and it was stunning to watch in person.
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James wasn't just the greatest player of his generation and a living inspiration to all the kids, teenagers and adults proudly wearing No. 23 jerseys in a variety of colors for everyone to see.
James was the best and most driven player for Team USA, a week away from the start of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
"He's just got such an incredible competitive spirit and confidence in the clutch," Kerr exclusively told talkSPORT. "As soon as he got out there, he went to work."
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This could become Curry's Olympics or an international showcase for Edwards, who spent the 2023-24 increasingly being compared to Michael Jordan, a former Chicago Bulls teammate of Kerr's.
Right now, James is still the best final-minute option for Team USA, despite being 17 years older than Ant.
Kevin Durant says it's 'exciting times' being teammates with Steph Curry again with Team USA back in London
"I like getting tested, baby," James said. "I like being tested -- those are the best ones."
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While his teammates watched South Sudan try to hold on to a surreal 58-44 halftime advantage, James spent the early portion of the third quarter anxiously standing, pacing and staring.
A man with 20 All-Star appearances, four NBA Finals MVPs and more than $1 billion in net worth appeared to only have one wish on Saturday night in London.
For Kerr to get out of the way and for The King to be allowed back on the court as soon as possible, so James could save Team USA and prevent another embarrassing upset like Puerto Rico in 2004.
"I don't think he was real thrilled about me not starting him in the third quarter," Kerr said.
"I looked down a couple of times and I can see LeBron jumping up a bit to be out on the floor."
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James leads everyone else in NBA history by more than 2,000 points.
Even if the world still insists that MJ will always be the GOAT, no one can touch James' 21-year dominance during an era when global names are winning MVPs and the court is constantly stretched with 3-pointers.
At 39, James should be the third- or fourth-best option for Kerr.
In some worlds, The King would be coming off the bench and Ant-Man would already be commanding the USA's spotlight in Paris.
Not in London inside an absolutely buzzing 02, when South Sudan was on the verge of shocking the world and igniting social media.
James scored a game-high 25 points, connected on 10-of-14 shots, led the USA with seven assists, and tied Curry for the most minutes played (23).
Then with the clock painfully ticking down and Kerr's squad trailing 100-99, James did what he's done since 2003.
He put his head down, attacked, took over and told every basketball fan in the world that no one can stop him.
"He was brilliant," Kerr said.
Jayson Tatum, Anthony Davis and Devin Booker are supposed to be the new names.
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James is supposed to be passing the torch.
At 39, a man who's dominated the NBA for more than two decades was the only one who could save the USA's pride -- and Kerr had no choice but to put The King back in the game.