NBA players caused a stir the last several years by leading the way in pro sports’ woke political revolution.
It has led to fans turning off the TV and quitting watching the games.
And the NBA’s national anthem protestors got hit with a rude awakening at the Olympics.
Team USA struggled in the pre-Olympic warm up, losing games to Nigeria and Australia.
Those losses shattered America’s aura of invincibility heading into the Olympics where Team USA seek their fourth straight gold medal.
But France stunned the Americans by handing them an opening game loss, 83 to 76.
“I think that’s a little bit of hubris if you think the Americans are supposed to just roll out the balls and win,” anti-Trump head coach Gregg Popovich told reporters. “We’ve got to work for it just like everybody else. And for those 40 minutes, they played better than we did.”
The USA led 74 to 67 with four minutes to go, but France blitzed Team USA 16 to 2 to close out the game and hand America it’s first Olympic loss since the 2004 semi-final round.
Team USA’s best players struggled with Kevin Durant scoring just 10 points and Damian Lillard accounting for 11.
France winning this game isn’t a sign that Team USA doesn’t have a talented roster.
Team USA is fielding a virtual All-Star team.
Instead, it is a sign that the rest of the world continues to catch up as the game grows internationally and more foreign players make their way to the NBA.
The Denver Nuggets Evan Fournier – who averaged 17 points a game this past season for one of the top teams in the league – led all scorers with 28 points.
Team USA is now on the brink.
If they lose one of their last two group play games against Iran or the Czech Republic they may not even make the knockout stage.
Sports with Balls will keep you up-to-date on any new developments in this ongoing story.