Lebron James

One of the most famous athletes in the world heads to London coming off the biggest moment of his career, having gotten the monkey off his back by winning his first NBA championship. Some questioned whether he was a clutch performer after past playoff disappointments, but James came through with a tremendous postseason in his second year with the Miami Heat. He was named NBA finals MVP after averaging 28.6 points, 10.2 rebounds and 7.4 assists in the five-game series victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Beijing Games may have been a key to James even ending up with the Heat because it's believed that's where his bond with Dwyane Wade really began to blossom. This time, though, James won't have Wade or fellow Heat teammate Chris Bosh by his side after both had to withdraw due to injuries. James was second to Wade on the U.S. scoring list at the 2008 Olympics, averaging 15.5 points, but played the most minutes of anyone on the roster. He led that squad in steals (19), was second in assists (30) and third in rebounds (42) as the U.S. went 8-0. No player in the world is more versatile - he has the chiseled frame of a power forward but could be used at point guard - and he's just as good defensively as he is offensively. James has been named an NBA All-Defensive first team member each of the past four seasons, getting awarded his third league MVP during that span in May. This will be the third Olympics for James, who played limited minutes as a 20-year-old with the 2004 team which won bronze. James became a starter at the 2006 world championships as Team USA settled for bronze again, but anything less than gold in London would be a big disappointment.