Filed Under » Lebron James

USA Basketball team members say the love and support from 300 million Americans back home will help them in their quest to win gold at the London Games.

"We have worked hard and we will play hard, but knowing everyone in the United States is pulling for us gives us an extra edge," said head coach Mike Krzyzewski.

Star forward LeBron James echoes his head coach: "Already we can feel the support from back home. I want to thank everyone for the love they have shown us."

National pride aside, Team USA has an advantage over most other countries thanks to the universal admiration enjoyed by James and Krzyzewski.

"How could you not root for LeBron James and Coach K?" said one U.S. fan in London. "How could you not pull for them in everything they do? They're wildly talented and successful, active in charities and have never been involved in any sort of legal issues. The fact that they're American – and American heroes – is almost secondary."

After yet another twist in his ongoing free agency saga, Dwight Howard is starting to suspect that his top adviser — Miami Heat forward LeBron James — is intentionally feeding him bad advice.

This past week Howard, who has one year remaining on his contract with the Orlando Magic, reportedly claimed the Magic "blackmailed" him into opting into that final year, then publicly denied that report, but reaffirmed his desire to be traded by the Magic, all of which was orchestrated by James.

"I thought given what he went through in 2010, LeBron would be able to give me good advice and help me avoid the same mistakes he made," Howard said. "But it seems like he's just making things worse."

James's other suggestions to Howard have included demanding a trade prior to last season, then publicly maintaining he was loyal to Orlando, then re-demanding a trade only to the Nets, then waiving his opt out clause at the trade deadline.

James also personally designed a "Dwight Howard Magic Loyalty" T-Shirt, which has become incredibly popular among Brooklyn hipsters.

"At first, it was kind of a joke, just to see what he'd do," James said. "But then I realized that if he got his coach fired, feuded with his front office and basically alienated his whole fan base, 'The Decision' would look pretty tame by comparison."