LeBron James Stats Today: How did Team USA forward perform against Brazil?

LeBron James and Team USA returned to action today for the quarterfinal matchup after an undefeated run in the Paris Olympic basketball tournament's group phase. The LA Lakers superstar is performing well in the competition, showing his leadership every game and impacting the game in multiple ways.

In the first quarter of the game against Brazil, James scored four points. He made his two 2-pointer attempts in six minutes, but that wasn't the highest note of his game. James recorded five assists and two steals in the first period, leading the team's offense from the defense, securing a considerable advantage over the South Americans early in the game.

The second quarter was even better for James, as he added six more points, grabbed two rebounds and dished three assists. He was perfect from the field and the free-throw line.

Even though Brazil threatened to get close to Team USA, James' return to the court helped them drift away and finish with a 23-point advantage after the South American cut the lead the eight.

LeBron James only played four minutes in the second half, finishing the night on the verge of a double-double with 12 points and nine assists in 16:39 minutes of action.

'King James' also had three rebounds, three steals and four turnovers. Even with that, he was one of the best players on the court, shooting 83.0% from the field and 67.0% from the free-throw line.

Team USA had little to no issues beating Brazil 122-87 and advancing to the semifinals. Seeing that Serbia is waiting for them in the next round, having LeBron rested is crucial for their aspirations.

LeBron James shows support to Joel Embiid against French fans

LeBron James is the leader of this team, and he doesn't hesitate to stand up for his teammates. Joel Embiid has been in hostile territory even before the start of the Olympic tournament. As the days went by, French fans let him know he was not welcome in France.

Speaking on that, James made it clear that Embiid isn't losing sleep over the boos and his teammates are ready to support him on and off the court.

"We are all on Jo’s [Joel's] side ... Jo’s in great spirits, we’re all in great spirits, and as his 11 teammates, we just give him the support that he needs both on the floor and off the floor if needed," James said on Saturday (via The Athletic).

Embiid finished the Brazil game as the team's third-best scorer, dropping 14 points in 12 minutes, telling everybody he was ready to dominate.