U.S. men’s basketball has two goals for Paris: win gold, see Simone Biles

LAS VEGAS — Bam Adebayo has two primary goals to accomplish at the Paris Olympics. The first one is obvious: a gold medal.

The second one: getting a picture with Simone Biles.

Among Biles’ biggest fans — literally — going into the Paris Games is a group of fellow Olympians, some of them more than 2 feet taller than she is, most of whom have never been to any sort of gymnastics meet in their lives. But make no mistake: The U.S. men’s basketball team loves her.
“She’s the best,” three-time Olympic medalist LeBron James said. “It’s that simple. She’s the best.”

It speaks to the power of Biles that, on an American roster with James and Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry and countless other greats from all sides of the sporting world, she’s not only the face of the U.S. Olympic Team — but it could be argued that she’s the face of the Paris Games, the most dominant and most captivating athlete in the world right now. Biles is the most decorated gymnast ever, with 37 medals from Olympic and world championship competitions.

And when the U.S. basketball players can be there to watch her in Paris, they will be. If the schedules align on the basketball off days – and there are opportunities, such as the Aug. 1 women’s all-around final — they’ll be figuring out ways to get tickets.

“I heard it’s really expensive to get in,” said U.S. guard Tyrese Haliburton, whose five-year, $245 million contract with the Indiana Pacers begins at the start of the next NBA season. “But I think I can make that work.”