It's still up for debate whether LeBron James and Co. are better than Michael Jordan's 1992 Dream Team, but the U.S. basketball team is steamrolling its Olympic competition, racking up a record 156 points in its latest victory against Nigeria. And James has been the engine: Whether leading the entire team to hug First Lady Michelle Obama, or firing ridiculous cross-court bounce passes, he seems a different player from the expedient villain NBA fans have trashed since he took his talents to the Miami Heat. James hasn't been controversy-free at the Olympics: The newly engaged father of two raised eyebrows by inviting gold-medal-winning swimmer Lauren Perdue out for dinner (she reportedly turned him down). Still, James seems to be winning back basketball fans who've been so blindly invested in seeing him fail that they lost sight of his talents. Have the Olympics redeemed him?
Yes. The tide has turned in his favor: "This feels like the summer of LeBron James... when perception changed, the jokes dwindled, and the self-proclaimed King assumed his rightful throne as the best basketball payer on the planet," says Greg Bishop at The New York Times. James has emerged as "the single most important member" of the American team, and has done it not by scoring, but by distributing the ball and filling defensive gaps. Seemingly more comfortable in his own skin, James doesn't mind playing a supporting role. "This summer is when LeBron James grew up."
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