In the moments following Team USA’s Gold Medal win on Friday, players began their celebrations right away, taking to social media almost immediately to share the aftermath of their victory.
On the team bus, Draymond Green gave us all a sneak peek behind the scenes as he captured some of the feelings shared by his teammates.
In the video, the Golden State star also gave a shout-out to none other than LeBron James, the guy who owns the brand of tequila they were drinking at the time.
Needless to say, they were having a pretty good time on their way to pick up the prize.
Team USA shouted out LeBron on the way to pick up their gold medals 😂 (via @Money23Green) pic.twitter.com/etxZrEkTXL
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) August 7, 2021
It’s pretty cool to see such a sincere moment of joy from our favorite superstars, and very interesting that they were thinking about LeBron, who wasn’t even a part of the process.
And, yes, the “King” did actually respond to this moment. Here’s the Tweet he sent out moments after the video went viral.
AYYYYYYEEEE!!!!!! That’s right in the cup. Liquid gold! Cheers Champs. Love to see it.
It has been quite the journey for Team USA. This summer, many of the country’s best players decided to skip out on competing, both due to COVID protocols and other reasons.
Without much of the big names who helped bring the USA to the top in the past, there was genuine doubt from some that they would be able to defend their place at the top of the sport.
Losing two exhibition matches early on only helped perpetuate those doubts, leaving players and coaches at the center of criticism.
They also lost two players from their original roster (Bradley Beal and Kevin Love), which they later replaced with guys who have never been All-Stars.
In the end, though, Team USA was able to overcome their demons and bring home their 16th All-Time Gold medal.
Meanwhile, LeBron James has already been there and done that. A 36-years-old, he’s done more than most players can dream of. Still, it’s nice to see that he can share in the joy and celebration of watching his peers bring home a medal.
At the very least, we know all the players were grateful for his amazing tequila.
